When Hannah Ringel graduated from Sedona Red Rock High School in 2017, she did so as a three-time Arizona state champion in the shot put. That success has followed her to college athletics at the University of Idaho.
During both the indoor and outdoor track seasons, Ringel has consistently ranked as among the best shot put throwers in the Big Sky Conference. As a freshman, she finished ninth at the Big Sky Outdoor Conference Championships. She finished that up with a fifth place finish the following year. The outdoor season in her junior year was canceled due to COVID-19.
Ringel’s top achievement came at the Indoor State Championships. She won the Big Sky Indoor Conference Championship in her sophomore year as a Vandal with a distance of 14.89 meters, or 48.85 feet.
“It’s been going super well,” Ringel said. “It’s a super awesome program.”
Academically, Ringel is entering her senior year at Idaho. While she has only one more year of indoor track eligibility remaining, she could have two more years left of outdoor track. The NCAA granted spring athletes an extra year of eligibility, as their 2020 seasons were essentially completely wiped out with the COVID-19 crisis.
Ringel, who is in Idaho’s pre-dental program, noted that whether she takes that extra year of athletic eligibility will depend on a number of factors.
“It’s more up to my coaches and then dental school —- how I do with my dental exam and all of the extra classes I need to take,” Ringel said. “I would like a fifth year though. I am going to try to shoot for that.”
Ringel has some set goals for whatever time she has left in college athletics. One is that she hopes to return to the top of the podium at the conference championships. Ringel also hopes to break the University of Idaho’s outdoor record of 52-8¼, set in 2010 by Mykael Bothum. Ringel’s current best distance of 49-¼ is seventh best in the school’s history.
“I know I have it in me,” Ringel said. “I’ve done it in practice just never in meets. But I know it’s possible.”
If Ringel can beat that record in a meet, she’ll likely achieve another goal of qualifying for the first round of the NCAA Championship Meet for the first time. Ringel estimates that she’ll need another 2 to 3 feet to do that.
“I’d like to focus more on the weight room in fall if we do get that fall training period,” she said.
Like many athletes, Ringel has been forced to improvise amidst the COVID-19 shutdowns. Her workouts have been limited to what she can do at home. She’s been able to throw — only instead of throwing at a track, she’s thrown off of sidewalks.
Ringel said that she’s been buoyed by great support from the people of Sedona throughout her college career.
“I didn’t realize until after I left for college the amount of support that I had from people in Sedona,” Ringel said. “Especially all of the coaches I had and how far they helped me get.”
