Allgood plays to her strengths as a thrower

Legacy junior-to-be Avione Allgood has won three state track and field championships — two in the shot put and one in the discus.

And those aren’t even her best events.
   
Allgood is one of the premier javelin throwers in the nation, with a personal best throw of 161 feet, nine inches, that is the fourth best in the nation, according to track and field website dyestat.com.

“She’s basically the best all-around thrower in all four throws (shot put, discus, javelin and hammer throw),” said Allgood’s mother, Gloria, who coaches the throwers at Legacy. “Most kids only do two or three. And if they do three, they won’t touch the javelin.”

Allgood, 16, started track as a 7-year-old sprinter with USA Track and Field, and began throwing the javelin at 10.

“I never would have thought (I’d be a great thrower),” she said. “I was always the fastest person on the team, and I just worked hard all the time.

“At first, I was really bad (at throwing). I was horrible. My mom told me to do one thing, and I tried it, and it just came together. ... She just told me to run faster, and try to throw it as hard as I could.”

Allgood took the top spot in the javelin June 5 at the Great Southwest Classic in Albuquerque, N.M., with a winning heave of 155-9, her second head-to-head win over high school senior Hannah Carson of Chandler, Ariz. Carson holds the nation’s girls javelin record with a throw of 171-9, according to dyestat.com. Allgood also placed second in the shot put with a throw of 44-5. In the hammer throw, she took home a bronze medal, and finished 12th in the discus.

“She was out-throwing me in the javelin by the eighth grade,” said Gloria Allgood, who threw for her hometown Zips at Akron University.

In May, Allgood defended her Class 4A state shot put title with a throw of 43-0.5. The heave also eclipsed the stadium record at Damonte Ranch in Reno.

She then spun 143-8 in the discus, setting another stadium record and nabbing her first title in that event.

It was quite a feat for the 5-foot-6-inch thrower, who relies on her speed and quickness to excel in a sport dominated by larger athletes.

“The girls she goes up against are 5-11 and anywhere from 130 to over 200 pounds,” Allgood’s father, Bernard, said. “She has great technique, and she’s quick.”

The Nevada Interscholastic Athletic Association has never sanctioned the javelin, likely due to safety concerns, making it difficult for Allgood to find competitions to show off her best event.

“Since Nevada doesn’t have a javelin, she’s only got three or four throws on record,” Gloria Allgood said.

The NCAA prevents colleges from contacting Allgood until her junior year, but she has piqued the interest of schools including Oregon, Texas A&M, Miami, UCLA and Arizona. Allgood, who wants a career in plastic surgery, has competed against some of the nation’s top prep and college athletes at various open meets.

Allgood eschews the weight room, and even calls herself a “typical lazy teenager” who would rather hang out with friends than practice.

“Sometimes my mom has to drag me out to practice,” Allgood said, “but she never has to drag me out to a track meet. I love to compete.”