Grinnell College Athletics

Veronika Platzer '87 became Grinnell's sixth national champion to date.  The four-year trackwoman assembled amazing statistics during her career and led the Pioneers to indoor and outdoor Midwest Conference championships. As a rookie, Platzer helped the team to second place at the league indoor meet with a shot put title. At the league outdoor meet the tracksters finished third but 'Ronnie' won both the shot and discus. Competing in her first NCAA Division III national meet, Platzer set Grinnell records with throws of 143'2 1/8" in the discus and 45'3 Ñ?" in the shot, placing second in the discus and third in the shot. After a one-year leave Ronnie returned to lead the Pioneers to an indoor league championship in 1985. With a Grinnell record throw of 44'6 Ñ?" in the shot, she placed second at the national indoor meet. After Grinnell also won the outdoor meet that spring, Platzer produced her finest combined effort at the national meet. She became national champion in the discus with a throw of 142'5" and finished second in the shot at 44' 11 Ñ?". As a junior Platzer focused on outdoor track. She claimed her second national discus title with a throw of 148'9" and finished sixth in the shot put. During her senior year Ronnie returned to the indoor nationals to place fifth in the shot with a throw of 43'3 Ñ?". At the outdoor Division III meet Grinnell's most valuable athlete won an unprecedented third discus title with a throw of 148'9" and placed fifth in the shot at 43'9". In 1991 Ronnie was recognized as one of the top women athletes during the first decade of NCAA women's competition. After fighting off lymphoma, Platzer changed her dreams of being a track competitor to rowing. She is currently a member of the U.S. rowing team and vying for a spot on a four-person boat in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.