Ohio State senior Adelaide Aquilla, the reigning NCAA Division 1 indoor and outdoor shot put champion and a United States Olympian, joins DyeStat editor Erik Boal to discuss her world-leading 62-7.25 (19.08m) performance in the sixth round of her season opener Jan. 14 at the Gately Track and Field Center in Chicago, in addition to looking forward to the Buckeyes participating Jan. 21-22 at the South Carolina Challenge in Columbia. Aquilla, 22, elevated to the No. 5 indoor competitor in collegiate history and 13th in the United States, producing the second-best shot put mark by an NCAA competitor in January and the No. 4 all-time effort by an American during the first month of the year. She explains how meaningful it was to wear her Ohio State kit again in competition and how much Aquilla enjoyed throwing against many of her Big Ten Conference peers for the first time since June. Aquilla, who boasts an outdoor personal-best 62-8.75 (19.12m), analyzes how there was plenty of room for improvement on her winning effort in Chicago. She examines the technical adjustments that can be made, in addition to acknowledging that she is still lifting three times a week this early in the season. Aquilla shares how much she benefited from having Ashley Kovacs as her throwing coach at Ohio State and how she misses training with her and former teammate Divine Oladipo, as both women moved to Vanderbilt during the offseason. With Kovacs as associated head coach and throwing coach for the Commodores, Oladipo produced the No. 2 collegiate mark this season behind Aquilla with a 58-9.50 (17.92m) effort in her home opener. Aquilla speaks about her collaboration with new Ohio State throwing coach Travis Coleman, who arrived from Big Ten rival Maryland, and how they not only approached fall training, but weightlifting and technical cues as well. She expresses gratitude for Ohio State program head Karen Dennis and the impact that she continues to have on the Buckeyes program as one of the few female track and field directors at the Division 1 level. Aquilla talks about how much she learned from training with 2019 NCAA weight throw champion Sade Olatoye and how she wants to be a mentor for the younger throwers in the program during the final chapter of her career, as she is scheduled to graduate in May with a double major in communications and hospitality management, although Aquilla does have an additional indoor season of eligibility in 2023, if she uses to compete against for the Buckeyes. She reflects on her experiences at both the Olympic Trials and competing in Tokyo, and shares her takeaways from the first international meet of her career. Aquilla also gives respect to Olympic teammates Raven Saunders and Jessica Ramsey for helping her acclimate during her experience in Japan, and shares her excitement for competing against several elite American throwers this year and the seasons ahead in her quest to qualify for the World Championships in July in Oregon, as well as returning to the Olympics in 2024.