Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Athletics

Reta Woodard head shotSpring Hill, Florida, native Reta Woodard came to Embry-Riddle in the fall of 2009. She didn't compete during her first year with the Eagles, but she used that first year to build herself into a first-class thrower for ERAU Track and Field.
 
In her first season of competition as a redshirt freshman, Woodard qualified for the NAIA Indoor National Championships and returned to Daytona Beach as an All-American in the weight throw. During the outdoor season, she was the conference champion in the discus hammer and javelin and winning those events garnered her Florida Sun Conference Field Athlete of the Year honors, a title she did not relinquish in her four years of competition for the Eagles.
 
The following year, Woodard qualified for the NAIA Indoor National Championships again, but this time, she brought home the gold. She easily won the event with a throw of 18.50, 0.68m further than the second-place finisher to win the first field national championship in Embry-Riddle track & field history. Her performance that year helped the Eagles to a fourth-place finish at the national meet, which still stands as the best team finish on the national stage.
 
Woodard's second national title came during her junior campaign when she set a meet record in the hammer throw at the NAIA Outdoor National Championships with a mark of 61.64m. That mark still stands as the NAIA national indoor record. She also qualified for the USA Indoor Championships that year and placed eighth overall.
 
In 2014, Woodard doubled up on her national titles with wins at both the national indoor and outdoor events. At the NAIA Indoor National Championships in Geneva, Ohio, she took home her second weight throw crown with a mark of 18.89m. A few months later, she secured her second national title in the hammer throw with a toss of 55.46m at the NAIA Outdoor National Championships in Gulf Shores, Alabama, to become the first four-time NAIA National Champion in ERAU history.
 
Woodard left an indelible mark on the ERAU Track & Field program, graduating as a four-time national champion, an 11-time All-American, a nine-time conference champion, and a four-time Sun Conference Field Athlete of the Year. A 15-time Sun Conference Field Athlete of the Week, Woodard owned four ERAU records at the time of her induction into the ERAU Athletics Hall of Fame, including indoor weight throw (19.92m), and outdoor hammer (62.57m), weight throw (19.24m) and discus (48.33m).
 
Woodard earned her bachelor's degree in Air Traffic Management with a minor in Psychology in 2014 and is currently a Flight Operations Analyst at XO Jet Aviation in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
 
"As a teammate, Reta always put the team first. Rather than focusing on her best events hammer, weight throw and discus, Reta learned all four throwing events so that she could help the team win conference championships. She was a role model for others to follow with her work ethic and she helped to teach younger throwers as she matured.
 
"Reta had a rough first semester, which led to her not being eligible her first year at Embry-Riddle. She took up this challenge, changed her habits, learned from her mistakes and got stronger through that experience. She also used that experience to help mentor younger teammates so they didn't make the same mistakes. Her teammates looked up to her for what she accomplished but also because she put them first."
 - Mike Rosolino
Head Coach, Embry-Riddle Cross Country/Track & Field (2003-present)
 
"Reta was an exceptional athlete, but she also embodied the "Student-Person-Player" attitude. She always kept her priorities in line with her classes, but also had a passion and love for her friends and family off the field. You could not ask for a better candidate to embody this honor than Reta. She truly is a one-of-a-kind individual."
 - Jeremy Longshore
Assistant Coach, Embry-Riddle Track & Field (2011-13)
 
"I could go on and on about the records she holds at both the school and the NAIA…but to me she was so much more than these titles. She was also a great friend and teammate. She was always joyful during practice; it was where she belonged and she wanted everyone around her to feel the same. You could always count on her being there to make you laugh or to help. She was always providing suggestions or little tricks to get a few meters in the throws, reviewing videos, and helping with the difficult steps or techniques.
"With just her athletic accolades, she should be put into the Hall of Fame, but she was so much more to her teammates, coaches and friends. She is an exemplary person."
- Peter Benoit
Embry-Riddle Track & Field (2012-14)