Mesa Legend - News - Winning form - MCC’s own lands spot on U.S. track and field team team

Winning form - MCC’s own lands spot on U.S. track and field team team

Nick Kosmider
Mesa Legend

It is a dream for many young athletes to represent their country in athletic competition.

For Mesa Community College’s own discus thrower Rashaud Scott, that dream was realized this summer, as he was elected to the United States Track and Field Team.

Scott, who said he was “shocked” upon finding out he was selected to the team, was chosen to compete in the North American-Central American-Caribbean Under 23 Championships in the Dominican Republic.

The games, which took place from July 7–9, featured athletes from all over North and Central America, including Canada, the United States, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and more.

Scott was the only junior college athlete selected to compete.

Then 19 years old at the time of the competition, he also won the silver medal in the discus at the games.

“I was very pleased with how I did,” Scott said, “It felt really good to compete at that level.”

The silver medal was just one of many accomplishments for the young athlete last year.

Born and raised in the Bronx, New York, Scott attended Harry S. Truman High School in New York City, where he lettered in both track and field and football.
After graduating high school Scott was unsure of where to go.

He had heard of fellow New York native Sheldon Battle, who would go on to become an All-American at Kansas University, doing well out in Arizona at MCC. Rashaud decided to contact head coach Selmer Olson.

“I told him we didn’t have any scholarships,” said Olson, “but that he could apply for financial aid, and that he should come out here.”

After several corresponding e-mails and phone calls, Scott decided to come to Arizona and begin his collegiate career at MCC.

When he arrived it was clear that Scott was a great athlete, but he hadn’t had a lot of coaching, especially in discus, which would become his best event.

“He had a lot of raw untapped talent, and he came out here to fuse that with the proper coaching,” Olson said.

Scott’s talent and the coaching quickly turned him into a young discus prodigy.
Olson added that coming out to a warmer climate where one can practice everyday also helped him get better.

Perhaps the biggest of his accomplishments was breaking the school record last year in the discus.

With a mark of 198 feet 6 inches, Scott broke old record holder Doug Reynolds’ throw by a foot (197 feet 6 inches).

Reynolds, who Olson said was once ranked 10th in the world in discus, was coaching his Kentucky team at the Mesa Classic when Scott broke the record.
“I didn’t think it would ever be broken,” Olson said.

As well as breaking a school record, Scott also qualified as a freshman for the United States Track and Field Championships. He was also National Indoor Junior College Champion in the shot put and 35 pound weight event, which was a new event last year.

It was these and other accomplishments that made Scott the number one freshman discus thrower in the country last year.

The excitement of last season gives Scott a lot to look forward in the future.
“I would like to make it to the Olympic trials,” he said.

While coach Olson thinks that Olympic talk for such a young athlete is premature, he says you can’t rule out Scott because of all the experience he gained in his freshmen year.

“He is one of the bright young track and field stars,” Olson says of Scott.
Scott says his time at Mesa so far has helped greatly in his improvement.
“When I got here I really learned how to work hard,” Scott said.

With major schools like Florida State, Kentucky, USC, and Oregon knocking on the door it is clear there will be a great deal of excitement surrounding Rashaud Scott’s second season for the Thunderbirds.