When junior transfer Giavonna Meeks debuted as a Texas Longhorn weight thrower on Jan. 16, her first throw of 21.50 meters set a program record. 

Since then, Meeks has continuously broken her own record — despite only four competition weekends as a Longhorn. She now owns the top 10 weight throws in program history with a personal best of 24.49 meters.

In the process of shattering the Longhorn record books, Meeks was named Southeastern Conference Women’s Field Athlete of the Week on two occasions. 

Recently crowned as the SEC indoor weight throw conference champion on Feb. 27, Meeks earned All-SEC Indoor First Team honors.

“She’s a superb and tenacious athlete, competitor and even a better student,” throwing coach Mohamad Saatara said. “She’s made huge changes to her technique, training and competitive abilities in a pretty short period. She’s mastered skills which may take other throwers years to develop.”

Despite 2026 being her first season representing the Longhorns, this year was her second time competing at the SEC Indoor Championships. As a freshman, Meeks threw for Vanderbilt before transferring to Cal for her sophomore season.

While at Cal, Meeks threw under Coach Saatara, following him to the Forty Acres after Texas hired him in June. 

Competing for three different programs in as many years has helped prepare her for extracollegiate competitions. 

“It taught me how to be more self-sufficient,” Meeks said. “When I was at Vanderbilt, we had a time (where) we didn’t have a coach for three months at the beginning of the school year, so (that) definitely taught me how to keep myself accountable, and I think those skills will really translate well after I graduate into possibly doing post-collegiate competitions.”

Already at this early stage in her career, Meeks fought for a spot on Team USA in the 2024 Olympic Trials and the 2025 U.S. Team Trials. In both trials, she placed as a hammer throw semifinalist.

However, Meeks’ rise to professional trials and the Longhorn leaderboard didn’t begin on the track. Instead, her athletic career is rooted in other sports. 

“Growing up, I played club soccer for a very long time, and then I also played basketball (and) volleyball,” Meeks said. “My freshman year of high school, my weightlifting coach suggested that I get into throwing cause I was pretty strong, and so I tried it out, and everyone was so impressed (that) I threw the school record at the first meet. So I think just seeing my potential in that made me want to pursue it more.”

One can only hypothesize the alternate path Meeks would find herself on, ignoring the suggestion of her weightlifting coach. 

Currently, Meeks is preparing for the upcoming Indoor National Championships on March 13-14. There, she will compete for the Longhorns’ first individual women’s weight throw national title. 

“(I’m) going into these meets feeling confident with my training and knowing what I’m capable of,” Meeks said. “Remembering the cues from practice and executing those at these meets really sets my mind at ease, because I know what I have to do.”