Tia DeSoto Season 2002-03

Personal Bests:
Indoors: 20-Pound Weight Throw, 60-10 1/2
Outdoors: Hammer Throw, 187-4

Honors:
NCAA Division I Track Coaches Association All-Academic Team (2003)
Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll (Fall 2002, Spring 2003)

Big 12 Championships:
2003 (I): 20-Pound Weight Throw, 58-3 3/4 (4th)
2003 (O): Hammer Throw, 172-3 (8th)

2004: Tia DeSoto was one of four members of the NU track and field team to earn Academic All-America honors in 2004, as she was a first-team selection... caputered two All-Big 12 honors with a fifth-place finish in the indoor weight throw and sixth-place finish in the outdoor hammer throw... left NU as a top-10 all-time performer in both the weight and hammer throws... graduated in August 2004 with a degree in anthropology.

2003: DeSoto made an immediate impact in her first year as a Husker, contributing team points at the Big 12 Indoor and Outdoor Championships... finished in fourth place at the indoor conference meet with a mark of 58-3 3/4 in the 20-pound weight throw... took fifth and threw a lifetime-best mark of 58-10 1/4 at the Cyclone NCAA Qualifier... won bronze at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational (56-8 1/2) and the adidas Classic (57-9 3/4)... finished second to Amanda Moreley at the Panther Classic with a toss of 58-8 1/2... threw her best career hammer throw mark (187-4) to win the Ward Haylett Invitational... finished 11th at the Texas Relays (172-3)... took silver at the Nebraska Wesleyan Twilight with a mark of 178-1... was eighth at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships... finished 10th at the NCAA Midwest Regional (169-5).

At Santa RosaJunior College: DeSoto was the 2002 California Community College state champion in the hammer (175-3) and also placed fourth in discus (138-7) as a sophomore... set a school best at a four-way meet at Santa Rosa throwing the hammer 180-10 and tossed a school-record throw of 147-8 in the discus at the Merv Smith Invitational... NorCal champion in hammer (176-4) and discus (145-3)... in 2001 spent part of year in Europe and did not compete... in 2000 during her freshman season at Santa Rosa, had season bests of 156-7 in the hammer and 144-5 in the discus... finished fourth in the hammer (152-2) and sixth in the discus (138-2) at the California State Community College Championships.

High school: Competed in the California State High School Championships from sophomore through senior years in the discus... top state finishes were 13th-place showings in 1999 (125-8) and 1998 (123-2)... as a senior, threw the hammer 146-1, which was the 12th-best national performance in 1999... high school discus personal best of 134-8 won the 1999 California North Coast Sectional.

Personal: Junior college coach was Ron Whitney... high school coaches were Matt Malvino and Larry Meredith... major is anthropology... parents are Jan and Debbie DeSoto... born May 31, 1981.