Ambition Exemplified

For a freshman in college, life changes overnight. New city, new friends, away from family, the entire stability of life uprooted within a matter of days.

As a freshman with aspirations to walk-on to a Division I athletic program, this is amplified even further. And when trying to break into a program with the esteem of the Colorado State track and field throwers, the challenge surmounts.

The dominance of the Ram throwers is no secret in the track and field scene. They boast multiple national champions, conference titles and rank among the best throwing schools in the country year in and year out. Currently, the CSU women are No. 2 in discus, No. 5 in shot put and No. 7 in the hammer throw during week five in USTFCCCA’s event squad rankings — which take the top four athletes from each school in the nation.

Yet a water polo player turned collegiate walk-on sits among two of these three elite squads.

Erin Brown started in the pool playing water polo for her club and school teams. During the pandemic, Brown additionally competed in track and field as a hurdler. In high school she defaulted back to water polo where she aspired to play at nearby Santa Clara, not far from her home of Pleasanton, Calif. When things did not work out there, her high school’s throwing coach recommended to give throws a try.

Unfortunately for Brown, that coach took a new job just a few weeks later and leaving her without a mentor. Although she felt she was pretty good for someone without a coach, training with only two freshman boys left her with little stability. In her senior season she would practice at the rival high school’s facility.

When it came time to pick a college, Brown was left at a crossroads.

“I had only applied to a few schools because I was sure I was going to go to Santa Clara,” Brown said. “CSU was one that I knew was one of my higher options because I just love Colorado and I wanted to get out of California and just explore more states.”

A trip from California to Colorado to visit CSU’s campus as well as other Colorado universities created her first connection with head track and field coach Brian Bedard. It was also when she decided she would be attending CSU regardless.

“I talked to him at practice and he said I might have a spot to walk-on,” she said. “But he just went through it as Bedard does, trying to scare you to see who will stick to it, just explaining it is a lot of work.”

A pattern then began, as even Bedard can’t recall their initial meeting.

Brown’s arrival on a spring visit was just the first of many occasions in which she would have to prove herself every day, so she wouldn’t be quickly forgotten like a misfire in the throwing pit.

Bedard preaches a short-term memory with his throwers, not letting one bad throw affect your day or series. Think like a goldfish, compete with joy and support your teammates.

Brown adapted this early and often, recalling moments over the summer where Bedard was hard to reach. On the first week of school, she placed her throwing ambitions on the back burner, focusing on settling into college life instead. When she showed up to her first practice, she wasn’t exactly greeted with welcome arms.

“I came to practice and Mya (Lesnar) and Klaire (Kovatch) were outside throwing; they had no idea who I was and basically said you need to come back when Bedard is here,” Brown said. “When he got back, I was like, ‘hey remember me?’ In which he luckily said yes.”

Kovatch recalls the story similarly.

“Pretty much this very unassuming Cali girl shows up with no CSU gear,” she said. “I hadn’t even heard anything about her because Bedard did not say anything, so it was just a random person showing up to a closed practice.”

Competition wasn’t going to be an option for Brown as a true freshman, not among a group of established conference scorers, not as a young lady still learning the basics the throws. She was determined to prove to herself she could earn her place.

It’s unsurprising to anyone who knows her roots. Her parents served as captains of their college track teams in Scotland, dad being a professional runner who competed in the Commonwealth Games. Athleticism then transferred to her sister who competes overseas as a professional basketball player after a collegiate career at Cal Poly.

Her natural gifts were seen in her high school throwing days. With minimum training and little experience, she had crafted a mark in the shot put close to program standards of 39-7. The discus, however, wasn’t nearly there at 127-0.

At most schools, competing in only one event wouldn’t be an issue, but CSU throwing stands out in more ways than one. Bedard doesn’t like one-trick ponies, making her train all five events her freshman season. She eventually cut it to four after calling it quits on javelin to focus on just the circle throws. While she may have appeared as a shot put specialist on paper, she too had to take on the same process of learning the hammer throw from scratch like most collegiate throwers.

This was one aspect in which Brown could finally find some common ground. Despite Kajsa Borrman, Kovatch and Gabi Morris’ national-level ability, they each had events they competed in they didn’t prefer or weren’t expectational at, having to learn and practice them regardless. This meant they were always together — regardless of skill — leading to Brown building relationships quickly.

“When I first started practicing Bedard told Mya that she had to be my mentor. Klaire really sticks out as she’s always been a great coach; just a friendly personality overall,” she said. “Gabi is always very outgoing, talking to everybody, good at getting me to talk more because I was quiet freshman year. Kajsa was always very friendly and very funny, so I think it was just pretty team-wide of helping me adapt to the team.”

If you have ever been around the Ram throwing crew, you know how they operate. Everyone supports everyone, on every throw, every time. CSU has built a reputation of being loud, carrying a presence into each competition they enter. This is not built overnight, and for Brown, it assisted in her development.

Excellent teammates do what they can, but they can only push you so far. What separated Brown from other athletes was her summer dedication, training when nobody was watching.

“She stayed in contact with her strength coach the whole summer,” Bedard said. “And when she came back, she was changed. She had matured quite a bit physically and had improved technically over the summer. Just came back changed, and that kind of change really kick-started her career. It was the offseason training she put in because some people are just not as dedicated. She had every chance to not do it or take shortcuts.”

The change led to her scoring her first conference points for the team at the Mountain West Indoor Championships in 2025, points not projected in the pre-meet performance list. Kovatch called it a coming out party. She set a personal record that day and added seven inches to her shot put the 2024 spring season, proving the summer effort was worthwhile.

A year later she returned to the indoor championships, defying the odds once again with a nearly three-inch PR to claim a bronze medal at 50-4 -- the first of her collegiate track and field career.

“It meant so much to me,” Brown said. “That was the most exciting moment in my life when me and Mak (Makayla Long) were both on the podium and all my team was there supporting me, it seriously was. The energy was so amazing especially because not only did I get bronze, I PR'd again and I had had a really bad season. So, I had low expectations going into conference, so hitting that PR and getting third was just indescribable.”

With two years of eligibility remaining, Brown is embracing her potential as the next in line in the exceptional history of CSU shot put throwers. With Long completing her final season, the Rams will look to the “Cali girl” to carry the mantle, which she is more than willing to do.

“I know that my goal is going to be to win conference next year, and my senior year I really want to get up in the record book too, somewhere in the top five,” she said. “Even get to No. 2. Obviously, No. 1 would be great, but Mya set a really high standard so that might be a little hard, but I still have two more years left in me, and I've only been getting stronger, so I'm really excited.”

Bedard has seen Brown go from untrained walk-on to a performer intent on earning her spot. Not just among the group, but atop the program lists. He also knows who is in charge of raising the ceiling.

Brown has surpassed all expectations except her own

Micah DiMatteo

Colorado State University Athletics