- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 443,346
- Reaction score
- 44
Apr. 1—Mikenna Pattrin walked into her wellness class as a freshman at Bemidji State three and a half years ago. She had two black eyes, a swollen face and a concussion.
Pattrin, an Alexandria area native, was recruited to play softball at BSU. She swapped one pair of cleats for another, moving away from softball and joining the club rugby team.
In a mid-season game, Pattrin engaged in some routine banter with an opposing player on the pitch.
"We were kind of back and forth trash-talking each other, which was one of the reasons why I liked rugby," Pattrin said. "It's an aggressive sport but there's no hurt feelings after. But I took that girl's knee straight to the face. It happened in the first part of the game. I stuck a tampon in my nose and played the rest."
Sporting a few shiners, Pattrin returned to class on Monday. Kevin Kean, Bemidji State's head track and field coach at the time, was Pattrin's professor.
"I broke my face and showed up to class looking like a zombie," Pattrin quipped. "Coach Kean was like, 'Are you ready to come to track practice yet?'"
Kean had been trying to recruit Pattrin to his throwing group since the start of the semester.
Standing at almost 6 feet tall, Pattrin's initial plan was to become the next pitcher for the Beavers. A few months later, she was working with throwing coach Kevin Baird in a sport she hadn't tried before college.
"She was recruited to come to BSU to play softball, but they had a changeover at head coach at that time," Baird said. "She didn't want to have to deal with that transition. ... She was getting pretty beat up playing rugby all the time. (Kean) asked her if she was interested in becoming a thrower, and that's when I was notified of her potential."
Since then, Pattrin has become one of Bemidji State's top throwers, and she's become a leader that Baird can count on.
For as long as she can remember, Pattrin has always favored softball.
She spent her high school career pitching for Brandon-Evansville, a Class A program in Minnesota on the outskirts of Alexandria. Her dad, Tim, was the head football coach when she was in high school.
B-E had track athletes when she graduated in 2021, but not a track. With the school's standard enrollment ranging from 100 to 150 kids year to year, most student-athletes played baseball and softball when Pattrin was in high school.
In the fall, Pattrin was an outside hitter on the volleyball court. She was also a forward on the basketball court. So when Baird and Kean threw her in the throwing mix at Bemidji State, Pattrin got her first exposure to individual athletics.
"It was just a completely new environment," Pattrin said. "Comming from volleyball, basketball and softball, you had your team to rely on. You still have that team in track, but it's an individual sport. Coming from the circle and pitching, I always knew I had my team to back me up. Now when I'm in the circle, it's just me. It's make or break time."
"If I throw a pitch and somebody puts it into play, I know I can rely on my team to make the play and get them out at first. In track, if I foul, that's on me. If I throw and hit a PR, that's also on me. It's something that comes with good and bad, and I had to get used to that."
Pattrin also had to get used to not being a natural anymore.
While her previous experience in other sports allowed her to excel at some throws, the technical requirements of others posed first-time challenges.
"She had the most amount of success right away in the indoor weight throw," Baird said. "If I were to be honest, it's dominated by women who are tall with big, long arms, so she was able to find success in that right away. Javelin was pretty natural with her softball background. The other events have taken a little more time."
Baird added that shot put was a three-year development for Pattrin. The discus throw is still a struggle.
"Even with the hammer, which you think would be similar to the weight throw, it's different enough that she had difficulty because the hammer is a little bit more technical, and you can't just rely on being big and strong with long arms," Baird said.
Baird called Pattrin's lack of experience "a good and a bad thing." While she struggled to perfect Pattrin was a fresh canvas, determined to figure it out.
"She's always been very competitive; it's part of who she is," Baird said. "If she wasn't as competitive as she is, I don't think she would've been this driven enough to have the success she's had in four years. She hates to lose, and she hates to lose to her teammates. If I recruit an athlete who's as good as her, she steps up to get back on top."
On top of having never competed in track before, Baird also had to work around Pattrin's demanding class schedule.
Pattrin is a double major in aquatic biology with an emphasis in fisheries and wildlife biology. She will attend South Dakota State next fall for grad school in a program for wildlife and fisheries with an emphasis on fishery management. She will also do a wetlands ecology project in Brookings, South Dakota.
"Those are some of the longest classes and labs we have here on campus, and I don't know how many coaches would be willing to put up with it like Ben has," Pattrin said. "Having someone who cares is important. He was willing to coach someone like me. He was handed a blank slate and told, 'Do something with this washed up softball kid.' He's done a wonderful job, and the teamwork between us is why I am who I am."
No result showed more proof of Baird and Pattrin's relationship than her shot put on Jan. 31. She heaved a throw of 13.10 meters, breaking into the NCAA Division II College Indoor rankings at No. 48 for the first time in her career.
