Although senior Janie Howse will not be competing as a weight thrower in field events this year, she said she will maintain a presence on her team by cheering them on at meets this season. 

Howse will be graduating in December this year, and she said she will always be proud of her decade-long career in athletics, especially her time at Eastern. 

“I have never and will never regret one second of my time as an EIU Panther. I am proud that I competed here, and I will be proud to graduate from here,” Howse said. 

While at Eastern, Howse broke two school weight-throwing records in the indoor weight throw and the outdoor hammer throw. She was also named the Eastern Female Athlete of the Year for the 2015-16 season. 

Howse earned First Team All-Ohio Valley Conference honors in the indoor throw in 2016 and Second Team All-OVC honors in discus in 2013.

In her last full season as a Panther, Howse received the Eastern Presidential Award for academics, an OVC Medal of Honor and a United States Track and Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association All-Academics honor.

Howse’s track and field career began when she was a sixth grader at Central Assumption and Moweaqua school, and she continued to participate at Moweaqua Central A&M High School, winning the Illinois class IA state title in discus her senior year.

Howse said over her 10 years as a track and field athlete, her family has been her biggest supporters.

“My family has been a huge motivator in my track and field career. Even in college, they never missed a meet, and they usually came with cookies in hand,” Howse said. “Track has always been a family affair; my mother, father, grandma and grandpa are my biggest supporters.

I always had high expectations for myself so I competed for me, but I also competed for them.”

Howse modeled her family’s motivating spirit as a leader of the throwing squad. She said that as a senior, her job was to build up her teammates and help them have the best possible experience as a college athlete.

Being a part of the Eastern track and field has also taught Howse to have pride in her achievements and how to hone in on more than just physical strength.

“In my time as an athlete, I have taken away lifelong friendships that can never be replaced. I have taken away a sense of accomplishment from achieving goals I never even thought I had, and I have learned that strength comes from more than your muscles,” Howse said.

Howse said being a part of Eastern athletics has shown her she is often the one thing standing in the way of achieving her goals, so she is the only one that can move those obstacles.

She said the most valuable thing she has taken away from her career at Eastern are not the awards or honors but the friends and memories.

“I also learned that hardware gets dusty. I have had much success in my career and earned many medals and plaques, but the memories that I now carry with me from this experience will shine bright long after the hardware tarnishes,” Howse said.

Kaitlin Cordes can be reached at 581-2812 or krcordes@eiu.edu