When the ISU baseball team disbanded last year, Tyson Hilgenberg and his teammates faced a difficult choice – either quit playing college baseball or go somewhere else.

However, last semester, while looking for a Division II school to transfer to, one of Hilgenberg’s friends presented a novel idea to him – learn how to throw a javelin and join the track team.

“If someone had asked me last year if I’d be throwing a javelin, I probably would’ve asked them what a javelin was,” Hilgenberg said.

After growing up in a very mobile family and attending high school in New Mexico and Ohio before graduating from West Des Moines Valley in 1999, adapting comes easily for Hilgenberg. And, after learning as much as he could during the off-season from ISU throws coach Dan O’Mara and teammate Matt Murdock, Hilgenberg has so far this season achieved two second-place throws – at the Illinois April Twilight meet and the Northwest Missouri Invitational – and third at the University of Missouri’s Tom Botts Invitational, all within months of picking up his first javelin.

“Three weeks into the fall semester, I got in contact with Matt [Murdock] and started training. I slowly learned it, and it got to be pretty fun,” Hilgenberg said.

However, Hilgenberg, who was a walk-on catcher for the baseball team and has been playing baseball his whole life, had to make some adjustments in his throwing style. He credits research, especially videos of other javelin throwers, along with O’Mara and Murdock, for teaching him the techniques.

“I pretty much gave him a lot of pointers from my own experiences, especially with the run-up and to get a hard pull on the javelin,” Murdock said.

Hilgenberg said this season was only supposed to be a continuation of learning how to throw the javelin, not actually competing, but due to Murdock’s foot injury three weeks prior to the season’s opener and his coach’s confidence in his strong arm, he has been glad to step up and compete.

“It’s been a big change for him, but he’s doing well so far,” teammate Rocky Moore said.

Teammate Tony Stewart agreed.

“He has a really good baseball arm,” Stewart said. “The javelin’s a little bit different, but he still has power.”

Along with the competitive spirit and ability to quickly adjust, Hilgenberg also has a strong work ethic. He’s always looked up to Cal Ripken, Jr. and other “guys with a strong work ethic.” In addition to meets, practice and school, Hilgenberg also has a job serving and setting up at a hotel for extra cash.

“Sometimes it’s hard to even find time to sleep. Work gets frustrating when I have to ask for time off for meets,” he said.

The rest of this season, Hilgenberg wants to continue competing, work more on his full approach and build more speed and power. Within the next couple of years, the sophomore – junior by credit – hopes to place in the Big 12 tournament with the team as well as individually.

“We’ll have to see how he does in conference,” Murdock said on his plans for Hilgenberg. “I’m trying to get him to throw 200 feet.”

As for life after Iowa State, Hilgenberg wants to pursue a career in his major, architecture, or possibly have a chance to compete with the javelin.

“I want to compete as long as I can, if I’m good enough,” he said.

As a matter of fact, he has grown to love track so much, he would probably pass up an offer to play baseball again.

“It depends on the situation, but at this point, I would have to say no to baseball, mainly because I haven’t practiced it for awhile,” said Hilgenberg, who played baseball for a year at Southeastern Community College in Burlington before transferring to Iowa State in 2000.

Hilgenberg said he wants to establish himself as a thrower.

“I’d like to get more respect as a javelin thrower,” he said. “I don’t just want to be that baseball player who throws javelin.”