NCAA Preliminary Round competitors get three javelin throws to qualify as one of the top 12. As Wichita State's Taran Taylor knows, that's perfect number of tries to make it a mind game.
Try too hard on the first one, and the pressure builds. Don't do enough on the first throw, and the pressure builds.
"My prelim meets have gone really bad," he said. "The three throws really kind of psyches me out. I always try to overdo something."
In late May, Taylor did it just right in Fayetteville, Ark., to advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships by finishing second in the field of 47 throwers.