Competing in her first NCAA Division I track and field championship, Chelsea Cassulo earned Arizona State University’s first ever hammer throw national title on Friday at Hayward Field.

With her family in the stands, the ASU senior stepped into the throwing ring for the last time as a college athlete.

“My timing was off all day and I knew I hit it but I didn’t know if it was going further than Brittany (Smith)’s,”Cassulo said “I was really praying.”

Cassulo — as well as the crowd — quietly waited for the official distance to show up on the score board, knowing that her last throw was far, but unclear if was far enough to beat Illinois State’s Brittany Smith’s leading mark of 224 feet and 9 inches and Alena Krechyk of University of Kansas State’s mark of 223 feet and 10 inches. Once Cassulo saw that the board read “226 feet and 9 inches,” tears began to form as she leaned over the fence to hug her coach and family members.

“I’m ecstatic, I’ve been working towards this all year and it’s a good way to end my senior season,” Cassulo said.

Coming into Wednesday’s competition Smith was ranked sixth but earned herself a third place position coming into the finals. Her third place quickly turned into first place after her first throw of finals. It was Cassulo’s last throw that took Smith’s potential national championship title away from her.

“I wasn’t expecting to get second but when I hit that big throw I thought I had a chance to win but she kind pulled it on her last throw,” Smith said.