March 28, 2024

C-M’s Rawlins chooses Central for track and field

Braedynn Rawlins didn’t expect to have the opportunity to extend her athletic career to the college level a few years ago. And if she did, she figured it might be in softball.

That was until she started dominating shot put rings around Central Iowa. And midway through last year she began to think it was possible.

The possible became reality last week as she made things official with Central College, and the Tigerhawk senior will join the Dutch track and field program starting this fall.

“I didn’t think I would be able to do this when I was younger,” Rawlins said. “Last year is when it became real. I never expected this after my first two years.”

Rawlins chose Central partly because it was close to home. She plans on coming home frequently to work with future up and coming Tigerhawk throwers.

She is able to throw for Central College mostly because she is very good at shot put. But she plans on trying all the throwing events when she arrives on campus, even discus which she admits is not her favorite event.

“It’s not my favorite, but I will continue to try it,” Rawlins said.

“I am going to be trying all the throwing events to see what works.”

Rawlins improved her shot put distance by several feet in her first two seasons. She threw 30 feet, 3 inches as a freshman.

As a sophomore, Rawlins captured her first South Iowa Cedar League outdoor title and improved her distance to 33-2 1/4.

The distance continued to climb as a junior. She won her first SICL indoor title last season and went back-to-back at the conference outdoor meet. Her best throw was 37-0 1/2.

This past season, it was even better.

Rawlins leaves C-M with a school record toss of 38-8 1/2. She won a third straight SICL outdoor title and a second straight indoor crown.

Rawlins also qualified for the Drake Relays and participated in her first state meet this past week. There are 24 throwers in the Drake Relays and eight of them came from Class 2A, the class Rawlins competed in at the state level.

Central College is a place Rawlins is familiar with. Several Jasper County athletes are there, she has taken part in a few camps at the facilities and she’ll even be around a familiar face when she gets to school this fall.

“Payton (Rhone) and I are actually going to be rooming together so I will have someone I know there from the start,” Rawlins said.

“I know a lot of people already, too. I am familiar with the program.”

Another Rawlins classmate, Delaney Underwood, will play golf at Central, too.

Rawlins plans on majoring in Biology with the hopes of attending medical school to be a pediatrician.