2014-2015 MSA Sports Female Athlete of the Year

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, June 27, 2015 | 1:06 PM

Madison Wiltrout’s right arm always seemed to have some magic in it. It is what enabled her to play years of baseball with the boys. She was a center fielder and pitcher before giving up the sport after eighth grade.

Then in the spring of her ninth-grade year, Wiltrout picked up a javelin and started throwing it with the right arm. Different sport. Different object to throw – and a magic act that had never been seen before in the history of U.S. high school track and field.

WIltrout was a state champion in the javelin at the end of her freshman year. Before her sophomore year was finished this year, that right arm had put Wiltrout in the national record book.

At a WPIAL qualifying meet in May, Wiltrout set a national high school record in the javelin when she threw 185 feet, 8 inches. To give some perspective to the throw, it would’ve been sixth at the 2010 U.S. Olympic Trials.

Wiltrout, only a sophomore, went on to win WPIAL and PIAA Class AAA championships and set meet records in both.

And just to understand what kind of athlete WIltrout truly is, consider she also averaged 10 points a game for the Connellsville girls basketball team. Put the two together, and WIltrout was an easy pick for the MSA Sports Female Athlete of the Year. All girls in the WPIAL are eligible for the award.

As good as Wiltrout is already, it’s even more impressive when you consider she has two more years left in high school. And she never threw a javelin until a little more than a year ago. Her rise to national prominence has been almost surreal – even to Wiltrout, who also is an excellent student with a grade-point average of 3.75.

“I didn’t have this all planned this year,” she said.

An obvious questions is what in the world does Wiltrout do for an encore? According to Wiltrout, it’s simple.

“I just want to try and break my own records,” she said. “I’m definitely looking forward to keep progressing.”

But no one will see Wiltrout throwing a javelin for at least four months. That’s because she sustained a partially torn ulnar ligament in her right elbow at the PIAA championships in late May. She will have surgery on the elbow Tuesday. But Wiltrout said she is expected to make a full recovery. The injury is similar to what happens to some baseball pitchers.

“It’s going to be hard to be calm for a while,” said WIltrout. “The first four months I know I can’t have weight bearing on the elbow.”

But Wiltrout is talking about winning a third state championship next year – and then some.

“The Olympic Trials is definitely something I’m looking forward to next year,” said Wiltrout.

Tags: Connellsville