In addition to breaking records, the sophomore established herself as the premier thrower in the Ancient Eight, taking home titles in the shot put for both indoors and outdoors, and placing second in the discus for outdoors.

Okwelogu credits a large part of this to the confidence she developed throughout the season.

“Nerves would be a huge factor in every meet,” Okwelogu said. “Over the course of the season I got very comfortable…and learned to trust myself.”

Unlike most Ivy League athletes, her season did not conclude with the collegiate season as she continued on to the international scene.

INTERNATIONAL DUTY

Okwelogu first got the attention of the Nigerian team her junior year when her sister, Nonny, competed for them at the 2012 World Junior Championships. Both were eligible to compete for the US and Nigeria, ultimately choosing their ancestors’ country.

“I wouldn’t have known Nigeria was a possibility if they hadn’t found [Nonny] first,” Okwelogu said. “My mom facilitated, saying, ‘She has a sister who is up and coming, maybe you should look at her too.’”

The coaches kept an eye on her results, inviting her to compete with the Nigerian team this summer, where she would take home the Nigerian National Championship in the shot put and runner-up in discus.

She would follow the performance by being a finalist at the World Junior Championships in the shot put before competing in the biggest event of her career: the Commonwealth Games.

This internationally renowned competition is held by the Commonwealth of Nations, a group of mostly former British territories.

Okwelogu, a last-second addition to the Nigerian roster, was shell-shocked by the magnitude of the games.

“It’s literally like an Olympic games, an opening ceremony and fans everywhere,” Okwelogu said. “I had no idea until I walked into the stadium, and I was supposed to be warming up, but I was just looking around for a solid five minutes.”

The then-rising sophomore would hold her own, placing ninth in a field that included New Zealand’s two-time Olympic champion Valerie Adams.

Okwelogu wrapped up the summer with her first international medal, placing second in the African Championships in the shot put.

OLYMPIC DREAMS