MOBILE, Ala. – With postseason set to get underway for the University of South Alabama men's and women's outdoor track and field teams this weekend, Zach Blahnik is the guest this week on the official podcast of the Jaguar Department of Athletics, "Inside JagNation."

Blahnik, who hails from Algoma, Wis., enters the 2017 Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Championship — slated to begin Friday in Arlington, Texas — ranked second in the league in the hammer throw and seventh in the discus.  His top mark in the former event this spring, a 63.86m toss, came at the Pepsi Florida Relays the final week of March and stands second on the school's all-time performance list; that's one of five marks among the top 10 the fifth-year senior has recorded during his indoor and outdoor career.

In addition to ranking among the top 30 in the NCAA East Region going into the conference meet, Blahnik has twice qualified for the East Region Preliminary Round in the hammer throw while earning all-Sun Belt recognition in the discipline for the first time a year ago.  After receiving his bachelor's degree in exercise science in May 2016, he has been pursuing a master's degree at South while concluding his collegiate eligibility.

Click here for Episode 40 of "Inside JagNation"

Blahnik not only talks about goals for the Sun Belt Championship and the emotions of entering postseason competition for the final time at the collegiate level, he discusses qualifying for the NCAA East Region Preliminary Round for the first time in 2015 and what it meant to earn all-league accolades last spring.  He also addresses his approach to practice and trying to prepare for multiple events at each meet he is entered, his expectations upon arriving at South, how he has improved in the hammer throw after not competing in the event until reaching college and his plans for the future.

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To find and download at no cost previous episodes of "Inside JagNation," individuals can conduct a search on iTunes for "South Alabama Jaguars."

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

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