Fresno State Athletics
Representing her school and country in Eugene
6/5/2018 7:17:00 PM | Track & Field
Making her second-straight trip at the NCAA Track and Field Championships, junior Vanja Spaic will not only be Fresno State’s lone student-athlete competing this week in Eugene, she is also the only representative of Bosnia-Herzegovina at the event.
FRESNO, Calif. – Three years ago, Vanja Spaic made a decision that would change the future of her athletic career. Spaic chose to leave her home town of Trebinje, a small city in southern Bosnia-Herzegovina, a half hour east of the Adriatic Sea. Never having set foot in the United States and having only studied English in school, she decided to attend Fresno State on a track and field scholarship, a school nine time zones and more than 10,000 miles away from home.
Spaic was in search of combining athletics and education, something she didn't have access to at home. She was also in need of better training facilities. Being without a track and runway meant training on grass and dirt which is not an ideal situation for a javelin thrower.
"I always felt I could do better if I had a track and runway," Spaic said.
The daughter of a track and field coach, and younger sister of a track and field athlete, the sport was a natural fit. While starting at the age of six, she also tried volleyball and basketball but still gravitated to the multi-event sport. Competing in the long jump, triple jump, high jump, 100 meters, relays and javelin, the throwing event was her calling.
By her sophomore year of high school, Spaic was primarily just a javelin thrower.
"At the beginning I didn't enjoy it," she said of the event. "The worst part is trying to learn it properly because it's so technical. I learned a lot of mistakes and those became habits so I had to learn how to fix them which was very difficult. When you get better and each time you PR, you're happy. You get a connection with the javelin. I think whichever event you do, you love that feeling of that event.
I now can't imagine my life not throwing a javelin."
As she focused in on the event, her winning ways became a habit. In 2013, she claimed her first junior national record surpassing 47 meters for the first time, but she knew she was stuck. Training on a track for only a week to two every once in a while was not enough. Working in ideal conditions would get her to where she wanted to be. With the junior record behind her, college in the United States became a viable option which led to her joining Fresno State.
Soon the national record would fall as Spaic became the best javelin thrower in the history of her country. Every personal best since has led to a larger gap between her and others in her country in the event. In her first meet this spring, the junior passed the Fresno State record with a mark of 52.93 meters at the UC Irvine Spring Break Classic. Two weeks later, she went longer but a foot foul kept that out of the record books. That has left her searching, knowing what is possible.
Pressure is always there, it's a part of sport. Spaic puts it on herself, always wanting to set a personal best each time out. When it doesn't happen, the psychology major has to remind herself of what she has accomplished and why she is competing.
"I'm doing it because I love it, not because I have to," Spaic said. "I'm always trying to remove that pressure, just try to enjoy the moment. I enjoy what I'm doing."
In 2017, she made her first appearance at nationals in Eugene, Oregon. This week she returns to Historic Hayward Field. She will not only represent Fresno State at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships but also her home country. Of the 56 countries represented by student-athletes competing this week, Spaic is the only one from Bosnia-Herzegovina.
"European or Balkan championships are not much different compared to NCAA's," Spaic noted of how her biggest international meet feel. "Our nationals are similar too, you can feel that it's more serious than other meets. There's more people. You feel good when you're representing your country. I really love that but at NCAA's I have the same feeling."
With international competitions still to come this summer, first on Spaic's list are the NCAA championships. Qualifying eighth in the west region on May 24, she enters this week's meet ranked No. 17 in the NCAA. The women's javelin will be contested on Thursday at 5:15 p.m. PT and air on ESPN3.
"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" – The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160.
Follow us on:
Twitter: @FS_TracknField
Instagram: fresnostate_tracknfield
Facebook: FresnoStateAthletics
Spaic was in search of combining athletics and education, something she didn't have access to at home. She was also in need of better training facilities. Being without a track and runway meant training on grass and dirt which is not an ideal situation for a javelin thrower.
"I always felt I could do better if I had a track and runway," Spaic said.
The daughter of a track and field coach, and younger sister of a track and field athlete, the sport was a natural fit. While starting at the age of six, she also tried volleyball and basketball but still gravitated to the multi-event sport. Competing in the long jump, triple jump, high jump, 100 meters, relays and javelin, the throwing event was her calling.
By her sophomore year of high school, Spaic was primarily just a javelin thrower.
"At the beginning I didn't enjoy it," she said of the event. "The worst part is trying to learn it properly because it's so technical. I learned a lot of mistakes and those became habits so I had to learn how to fix them which was very difficult. When you get better and each time you PR, you're happy. You get a connection with the javelin. I think whichever event you do, you love that feeling of that event.
I now can't imagine my life not throwing a javelin."
As she focused in on the event, her winning ways became a habit. In 2013, she claimed her first junior national record surpassing 47 meters for the first time, but she knew she was stuck. Training on a track for only a week to two every once in a while was not enough. Working in ideal conditions would get her to where she wanted to be. With the junior record behind her, college in the United States became a viable option which led to her joining Fresno State.
Soon the national record would fall as Spaic became the best javelin thrower in the history of her country. Every personal best since has led to a larger gap between her and others in her country in the event. In her first meet this spring, the junior passed the Fresno State record with a mark of 52.93 meters at the UC Irvine Spring Break Classic. Two weeks later, she went longer but a foot foul kept that out of the record books. That has left her searching, knowing what is possible.
Pressure is always there, it's a part of sport. Spaic puts it on herself, always wanting to set a personal best each time out. When it doesn't happen, the psychology major has to remind herself of what she has accomplished and why she is competing.
"I'm doing it because I love it, not because I have to," Spaic said. "I'm always trying to remove that pressure, just try to enjoy the moment. I enjoy what I'm doing."
In 2017, she made her first appearance at nationals in Eugene, Oregon. This week she returns to Historic Hayward Field. She will not only represent Fresno State at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships but also her home country. Of the 56 countries represented by student-athletes competing this week, Spaic is the only one from Bosnia-Herzegovina.
"European or Balkan championships are not much different compared to NCAA's," Spaic noted of how her biggest international meet feel. "Our nationals are similar too, you can feel that it's more serious than other meets. There's more people. You feel good when you're representing your country. I really love that but at NCAA's I have the same feeling."
With international competitions still to come this summer, first on Spaic's list are the NCAA championships. Qualifying eighth in the west region on May 24, she enters this week's meet ranked No. 17 in the NCAA. The women's javelin will be contested on Thursday at 5:15 p.m. PT and air on ESPN3.
"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" – The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160.
Follow us on:
Twitter: @FS_TracknField
Instagram: fresnostate_tracknfield
Facebook: FresnoStateAthletics
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