"It's all Ben," Pattrin said. "He put so much time and work into me. I like to think I've been coachable these past few years, trying to do my best and make it work with what he's told me. Everything that I am as a track athlete goes to Ben."
While Baird has seen Pattrin grow immensely in her results, she's also developed more maturity as a competitor in college.
"She's very aware of the people who are on her same level, and she's competitive enough and has that intense desire to beat them whenever possible," Baird said. "In the beginning, it was kind of tough to help her through some situations because she wasn't as successful as she wanted to be right away. That helped her develop as a person in showing her how to overcome adversity or not to be over competitive to the point where it can be a detriment."
One area where Pattrin needed growth was leadership. Baird said it's been a trait she's developed over time with the help of a former Beaver.
"This is the first year she's had really good leadership qualities to her. The first couple of years, she was kind of figuring it out on her own. She was taken under Tierra Doss's wing when she was here. She taught her more aspects of leadership."
Doss, an accomplished BSU thrower, showed Pattrin the ropes.
During her senior season, Doss was named to the NSIC Indoor Track and Field All-Conference Team, the NSIC Outdoor Track and Field All-Conference Team and the USTFCCCA All-Region team. She was also named to the NSIC Outdoor Track and Field All-Conference Team in her graduate season in 2024 for shot put.
However, Doss has since graduated, leaving Pattrin in her shoes with underclassmen looking up to her.
"It's weird being on that side of things because I felt like I've always been the one looking up to other people," Pattrin said. "Having girls look up to me, I'm not used to it. I used to tell Tierra that I looked up to her all the time. ... Tierra was able to coach me in shot put. When Ben wasn't there while he was coaching other events, Tierra was.
"I don't have the experience Tierra or Ben has, so trying to coach up the younger girls is really hard for me. But, giving them the pointers Tierra gave me, I can do that."
Pattrin also provides a competitive perspective different from that of her teammates.
"A lot of the girls we have were just in high school, and it's funny to see them come into our team with what they know because I didn't do this in high school like them," Pattrin said. "I think I look at it differently than most people who do college sports. I'm here for these four years, and it's just been a fun time. Every day is a blessing here."
Pattrin may have ended her post-secondary competitive softball career, but she still stays connected to the game. She looks for recreational leagues to play in during the summer. She also attends her fiancé's amateur baseball games in Detroit Lakes.
"I still feel connected to the game in my own way," Pattrin said. "Just because softball didn't work out for me in college, I feel like I found another avenue and made the best out of it."
Continue reading...
Pattrin, an Alexandria area native, was recruited to play softball at BSU. She swapped one pair of cleats for another, moving away from softball and joining the club rugby team.
In a mid-season game, Pattrin engaged in some routine banter with an opposing player on the pitch.
"We were kind of back and forth trash-talking each other, which was one of the reasons why I liked rugby," Pattrin said. "It's an aggressive sport but there's no hurt feelings after. But I took that girl's knee straight to the face. It happened in the first part of the game. I stuck a tampon in my nose and played the rest."
Sporting a few shiners, Pattrin returned to class on Monday. Kevin Kean, Bemidji State's head track and field coach at the time, was Pattrin's professor.
"I broke my face and showed up to class looking like a zombie," Pattrin quipped. "Coach Kean was like, 'Are you ready to come to track practice yet?'"
Kean had been trying to recruit Pattrin to his throwing group since the start of the semester.
Standing at almost 6 feet tall, Pattrin's initial plan was to become the next pitcher for the Beavers. A few months later, she was working with throwing coach Kevin Baird in a sport she hadn't tried before college.
"She was recruited to come to BSU to play softball, but they had a changeover at head coach at that time," Baird said. "She didn't want to have to deal with that transition. ... She was getting pretty beat up playing rugby all the time. (Kean) asked her if she was interested in becoming a thrower, and that's when I was notified of her potential."
Since then, Pattrin has become one of Bemidji State's top throwers, and she's become a leader that Baird can count on.
For as long as she can remember, Pattrin has always favored softball.
She spent her high school career pitching for Brandon-Evansville, a Class A program in Minnesota on the outskirts of Alexandria. Her dad, Tim, was the head football coach when she was in high school.
B-E had track athletes when she graduated in 2021, but not a track. With the school's standard enrollment ranging from 100 to 150 kids year to year, most student-athletes played baseball and softball when Pattrin was in high school.
In the fall, Pattrin was an outside hitter on the volleyball court. She was also a forward on the basketball court. So when Baird and Kean threw her in the throwing mix at Bemidji State, Pattrin got her first exposure to individual athletics.
"It was just a completely new environment," Pattrin said. "Comming from volleyball, basketball and softball, you had your team to rely on. You still have that team in track, but it's an individual sport. Coming from the circle and pitching, I always knew I had my team to back me up. Now when I'm in the circle, it's just me. It's make or break time."
