Ball State thrower Zach Riley has lived by a single slogan throughout this track and field season - "Success breeds confidence. Confidence breeds success." So far, he has had an abundance of both.
During the last two years Riley, a senior, has turned himself into one of the best collegiate throwers in the country. And this season, he continues to reach new levels.
Currently, Riley ranks seventh in the nation in weight throw and holds three of Ball State's five throwing records. The results, however, have not always been the same for Riley.
"I tease him all the time," head coach Jim Sprecher said. "He didn't come to college with an abundance of ability, but through hard work and dedication, he has made himself great."
Riley is often the butt of his coach's jokes because of his lackluster freshman season. In 1999 he placed last in the hammer throw at the MAC outdoor championships with a toss of 131 feet, 6 inches.
His struggles, however, did not last very long. The very next year, Riley won the hammer throw at the MAC championships with a throw of 192 feet, 8 inches. Last year, he finished 15th at the NCAA national meet, earning All-America status.
"I have a terrible problem with not being good at something," Riley said. "I don't let myself do it unless I'm going to do good at it."
Riley credits a lot of his improvement to strength coach, Justin Cecil.
"He has made me the athlete I am today," Riley said. "He knows what makes me tick."
Cecil earned Riley's respect from the first day he met him. Cecil recalled showing Riley around the weight room on his first day as a freshman. Riley confidently told Cecil he was not going to squat while he was here.
"I said to him, 'I will tell you what you will and will not do,'" Cecil recalled. "That year Zach squatted 225 pounds. Now, he does 655. We knew where he was going from day one."
All of Riley's coaches say Zach's mindset is the thing that separates him from the rest of the field. Cecil called it a "supreme confidence," and that confidence is visible during Riley's pre-meet ritual.
Before throwing, Riley paces the infield with headphones on his ears and a scowl on his face.
"I am just thinking of total domination," he said. "It's bad to say, but I want to embarrass somebody. People say if you win by one foot or 20 feet, it's still a win, but I always want to win by 20 feet."
Twenty-feet victories are rare in the weight throw, but Riley has tried his best to reach that goal. In the Cannon Classic on February 9, Riley threw a school-record 69 feet, 5 1?4 inches. His nearest competitor was 6 1/2 feet back. That meet marked the seventh time in his career that Riley has broken the school weight-throw record. The next week, he tied the mark.
Another thing that sets Riley apart from his peers, Cecil says, is his leadership.
"He walks the walk and talks the talk," Cecil said. "He's a great leader because he leads without trying. All great leaders are great because they lead without realizing it."
"I help them because I've been around longer, but I learn as much from them as they learn from me," Riley said, "and that's the way it has always been. You learn by humbling yourself."
Riley will enter this weekend's MAC championships as the favorite to win the weight throw. While he is moving one meet at a time, Riley also sees beyond the weekend.
"My goal is top five in the nation indoors and out," Riley said. "It's all a mental thing."
For now, though, Riley just hopes his confidence will breed success.
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