Unorthodox and Undisputed: Van der Westhuizen Closes Out a Storied Career

HOUSTON – Unconventional. That's one way to describe the past four years for Mckyla Van der Westhuizen on the Rice women's track and field team. From all the conference titles and honors to the national-level success she's achieved, her unique approach to the sport has brought joy not only to herself but also to her teammates and coaches.

A native of Gauteng, South Africa, Van der Westhuizen has made South Main her home for the past four years. Her throws coach, Brek Christensen, first reached out, and the rest fell into place.

"Brek reached out to me first," Van der Westhuizen said. "I decided to look at the NCAA for the amazing athletic opportunities it had. Most of what made Rice attractive to me was the small size of the school, the location, and of course Brek. A good coach was one of the biggest factors. The weather was something I also considered, because I do not like the cold at all. And of course, Rice's academic prestige was also a welcomed benefit."

"I received an email from a recruiting service regarding Mckyla and was immediately very interested," Christensen said. "Mckyla had already competed at such a high level both in her home country of South Africa and on the international stage. She was a World Junior Championship Finalist twice before college. She was a coveted recruit by almost every school in the NCAA. To this day, there are coaches at the Power-4 level that have no idea how we landed her at Rice. But I am forever grateful that she ended up here!"

After arriving at Rice her freshman year, it took little time to adjust and compete at the same high level Christensen knew she could compete at.

"Mckyla came in as close to a 'blue chip' prospect as you can have," Christensen said. "Her high school personal best already put her amongst the top level of NCAA competition. So, we knew she would come in and have an immediate impact at both the conference and national level. I think I realized within the first few months that not only was she talented, but she was not afraid to work hard either. She is so tough mentally and physically, and that cannot always be said for someone of her talent."

Fast forward four years, Van der Westhuizen has been All-Conference all four years, winning the last three American Conference javelin titles. Each season, she has received All-American honors, including back-to-back First Team All-American honors. In 2024, she was third in the nation and seventh last season at the NCAA Championships.

Even with all the success, the emotions, whether good or bad, are still there for each performance.

"It's hard to explain, but I usually feel a little conflicted about my results," Van der Westhuizen said. "Of course, I'm always happy about taking gold at conference or being an All-American. But the main way I judge my performance is based on my distance. I can put a lot of pressure on myself because of this, often minimizing my own achievements. So, while I'm always happy about the placement, I'm not always satisfied with the result. I've worked to be more positive and take time to celebrate my wins. This change in mindset has allowed me to more fully celebrate my successes."

This past season at the conference meet, Van der Westhuizen helped guide the Owls to win the American Conference Championship. The javelin group went 1-2-6, scoring 21 points from the event.

"I would say the last one has been the most memorable," Van der Westhuizen said. "Winning it all obviously helped, but it was about more than just that. It felt like a full-circle moment. Back in my freshman year, at the same facility, we also won it all. So, winning in my last year, with both of my teammates also scoring in the javelin, was like a fairytale ending for sure. Especially since it was also Jim [Bevan's] last season with us as well. Everything just lined up, and we had one hell of a meet."

Van der Westhuizen's consistent success is only a testament to the type of competitor she is.

"Mckyla is so durable. She is so tough physically, mentally, and emotionally," Christensen said. "Which are all great traits for an athlete in any sport to have. Her training background is incredible considering the volume and amount of work she did in the javelin, which is one of the most violent and 'hard on the body' things to do. She takes full advantage of this ability by always being willing to put in extra reps and work that some of her peers simply cannot. I think this has been the biggest reason for her consistency over the years."

As successful a competitor as Van der Westhuizen has been over the years, her unorthodox approach to meets is evident in her infectious personality.

"I try not to overthink it. At the end of the day, it's just throwing a stick. And that's fun. I focus on having fun and whatever happens happens. You have to have this blind faith that your next throw will be better. Competition day is not the time to throw with good technique, as odd as it sounds. It's about just letting go, forgetting everything you know, and trusting that your body will do what it's supposed to, what you've trained it to do. And if you have a bad meet, that's just life. Take a day, be sad about it, then get over it and go with life. I like to tell myself and teammates, 'just because you had a bad throw doesn't mean you're a bad thrower.'"

Van der Westhuizen's bond with Christensen over the past four years has enabled her to flourish academically and athletically at Rice.

"Brek and I really hit it off from day one," Van der Westhuizen said. "He was a big reason I came to Rice after all. From the start, he was very clear about how he would coach me. Unlike most people, I already had a lot of experience coming into Rice, and Brek knew this. He has a very flexible coaching strategy with me. It was always a collaboration between us, and that's unique. We would go over videos of me or other professional throwers, compare techniques, highlight differences, and see where I can improve. Brek has also been such a help outside of athletics. As an international student, many things are often harder, especially at the start. He really helped me out by being 100% committed. That type of commitment is hard to come by. It's just a fun dynamic, he's a funny guy."

Being able to coach an athlete like Van der Westhuizen has only been rewarding for Christensen.

"It is very hard to encapsulate what coaching Mckyla has been like," Christensen said. "Mckyla will forever be one of my all-time favorite athletes that I have ever had the pleasure of coaching. And, sure, her talent plays a part in that, but I think the thing that comes to mind with Mckyla is how much of a fun, bubbly, and positive personality she has. In four years, I have never ever seen Mckyla in a bad mood. I promise I never have. She has never been mad, moody, or negative."

"She is always positive and has a smile on her face," he added. "She skips around and has the energy of a hyper child playing on the playground, always. I always enjoy when she comes out to practice because her presence puts me in a better mood. She has so many friends and things she is involved in because she has such a great and infectious personality."

As her final throws in a Rice uniform are nearing, it is hard to imagine Rice women's track and field without Mckyla Van der Westhuizen.

"It is hard to even think that her journey is nearing an end," Christensen said. "It has absolutely flown by, and I am going to miss her more than she will probably ever truly understand. But I think the message to Mckyla these last few meets is going to be the same as it always is before any meet. Since I have coached, I try to send some motivational or funny video along with a few sentences of motivation or excitement to the entire group in a group text message before every meet. I always end it with the sentence 'Have fun, be in the moment, and Leave it all on the Runway.' I think that perfectly embodies what I want her to go do in the last few meets she has in a Rice uniform. Take each throw like it is the last one you'll take because you might as well give it all you got because what you save is lost forever."

A little unorthodox, probably, but the results cannot be disputed. Tonight, at her final meet at the NCAA Championships, Van der Westhuizen adds one last line to her storied career with Rice.

"Rice has been everything and more than I could have ever imagined," Van der Westhuizen said. "I've grown so much not only as an athlete, but also as a person. Rice has been such a unique experience, and I'm thankful every day that Brek recruited me. It's been nothing less than a dream."

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results