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Skylar Ciccolini‘s right arm is special. That right arm earned her not one but two state championships in the javelin while at Mifflin County High School.

That arm is so special that it earned her a spot on the Division I University of Missouri track & field team. Despite her talent and exceptional work ethic, things weren’t always easy. Skylar redshirted the 2020 indoor season and then COVID canceled that year’s outdoor season.

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When she finally got back out on the field in 2021, it was like she never left. Skylar had used that time away continuing to learn her craft, to practice, eager to get out there and show that she could compete with anyone, at any level. And boy did she, setting the new UM school record*. She also qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships that season, finishing ninth in the finals.

She missed the entire 2022 season with an injury and battled through an injury much of this year as well. Her javelin and head coach Brett Halter said she had a physical setback at the Texas Relays in early April. Halter, himself a former central Pennsylvanian, said “Skylar did not take a single throw from early April up to last week at Round One of the NCAA Championships – and she advanced!” Skylar finished fourth in that round and will now compete in the NCAA finals June 7-10 in Austin, Texas.

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“Grit, determination, belief, leadership – invaluable to our program. And, you would be hard pressed to find a better person/human being than Skylar Ciccolini,” said Halter. And that’s saying something. Halter has seen a lot of student-athletes pass through in his 28 years with the Tiger program, 12 as its head coach. “Skylar IS the definition of a student-athlete. She is just as meticulous in her studies as she is in her training. She is one of program’s important leaders in that she not only leads by example but by stepping up outside of track when leadership is required. Skylar is a tireless worker bringing the central PA grit with her to practice each day,” Halter praised.

Skylar will not just have all of Tiger Nation rooting her on but all of central PA pulling for her, too! She continues to make us all so proud. Good luck! We’ll be watching and cheering you on!

* Her teammate, close friend and fellow All-American, Sophia Rivera, has since broken Skylar’s school record.

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