KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE—Evansville shot putter Joseph Maxwell continued his scorching start to the 2019 indoor track and field season at the University of Tennessee, posting a personal best indoor mark of 18.96 (62 feet, 2.5 inches) in the men’s shot put at the Tiger Paw Invite held in Clemson, South Carolina this past Friday.
Mr. Maxwell won a bronze medal for placing second in this competition, after having started the season with three straight first-place finishes at the team’s first three indoor events this season. The Recorder talked to him about his tremendous success so far this season, prior to his taking part in the Tiger Paw Invite.
“I guess I struggled a bit my first year (at Tennessee), but one thing I’ve learned is that I got tired of getting beat up in competition,” Mr. Maxwell told The Recorder. He pointed out one reason for his success so far this season has to do with, “I’ve gotten a lot stronger physically, putting on 50 pounds since my freshman year, mostly muscle.”
But this is not the only reason Mr. Maxwell attributes for his success this season. “When I competed in events in Canada, the level of competition was not nearly as good as what I’m seeing in the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association),” he told The Recorder. “In some of the competitions (in Canada) I was winning by as much as 10-20 metres.” He acknowledged this may have given him a false sense of security and when he arrived at Tennessee, he was up against much stronger competition.
However, “the switch started the summer after my first year at college. I realized that I would have to do things different. So first I gained the weight, and now bench press 150 more pounds on the bench press than I did at that time, and 200 pounds more in the squats.”
“And my mental attitude has changed. I’m trying to win every competition now,” said Mr. Maxwell. “Something I’ve definitely learned is that there is no substitute for experience.”
He also noted that there was the transition to a new large school, and a new place to live in Knoxville, Tennessee. “Once you get everything settled, things get easier,” he said.
“I definitely enjoy living in Tennessee,” said Mr. Maxwell. “When I was home last summer I found myself missing Knoxville, something I hadn’t before.”
While he is excelling on the field, Mr. Maxwell is also excelling in the classroom as well. “Things are going great. In my last semester I had my best GPA (grade point average). I’m definitely keeping up my studies and enjoying it.”
Mr. Maxwell, who will be working this summer in a sales internship in Greensboro, North Carolina added, “I haven’t exhausted what I can do here at Tennessee. And this year I’m seeing some of the results. My goal? We have a school record of 19.23 for the indoor shot put and my personal best (before last Friday’s competition) is about 40 centimetres off of that. I will be trying to set the school record, that is my goal.”