"If I throw a pitch and somebody puts it into play, I know I can rely on my team to make the play and get them out at first. In track, if I foul, that's on me. If I throw and hit a PR, that's also on me. It's something that comes with good and bad, and I had to get used to that."
Pattrin also had to get used to not being a natural anymore.
While her previous experience in other sports allowed her to excel at some throws, the technical requirements of others posed first-time challenges.
"She had the most amount of success right away in the indoor weight throw," Baird said. "If I were to be honest, it's dominated by women who are tall with big, long arms, so she was able to find success in that right away. Javelin was pretty natural with her softball background. The other events have taken a little more time."
Baird added that shot put was a three-year development for Pattrin. The discus throw is still a struggle.
"Even with the hammer, which you think would be similar to the weight throw, it's different enough that she had difficulty because the hammer is a little bit more technical, and you can't just rely on being big and strong with long arms," Baird said.
Baird called Pattrin's lack of experience "a good and a bad thing." While she struggled to perfect Pattrin was a fresh canvas, determined to figure it out.
"She's always been very competitive; it's part of who she is," Baird said. "If she wasn't as competitive as she is, I don't think she would've been this driven enough to have the success she's had in four years. She hates to lose, and she hates to lose to her teammates. If I recruit an athlete who's as good as her, she steps up to get back on top."
On top of having never competed in track before, Baird also had to work around Pattrin's demanding class schedule.
Pattrin is a double major in aquatic biology with an emphasis in fisheries and wildlife biology. She will attend South Dakota State next fall for grad school in a program for wildlife and fisheries with an emphasis on fishery management. She will also do a wetlands ecology project in Brookings, South Dakota.
"Those are some of the longest classes and labs we have here on campus, and I don't know how many coaches would be willing to put up with it like Ben has," Pattrin said. "Having someone who cares is important. He was willing to coach someone like me. He was handed a blank slate and told, 'Do something with this washed up softball kid.' He's done a wonderful job, and the teamwork between us is why I am who I am."
No result showed more proof of Baird and Pattrin's relationship than her shot put on Jan. 31. She heaved a throw of 13.10 meters, breaking into the NCAA Division II College Indoor rankings at No. 48 for the first time in her career.
"It's all Ben," Pattrin said. "He put so much time and work into me. I like to think I've been coachable these past few years, trying to do my best and make it work with what he's told me. Everything that I am as a track athlete goes to Ben."
While Baird has seen Pattrin grow immensely in her results, she's also developed more maturity as a competitor in college.
"She's very aware of the people who are on her same level, and she's competitive enough and has that intense desire to beat them whenever possible," Baird said. "In the beginning, it was kind of tough to help her through some situations because she wasn't as successful as she wanted to be right away. That helped her develop as a person in showing her how to overcome adversity or not to be over competitive to the point where it can be a detriment."
One area where Pattrin needed growth was leadership. Baird said it's been a trait she's developed over time with the help of a former Beaver.
"This is the first year she's had really good leadership qualities to her. The first couple of years, she was kind of figuring it out on her own. She was taken under Tierra Doss's wing when she was here. She taught her more aspects of leadership."
Doss, an accomplished BSU thrower, showed Pattrin the ropes.
During her senior season, Doss was named to the NSIC Indoor Track and Field All-Conference Team, the NSIC Outdoor Track and Field All-Conference Team and the USTFCCCA All-Region team. She was also named to the NSIC Outdoor Track and Field All-Conference Team in her graduate season in 2024 for shot put.
However, Doss has since graduated, leaving Pattrin in her shoes with underclassmen looking up to her.
"It's weird being on that side of things because I felt like I've always been the one looking up to other people," Pattrin said. "Having girls look up to me, I'm not used to it. I used to tell Tierra that I looked up to her all the time. ... Tierra was able to coach me in shot put. When Ben wasn't there while he was coaching other events, Tierra was.
"I don't have the experience Tierra or Ben has, so trying to coach up the younger girls is really hard for me. But, giving them the pointers Tierra gave me, I can do that."
Pattrin also provides a competitive perspective different from that of her teammates.
"A lot of the girls we have were just in high school, and it's funny to see them come into our team with what they know because I didn't do this in high school like them," Pattrin said. "I think I look at it differently than most people who do college sports. I'm here for these four years, and it's just been a fun time. Every day is a blessing here."
Pattrin may have ended her post-secondary competitive softball career, but she still stays connected to the game. She looks for recreational leagues to play in during the summer. She also attends her fiancé's amateur baseball games in Detroit Lakes.
"I still feel connected to the game in my own way," Pattrin said. "Just because softball didn't work out for me in college, I feel like I found another avenue and made the best out of it."
Continue reading...
