Star Athlete Annette Echikunwoke Takes Risks, Both On and Off the Field

Annette Echikunwoke came to the University of Cincinnati to study civil engineering and throw shot put and discus. Just two years later, she’s broken a school record in a different event and found her passion in a new major. 

The Columbus, Ohio, native first realized her athletic abilities during a middle school field day, when she realized she could throw a discus further than her classmates. 

“One time, I threw a discus 73 feet,” she said. “Now it's nothing, but back then, it was a big deal.”

In eighth grade, Echikunwoke joined the track and field team and began throwing shot put and discus. By her senior year, she had great marks and was recruited by UC, where she enrolled as a civil engineering major.

After a year in college, she was at a crossroads. Her major and sport schedules always seemed to conflict. How could she blend her love of math and statistics into a more sport-friendly career path? 

She stumbled upon a solution during a routine eye exam, when her optometrist mentioned his actuarial scientist neighbor. Actuarial science incorporates mathematical and statistical methods to solve risk solutions for insurance and financial companies, she learned.

So Echikunwoke met with an advisor and switched majors. 

At the same time, she made a major change in track and field, adding hammer throw to shot put and discus events. 

“Initially, I thought you just spun around in circles,” she said of the technique that involves leveraging spins to power an 4-kilogram (8.8 lbs) ball hundreds of feet. “But throughout the time I've known about hammer, I have learned that it is more complex than that.”

She even applies mathematical principles as she “winds the hammer,” she said. Watch one of her winning throws here. 

By the end of her sophomore year, Echikunwoke not only won most of her competitions, she broke UC’s hammer throw record and has advanced to the NCAA Nationals. After that, though she’s not making any predictions yet, her odds of advancing to the Olympics might increase. 

“I am a big believer in not limiting myself, so anything could happen,” she said.

Her success on the field mirrors her success in her new field of study. She landed a summer internship with UC’s Office of Enterprise Risk Management, where she uses her math and statistics knowledge to tackle projects related to the costs of risks on UC’s campus. She’s learned that taking risks both in sports and in academics can lead to exciting opportunities.

“I like to be out there and discover new things,” she said.