Claudine (Rice) Poplawski gained national recognition for Westfield State as an elite hammer thrower in the mid-1990s. 

Poplawski won the 1994 NCAA Division III national championship in the hammer throw with a winning distance of 169-5. She earned her second All America certificate a year later by finishing second at the 1995 NCAA Division III national championships. 

Her biggest accomplishment, however, was winning the prestigious Penn Relays in 1995. Competing against 12 NCAA Division I athletes, Poplawski unleashed a school record throw of 176-9 to earn the top spot on the victory stand. Just after her stunning victory at the Penn Relays, Poplawski was ranked the 10th best hammer thrower in the world, according to the Track and Field News. 

The Rowe, Mass., native wasn’t big by hammer thrower standards, but her excellent technique and footwork allowed her to compete with the nation’s best. She participated in three United States Mobil national outdoor track and field championships, and earned All-USA honors with a sixth-place finish at the 1993 meet in Eugene, Oregon. 

Poplawski also participated in the shot put and discus, and the 20-pound weight throw during Westfield State’s indoor track and field season. She was a two-time New England champion and earned All New England honors three times. She received ECAC all-conference certificates seven times, winning three titles, and was a six-time Massachusetts.State Conference champion. She holds the school record of 47-3 in the 20-pound weight throw. 

Poplawski also excelled in the classroom, as she was selected the Massachusetts State College Athletics Conference’s Senior Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year. 

The Mohawk Trail Regional High School graduate earned degrees in elementary education and psychology from Westfield State College. She currently works as a special education teacher/liaison in the Rowe Elementary School. She lives in her hometown of Rowe with her husband, Dan, and three daughters: Hannah (7), Emma (6), and Grace (4).