It was the 2014 NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships and a Grand Valley State redshirt freshman found himself in the midst of the best shot putters in the country.

This was the moment Chris Saikalis bloomed into a national force. There was no doubt he had earned his place at the national championships, but looking around at all the student-athletes who had been there before was quite daunting.

The young man found his way to the finals with a series of new personal best throws. As the last round loomed and the pressure of one final chance at glory weighed down on Saikalis, the inspiration came.

“I remember this very vividly,” he said. “It was my last throw and my coach at the time comes up and tells me, ‘You’re an All-American now. Go throw like it.’ I was like, wow, I made it already. This is amazing.”

The large scar across the front of Saikalis’ dominant right shoulder might cause the casual fan to question how the GVSU standout is able to compete at such a high level.

“I was running the hurdles in eighth grade and I broke my collarbone,” he said. “It was broken so bad, if I didn’t put a plate in it I wouldn’t have the mobility. If I didn’t have that, I wouldn’t be throwing.”

It has been many years since that gruesome injury, and the plate is no longer noticeable.

“If it does give me an advantage, I wish it gave me more,” Saikalis said jokingly.

Instead, his advantage comes from his mental approach to each throw.

“Pre-throw, the biggest thing for me that I’ve found, is just to stay relaxed and not get too worked up or else I’ll tense up and not throw very far,” he said.

Saikalis is now part of a powerful collection of GVSU upperclassmen throwers. Redshirt seniors Blake Donson and Jay Lechner, senior Darien Thornton and redshirt junior Mike Moon complete the group.

“All five of those guys really hold each other accountable for their actions,” said GVSU throwing coach Sean Denard. “At practice it’s like having half a dozen coaches working together, not just a coach and a bunch of athletes. They are a blue-collar family with one goal in mind and will do anything to accomplish it. I don’t think there is a better upperclassmen group of throwers in the country.”

They compete in everything they do.

“They don’t like to lose to each other at anything,” Denard said. “Throwing, lifting, eating, everything.”

Moon and Saikalis redshirted together and have an even tighter bond within the group of upperclassmen throwers.

“I have been roommates with Chris since freshman year and we have become better friends every day,” Moon said. “Chris and I have very similar personalities and work ethics so it is easy to build off each other in practice. Each day we compete to push each other and help each other in any way, whether it is cheering each other on or letting each other know when we need to step up.”

Saikalis feels the same way.

“I know if I’m having a bad day and Mike’s out there working hard and killing a workout, then I want to be doing that too, so I’ll push myself even more,” he said.

Saikalis wasn’t throwing nearly as far out of high school as is he is now, which inspired the decision to redshirt. He was still just as much a part of the team, just he didn’t have to worry about the pressure of scoring points or making it to nationals.

“If I wasn’t redshirted I think I’d be worried about throwing far and not the other things,” he said. “It helped me realize that I don’t need to worry about all of those things. I just need to worry about working out and coming to practice every day and doing all the little things right and that would eventually lead to me throwing farther.”

Saikalis has seen his role on the team change over the years. He has transformed from an observer and a learner who tried to replicate the older throwers as best he could, into a leader for not just the younger GVSU throwers, but for the whole team.

“Chris leads us with his work ethic, positive outlook and competitive nature,” Denard said. “He doesn’t like to lose and will do about anything he can to put the ball as far away from him as possible. This past summer he participated in the Laker Leadership Development Program and has done a lot with the team, not just the throwers, to bring everybody more together.”

Saikalis also leads the team by consistently scoring points. His dominance in the shot put has given him extra credibility with the younger throwers.

“You can look at all our successes and say, ‘Oh wow, that’s great. I want to do those things. I want to be an All-American,’” he said. “But I think it’s more important to know how we got there and how we were able to do that. I think if they understand that the reason why we’re All-Americans is because we put in the work, then I think our success helps them take that in.”

Saikalis has two opponents on his mind that he’d like to beat before his time at GVSU is up.

“This year I’d like to win nationals and beat the two guys ahead of me,” he said.

Pittsburgh State senior Garrett Appier and Tiffin junior Coy Blair are firmly on the radar of Saikalis.

Saikalis’ throw of 18.47 meters was good enough for fourth in the country and third all-time at GVSU last outdoor season. With two years still ahead of him, he thinks the GVSU indoor record of 19.09 and the outdoor record of 19.27 are both marks he can reach. It’s hard to imagine beating either of those records and not being able to win a national championship in the process, so the two go hand-in-hand.

“He is motivated in everything he does and always focused,” Moon said. “He makes smart decisions that put him in the best positions to succeed. He is a person that makes luck happen.”