University of Southern Maine student-athlete Zoe Barnes, a nursing major from New Gloucester, Maine, won the NCAA Division III national championship in the shot put on Saturday at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Birmingham, Alabama.
A fifth-year senior, Barnes secured the title with a throw of 14.84 meters, breaking her own University of Southern Maine program record. With the victory, Barnes became the third woman in program history to win an NCAA Division III national championship, joining Peyton Dostie, who won the pentathlon in 2016, and Sophia Slovenski, who won the javelin in 2021.
Barnes took control of the competition early. Her opening throw of 14.10 meters immediately placed her in the lead. After fouling on her second attempt, she followed with a throw of 14.49 meters to remain at the top of the leaderboard entering the finals.
Head coach Rob Whitten said Barnes’ composure played a major role in her performance.
“With the experience of competing there before, she was more prepared than I’ve seen previously,” said Whitten. “Even dealing with travel challenges getting to the meet, she stayed calm and focused. Her warmups were impeccable, and that gave her the confidence she was ready to compete.”
Technically, Barnes’ throwing style has also been a key factor in her success. She uses a glide technique in the shot put, which allows her to maximize leverage and control throughout the throw.
“Her best asset has always been her length,” Whitten said. “The glide technique allows her to stay on the ball for a long time and generate power. Mentally, she’s incredibly even keeled and almost unflappable. No matter how many accolades she’s received, nothing has ever gone to her head.”
Entering the national championships, Barnes’ primary goal was simply to reach the podium and earn First Team All-America honors after narrowly missing it in previous seasons.
Instead, she delivered a dominant performance from start to finish. Barnes sealed the national title with a final throw of 14.84 meters, extending her lead and closing her collegiate career with a decisive victory.
“She knew she had already won when she stepped into the circle for her final throw,” Whitten said. “Fighting back tears, she unleashed an even bigger throw. It was her walk-off home run moment. Very few people in sports get to end their career on top like that.”
The championship also carried special meaning for Jeff Amos, a volunteer assistant coach at USM. Amos first coached Barnes when she was a middle school athlete and later worked with her throughout her career at Gray-New Gloucester High School.
Amos joined the Huskies coaching staff last season, creating a full-circle moment when he was able to present Barnes with her national championship trophy.
Barnes’ success comes alongside the demanding coursework and clinical rotations required of students in the nursing program.
According to Whitten, Barnes often studied for exams while traveling to competitions and sometimes completed workouts independently after long clinical shifts in the hospital.
“Zoe has done all of this while finishing the rigors of the nursing program,” Whitten said. “She’s studied for exams on the road, missed practices because of clinicals, and trained on her own after hospital shifts just to get her work in. She’s a perfect Division III example of a true student-athlete pursuing her dreams academically and athletically.”
Barnes concludes her collegiate career as one of the most decorated throwers in University of Southern Maine track and field history.
She is a two-time All-American, previously earning Second Team All-America honors in the discus at the 2025 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Throughout her career, Barnes collected 10 U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Region honors, won nine Little East Conference event titles, and was named Little East Conference Field Athlete of the Year five times.
She also holds University of Southern Maine program records in the indoor shot put, outdoor shot put, weight throw, and discus.