* Greensburg's Emarie Jackson won a national title in the shot put at New Balance Nationals Outdoor in June
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A national title can do a lot for an emerging athlete, especially when it comes to recruiting.
For Emarie Jackson, a senior at Greensburg High School in Indiana, it likely got her noticed by some of the biggest track and field teams in the country.
Programs like UCLA, Boston College and Wake Forest were interested, the last two even welcoming her on official visits.
But Jackson, who was named to MileSplit's Class of 2024 honorable mention recruiting list, perhaps found something greater east of Indiana.
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She committed to the University of Delaware on Tuesday, just nine days out from National Signing Day, the first day for which athletes can sign to their colleges of choice.
Jackson is the reigning New Balance Nationals Outdoor champion in the shot put, where she logged a winning throw of 47-9.25. Previously, she was third at the Midwest Meet of Champions and converted on a personal best mark of 48-0.5 at the Indiana State Championships, where she finished second. A quality discus competitor, she also scored her personal best at NBNO in the discipline, heaving a mark of 153-11 to finish fifth.
At Delaware, a new staff is in charge, and a coach with an Olympic pedigree is taking over the throws.
Darrell Hill, a 2016 Olympian for Team U.S.A. and a 2011 graduate of Penn Wood (PA), was appointed as Delaware's throws coach in September. Kenyetta Iyevbele, a veteran middle-distance runner, was hired two seasons ago as the program's head coach.
With Jackson, Iyevbele and Hill get their first top-level recruit.
With a year left of high school track and field, Jackson has time on her side, including opportunities to surpass 50-feet and 160-feet in the shot put and discus throw.
Naturally, she also becomes an athlete capable of going after school records and one-day qualifying for the NCAA Championships.
Delaware's outdoor shot put record was last broken in 2018 and stands at 14.55m (47-9). The school's discus mark is at 56.75m (186-2).
Jackson has already thrown farther in the shot put, and that's good news because the implement weights for women's shot put or discus do not change from high school to college or the professional ranks -- in the men's ranks, they do.
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