On Saturday, Jan. 31, Madison Carr tossed a 47-feet-3-inch shot at the Inland Northwest Invitational indoor track meet. Carr’s score broke the previous Whitworth indoor record of 46-feet-8.75-inches, which was set by fellow Whitworth athlete Amblessed Okemgbo just two weeks prior. At the women’s Division III (DIII) level, shot put consists of throwing a 4-kilogram metal ball, the shot, as far as possible.
Carr’s new mark now leads the NCAA DIII for indoor track. Additionally, she threw a 49-feet-2.25-inches weight throw that earned her the Whitworth indoor track school record.
Carr is a multi-sport athlete, playing for both the Whitworth women’s soccer team and track and field team. “I was having a harder time just coming off of soccer season and transitioning into track and throwing, so having that moment of gratification after working hard for a few weeks was really awesome. It came earlier than I thought it would, but it was still great,” she said.
“I feel like at a lot of other places, it can be really difficult,” Carr explained about being a multi-sport collegiate athlete in general. “Here the coaches are really willing to work together to create the best experience possible for me and other multi-sport athletes … the coaches just want what’s best for us, want us to make the most of our experience,” she said. Carr also described her teammates as really supportive and a key part of the success as well.
Carr started playing soccer at the age of four. She joined her school track team several years later, when she was in eighth grade, stating, “All my friends were doing it, and we figured we’d do it. We were already playing basketball, and we didn’t want to be bored in the spring.”
When looking at soccer and track as separate sports, “They’re really different, but they work well together,” Carr explained. “In soccer, you have to make quick decisions, and you have to be really explosive and be willing to go head-on. With shot put or any kind of throwing event, you have to also be willing to, like, take a risk if you want to be successful,” she said.
After her record-breaking shot and weight throw, Carr has high hopes for the rest of the 2026 track season. “Outdoor Nationals is a good goal of mine. Along with Indoor Nationals,” she said, “I think we have a lot of teammates that could also go, and that would be a really fun trip, and it would be a really cool experience. The more people that get to go, the better.”
The 2026 Track and Field schedule can be viewed on whitworthpirates.com. For more updates, follow the Whitworth Track and Field Team on Instagram @whitworthtfxc.
