KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Head coach Kevin Cataldo and the Western Michigan track and field program are excited to announce the addition of throwers BriYanna Robinson and Mariah Sackett for the upcoming season. 

Robinson and Sackett will work under the guidance of throws coach Kayleigh Conlon, who enters her second season on the WMU staff. During her first season, Conlon had four athletes make the finals at the 2023 MAC Championships and saw two athletes earn Academic All-MAC honors. Furthermore, she helped Elli Stender post the sixth best javelin mark in program history. 

BriYanna Robinson | Graduate Student | Indianapolis, Ind. | North Central HS/Southern Illinois
Robinson joins the program after spending the last four seasons at Southern Illinois. During her time as a Saluki, Robinson proved why she was one of the most sought after transfers in the portal. She has career best marks of 16.65 meters in the shot put, 57.15 meters in the hammer throw, 51.29 meters in the discus and 20.24 meters in the weight throw. In relation to last year's MAC Championship meet, her career best marks would've placed her first in the shot put and weight throw and second in hammer throw and discus. 

"Bri will immediately make an impact to our program," Conlon said. "Coming from a historic throws school like SIU, she knows how to train and compete at an elite level. She will be the only upperclassmen of the throws group this year, so I am hoping that she can share her experiences with the younger athletes, so that they can learn from her, and she can set a new standard for the group. Bri has elite competition experience by scoring many points in the shot put, discus, hammer, and weight and being a runner-up in the shot put in the Missouri Valley Conference. Bri is also a two-time west regional qualifier for the preliminary round of the NCAA Championships."

Mariah Sackett | Freshman | Zeeland, Mich. | Zeeland East
Sackett is a 2023 graduate of Zeeland East High School, where she was able to have a strong career. During her senior season, Sackett was named to both the All State and All Conference teams. At the 2023 MHSAA Division 1 Finals, Sackett was able to earn fifth place in the discus with a throw of 128' 1". She was then able to grab ninth place in the shot put with a mark of 37' 11". During her senior season, she never finished lower than fifth in the discus and grabbed 14 top-two finishes in the event. Shot put wise, she had 12 top-two finishes. 

"I believe Mariah will be a tremendous asset to our throws squad," Conlon said "Mariah brings in a great attitude, great work ethic, and the drive to want to learn and improve. She will fit right in and help with building the championship culture we are striving for."