Isiah Craighead had been to North Carolina before but not to compete on as big of a stage.

In May, Craighead capped his best track and field season by qualifying for NAIA nationals in the men’s javelin as a sophomore at William Woods University in Fulton. Craighead finished 12th by throwing 59.05 meters to miss All-American status but was still the first William Woods man to throw javelin at nationals since All-American Darrien Dickey in 2018.

Craighead said he enjoyed spending several days in Asheville, North Carolina, with his teammates who also qualified. It was “the best meet I’ve been a part of” considering the quality of the athletes, Craighead said, and the first time he’s been in the state since AAU track during his North Callaway sophomore year.

“I would have never believed as a sophomore in high school that I would be at NAIA nationals,” Craighead said. 

Craighead set the North Callaway javelin record as a senior with a throw of 53.57 meters before earning all-state honors to cap his high school career. His trajectory was similar this season as Craighead claimed the William Woods javelin record with a throw of 64.08 meters. 

As a freshman, Craighead was matching his high-school best but made a dramatic jump as a sophomore. Craighead earned all-conference honors again, but he was regularly throwing at least 57 meters this year. 

“I had pretty good sickness for a whole year from my senior year of high school throughout my freshman year of college,” Craighead said. “Whenever I was able to get past that, I was able to practice how I wanted to practice. I had a pretty bad taste in my mouth, and the competitor was like, ‘I have to prove myself.’”

Craighead said he became fatigued more easily while he was sick and wanted to lay down while he was at home. That wasn’t ideal behavior for an athlete, Craighead said, so he is glad he feels better.

Anthony Stockton was announced as the head coach for the William Woods track and field program in spring 2025. Stockton returned to coach his alma mater after leaving a legacy of All-American honors in the shot put, discus and hammer throw (2013 national champion) and school record holder in all three of those events. 

“Before the days that classes started, we had a conversation and set the foundation of what he wants to do, why he wants to do it and how we plan on getting there,” Stockton said. “We honed in on the smaller details, which helped him keep healthier, we listened to his body a lot more and we had a lot more conversations.”

Stockton said his throwing graduate assistant coach Tucker Coleman, who threw everything in his career, was a key part of his conversations as well. Together, Stockton said they watched Craighead’s “back health, core health and smaller knick-knacks like the hips” for a more “holistic training” approach to make sure he was “ready to explode” at every meet. 

This was all worth it for someone like Craighead, Stockton said. When he first saw him, Stockton said he had a feeling Craighead had what it takes to throw at nationals based on his attitude, specifically coachability and motivation.

“From someone who has done it before, it’s pretty easy to see who has the ability to or who has the potential to and who doesn’t,” Stockton said. “From those first few times I saw him throw, I was like, ‘It’s in there. It’s just does he want to go get it?’ I want them to be highly coachable, highly motivated, and someone who can do it with autonomy just like a professional.”

Craighead said he didn’t let any other obstacles stand in his way, like a back injury, because he knew the school record was reachable for him. He and Stockton praised the work of the William Woods training staff and strength and conditioning coaches Bob Jones and Sierra Zadravecz for keeping Craighead in the best possible condition.

“Javelin is a combo of explosive power and strength,” Craighead said. “You can’t really do well if you only have one. My jumps in weight from my freshman year to sophomore year, my bench press went up 80 pounds. I’m not a big guy, so I have to use my explosiveness and technicality.”

Stockton said he hopes Craighead stays humble and hungry, meaning he wants him to continue working hard and not be satisfied with his accomplishments so far. He believes Craighead can be a national champion. 

Craighead said Stockton and Coleman have helped improve his mental state with the highly technical nature of throwing. Going into next year, Craighead said he wants to not focus as much on the big throw but rather relax and focus on the long term because that tends to be when gets the big throw. 

“I definitely need to work on my technique,” Craighead said. “That’s where all my distance comes from. I need to try to figure out how to get a good balance between practice and rest.”