JEN WATKINS
- mercertrackhall
- Sep 20
- 1 min read
Updated: Sep 26
Hopewell Valley --Thrower
Jen Watkins may have been the best all-around scholastic thrower in Mercer County,boy or girl, in the 20th Century. At the very least, she amassed an astounding resume.
The Meet of Champions winner and first team All-State in back-to-back seasons (1990 and 1991) in the girls’ discus, Watkins went undefeated in New Jersey in the event during that time. That feat includes back-to-back Central Group II and Group II state titles, but the Bulldogs’ paragon was hardly a one-event thrower as she was team MVP four consecutive years.
In 1991, Watkins was Central Group II shot-put champion and twice she was also sectional champion in the javelin. She graduated in 1991 as the Mercer County record holder in the girls’ discus after a fourth place at the Keebler International Track and Field meet and fifth at the Golden West Invitational.
On the collegiate level, Watkins kept rolling with three Heps titles for Cornell (two in the discus and one in the javelin) and was the meet’s outstanding performer in 1995. This helped her earn four All-Ivy berths in 1994 and 1995 (two each season), making her an easy choice to eventually be inducted in Cornell’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
In the 1995 season, Watkins was the Cornell women’s track and field MVP after setting the school record in the javelin. She graduated as one of the best discus throwers in school history, capping an amazing eight-year run.
