Junior thrower Melanie Duron cemented herself in the Texas State Track and Field record books over the course of her tremendous 2024-25 season.
Duron holds the school record in the shot put event with a throw of 18.21m and placed first overall in the 2025 Sun Belt Conference Indoor Championships.
As a team captain, Duron helped lead the Bobcats women’s track and field to their fifth Sun Belt Indoor Conference Championship title, and its first since 2019.
“As a captain, one thing I told my girls was you are not only competing for yourself, you are competing for the girl next to you,” Duron said. “This weekend [Indoor Championships], everyone contributed in so many different ways.”
Texas State women’s head track and field coach John Frazier has worked with Duron over the past three years. Frazier always believed Duron was supremely talented, but it came down to both her work ethic and the trust of her coaches that would ultimately dictate her success.
“Every workout [Melanie] got better, even when she questioned [the change of technique],” Frazier said. “After the winter break, her very first throw in the first competition was almost a sense of relief because she did a real throw in a real competition, and it was literally her best opening mark [compared to] the old technique.”
While Duron had always been solid at the shot put event, she trusted her coaches enough to allow them to change her technique.
“[Coach Frazier] had so much confidence in me even when I did not have confidence in myself. Especially when it came to changing techniques, he was always telling me Mel, just trust me,” Duron said.
Another coach working alongside Duron is throwing assistant coach Natalie Ramirez. Ramirez previously competed at UCLA track and field for five seasons before beginning her role as the Director of Operations and throws assistant coach.
“When I came in, [Melanie] was very driven to do what she wants to do,” Ramirez said. “What she most wanted to do this year was go to nationals.”
Duron’s determination has helped her realize this goal and earned her a spot on the NCAA All-American Second Team.
Duron and the Texas State track and field teams are set to host their first outdoor meet of the season, the Charles Austin Classic. The meet is scheduled for March 21-22 at the Texas State Track & Field Complex.
