Owen Fraser doesn’t chase awards as a member of the Missouri S&T men’s track and field team, but they keep finding him. This junior mechanical engineering major continues to shatter his personal bests and various records. 

This season, Fraser earned the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Field Athlete of the Week three times and was also the GLVC Field Athlete of the Year. Last month, he launched the discus 60.9 meters, setting the S&T record and tying for the eighth-best mark in NCAA Division II history. Going into nationals, Fraser is ranked first in discus, 14th in shot put and 13th in hammer. 

Yet for Fraser, it’s not all about medals: as a Kummer Vanguard Scholar and 4.0 student, it’s about determination and progress to reach even further heights. 

“It’s obviously nice to get recognized, but that’s not something I try to focus on,” says the six-foot-eight, 320-pound thrower. “I worry more about what I can do to just get better and stay better.” 

As a junior, he still has time to improve.  

“That’s one of the interesting things about track. There’s nothing really stopping you to keep going,” he says. “If you’re willing to put in the work, you can always just throw farther and farther.” 

Goals, growth and a 4.0 

The way Fraser chose mechanical engineering at S&T was probably different from most students. In high school at Kirksville, Missouri, Fraser attended a wide variety of engineering classes. 

“When it came time to apply to Missouri S&T, I took an online quiz to see what type of engineering would benefit me, and I got mechanical. So, that’s what I picked,” Fraser says. 

Since his first year, Fraser has been a Kummer Vanguard Scholar, a program that provides  scholarships each year while helping students grow their skills outside the classroom. Fraser said that as a scholar, he was able to enhance his leadership skills as an Opening Week mentor, attend various events and met a lot of friends within the program.  

However, Fraser says his favorite thing about the program is having to set their goals at the beginning of each semester. 

“Sometimes when I write those, it’s a little far reaching,” he says. “But this semester, I just finished my wrap-up and realized I had almost every one of the goals done already. Setting those goals and being able to achieve them each semester is neat to have for myself to look back at.” 

His goals for the previous semester were to keep a 4.0 grade point average, qualify for nationals at multiple events, become a national champion and to work on his leadership skills.  

“Being involved on the track team stems from my involvement with the Kummer Vanguard Scholars,” he says. “On the team, I try to lead my younger teammates and help them get better and share the same goals, similar to what I have.” 

Fraser said being a Kummer Vanguard Scholar will help lead him to future success once he graduates. 

“Being thrown into the fire early on, meeting people while working and leading small groups is a skill that I think will benefit me for a really long time,” he says. “Being able to work well with other people, communicate ideas and listen to ideas from others is the really valuable skill I got from the program.” 

‘Don’t be afraid to fail’ 

Fraser is nothing short of determined when it comes to his track career, but his academic career doesn’t fall short either. He says time management is one of his strong suits. 

“It’s never fun to be on the road and have to study, take a test or finish an assignment on a bus,” he says. “But that’s one of the things that has helped me, just being able to manage my time well and efficiently, using the short 24 hours in the day.” 

Fraser recently completed a co-op position as a manufacturing engineer at Altec. He’ll return this summer for more experience. Depending on how it goes, he’s considering an emphasis in manufacturing processes. 

“The way I described the job is although I had an engineering computer with three monitors, I also wore steel-toed boots and came home dirty every day,” he says. “It was a nice balance for me between being hands-on and working on a computer.” 

Fraser has advice for incoming students: learn from your mistakes and don’t be afraid to make them. 

“Success doesn’t come quick. I found out this year that I get to choose when I fail. I make sure I fail at practice or when I study, to make those mistakes there — rather than doing it at a test or competition,” he says. “Don’t be afraid to fail.” 

About Missouri S&T  

Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is a STEM-focused research university of over 7,000 students located in Rolla, Missouri. Part of the four-campus University of Missouri System, Missouri S&T offers over 100 degrees in 40 areas of study and is among the nation’s top public universities for salary impact, according to the Wall Street Journal. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit  www.mst.edu.