Yahoo Sports Highland’s Hapack has big goals as transfer to Belmont track and field team
Josie Hapack has seen plenty of ups and downs the past two years as a thrower on the women’s track team at Indiana State University.
When the semester commences in five weeks, Hapack, a 2022 Highland graduate will have a new school to call home as she is transferring from Indiana State to Belmont University in Nashville.
Hapack is excited about moving to Nashville for academics and becoming part of the Bruins women’s track team.
“I’m definitely looking forward to going to Belmont and competing because I’m now a more experienced athlete,” Hapack said.
Hapack had a successful freshman year in 2023 during the indoor and outdoor season at Indiana State. Her indoor season was capped by a strong show in the Missouri Valley Conference Championships in Chicago on Feb. 26-27. Hapack finished 12th in the shot put with a throw of 12.94 meters and 9th in the weight throw with a toss of 17.44 meters.
Making the indoor conference meet was a major confidence boost for Hapack as a freshman.
“It was a definite learning period. ... But it was a pretty cool thing to do as a freshman and the fact that I was mentally and physically able to be prepared to compete as a freshman at a high level without cracking under pressure is something I try to pride myself on,” Hapack said.
During the 2023 outdoor season, Hapack also had some solid showings which included a 17th-place finish in the discus in the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa on April 26-29 and then a sixth-place finish (41.83 meters) in the discus and an eighth place finish (45.76 meters) in the hammer throw at the Billy Hayes Invitational meet at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana on May 5.
Hapack credits consistency in training with outdoor success as a freshman.
“During high school, I kind of started my own regimen of getting competitively prepared and for me that’s having a routine every time I step on the concrete, “ Hapack said.
The outdoor season for Hapack finished with a trip to USATF under 20 championships in Eugene, Oregon last July.
Hapack placed seventh in the discus with a throw of 45.68 meters. That experience began to open her eyes to the possibility of competing at a higher level at another school.
“I was the only NCAA freshman competing in the collegiate open, so it kind of felt like it was pressure there but I ended up throwing a reasonable mark and walked away feeling pretty good about it,” Hapack said. “It was a huge accomplishment and I was able to meet tons of Olympians there.”
The 2024 season did not go well for Hapack as a sophomore, as various injuries eventually stopped her season in April.
“I ended up fracturing my fifth metatarsal in my foot that required surgery, so it’s been a very long recovery process and that ended up happening in April,” she said. “I had some other minor setbacks that prevented me from training and that prompted me to enter the transfer portal.”
Hapack, who will major in business this fall at Belmont, will have three more years of eligibility with the Bruins as she transfers.
She is busy rehabbing and doing limited training this summer. She is expected to compete in the discus, hammer throw and the shot put.
Hapack has two simple goals she would like to accomplish this year at Belmont.
“Definitely, I would to score in the conference, I think that’s super feasible, and knowing the number of resources they have at Belmont I don’t see why I couldn’t do it,” Hapack said. “Also, hopefully becoming regional qualifier. That’s definitely a goal of mine.”
