By Chris Hunn

A crowd of around 20,000 was in attendance. New Zealand's two-time Olympic champion Valerie Adams was there. World-record holder Usain Bolt as well.

Nikki Okwelogu had just finished her freshman year at Harvard and was set to compete for Nigeria on an international stage at the Commonwealth Games in Scotland, going up against Olympians and seasoned veterans.

"I remember being so distracted," said Okwelogu, who is now in the midst of her junior year. "I remember just looking around. I didn't have a coach with me. I just kind of took it all in. There's no feeling like it. It was so empowering, yet so humbling at the same time."

Okwelogu went on to finish ninth in the shot put event. She remembers all the flags, the training room and the closing ceremonies. It was quite the memorable experience.

It's experiences like those that have given Okwelogu confidence, swagger and a sense of composure come time for college competition.

Okwelogu, a Fresno, Calif., native, continues to shatter one record after another. Last season, she set a school mark in the shot put with a throw of 17.12 meters at the Ivy League Heptagonal Indoor Track & Field Championships, highlighting an All-American season. During the outdoor season, she set an Ivy League shot put mark of 56-10 and had the second-longest discus toss in conference history with a throw of 176-5 (Okwelogu won both events). She also became the first woman in Ivy history to eclipse the 56-foot mark in the shot put.

She posted a season-best throw of 55-7 in the shot put earlier this month at the Crimson Elite. The distance is the third-best in Ivy history.

"It definitely changed my mentality going into meets," said Ogwelogu about competing on an international stage. "I used to be a nervous wreck. It helped me better manage it. Coming back to the Ivy League, it helped me become a better leader. I know what it's like to be down and how to push through that. It was much easier to come back to that level after being at that higher one. "

Ogwelogu grew up playing many different sports, ranging from basketball and cheerleading to softball. Track, though, is the one sport that stuck. Needless to say, it has worked out well.

And as an African-American woman attending Harvard, she is thankful for those who opened up opportunities for her to have this kind of success.

"Black History Month is a time for me to remember all of those who came before me, paving the way, rejecting the injustice systematically handed to them, thriving even under a racist oppressive system," Ogwelogu said. "It is also a reminder to me that their work is not done; they are the ones who got me here and it is my job to make sure black people after me get an even better world to thrive in."