GIRLS TRACK: SPOTLIGHT ON BISHOP NOLL'S KRYSTLE HOWARD

She doesn't look the part of a discus thrower.

By Bishop Noll senior Krystle Howard's estimation, she stands about 5-foot-8, 140 pounds -- which is usually a lot smaller than the girls she competes against.

"I always get these looks like, 'Is she at the right spot?'" said Howard, who is used to competing against bigger girls as a middle hitter in volleyball and a center/forward in basketball. "They always look at me like, 'Shouldn't she be running?' I just laugh."

And then, she throws the discus.

And the power she generates from spinning inside the ring is usually enough to turn the doubters into admirers. Howard might be on the small side for a thrower, but she definitely belongs there. And this afternoon, she will begin her quest to qualify for the girls state finals at the Calumet Sectional.

"My goal is definitely to get down to state," said Howard, who just missed last spring by one spot. "I'm ready for sectionals. I just need to hit a good mark, so I'm hoping for good weather. Rain just kills me. My spin is pretty fast, and if it's wet, then I'm on the ground. That's why I'm always bringing a towel and asking the judge if I can wipe down the ring. I'm known as 'The Towel Girl" '

And the Towel Girl isn't your average high-school discus-thrower with a dream. She's good enough to draw interest from several colleges, and after this season she'll make an official decision as to where she'll throw collegiately.

Loyola of Chicago seems to be leading the way, but Howard's so focused on this season that she doesn't want to make that official. She also stopped running in the Warriors' 1,600-meter relay this season and also won't do the shot put during the postseason.

Making it to the state finals is her sole focus, and has been ever since last season ended with her as the fifth-place finisher in a Highland Regional field that sent four to Bloomington.

After coming up short, Howard experienced shortness of breath, increased heart rate and tightness in her chest.

She wound up at Munster Community Hospital for evaluation before being released.

"I think it was just anxiety," Howard said. "The trainer at Highland came over and said he was worried because my heart rate was really high. They even wanted to do an EKG at the hospital. My mom was worried too, because she's a nurse. I was having chest pains, and it hurt pretty bad. I was really scared."

After the episode, though, fear was replaced by disappointment -- which in turn was replaced by determination.

It didn't take Howard long to decide she'd do whatever she could to train for another run at the state meet this spring. She attended a camp given by Portage throwing coach Mark Harsha, and from that got connected with another throwing specialist from Hebron, Carl Patz.

She still works with Patz on occasion, while another throwing-oriented coach, Stanley Bell, works with her at Bishop Noll. And all of her coaches, past and present, notice the same thing about Howard. She's relentless in practice.

"She has a real chance to make it downstate," Bell said. "I think she's going to do it, and I look forward to seeing it. She really beats herself up pretty bad when she doesn't do as well as she wants, but it's only because she puts so much work into it."

That work entailed a 90-minute round trip to Hebron to work with Patz this past winter. But Howard, who lives in Chicago near Hegewisch, didn't complain. She just did it. And the work seems to have paid off.

Howard has already thrown a personal record of 127 feet, three inches and hopes this post-season will bring even better success.

"I still get a little nervous, but I've been a lot calmer since I've been training with (Patz)," Howard said. "He's really positive, and I'm pretty much the same way now."

Contact Brian Hedger at 648-3122 or bhedger@post-trib.com