At the Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex in La Crosse, Wisconsin, the air was thick with the kind of tension only a national championship can produce. For Fitchburg State University’s Liam Bourassa, a senior from Shirley, this wasn’t just another track meet. It was the culmination of a four-year odyssey defined by grueling training sessions, thousands of repetitions in the throwing circle, and an unwavering commitment to the Green and Gold.
As the dust settled on the 2026 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships, the 6-foot Bourassa stood as a titan of the sport. By securing a silver medal in the javelin and a 10th-place finish in the hammer throw, Bourassa officially became a five-time All-American.
“Five NCAA All-American titles is mind-blowing to me,” said Bourassa. “It means a lot to me that I’ve been able to build a legacy I can one day tell my kids about. Coming out of high school I had a lot of low points in my life that kept me away from the sport for just under two years. I never knew if I’d compete again or if I’d ever want to. However, something just clicked one day and I decided to come back. Never once did I think about how much growth and success waited for me on the other side. I just imagined that putting my energy into something like track would be more beneficial than where I had been allotting it.”
Veteran coach Jim Jellison, who recently retired after an amazing 48-year coaching run at Fitchburg State, said that Bourassa is a special type of athlete that doesn’t come around very often.
“Liam is a true student of his sport,” said Jellison. “He made improvements every year as we moved forward in all of his events. No other person that we can find has ever done the jav/hammer doubles at NCAA nationals.This five-time All American stuff only comes about by hard work and dedication. He is one of the few male athletes here at FSU with this total.
“He has meant a lot to me in the program because of his hard work and his success,” said Jellison. “I could not have asked for a better year and more exciting year from Liam and the other throwers, along with the rest of the guys from the team, sending me out after 48 years on a high note.”
The 2026 javelin final will be remembered as an unforgettable head-to-head competition. It was a duel for the ages between Bourassa and Damitrius Hester of Rowan University. Bourassa launched a staggering toss of 73.55 meters, a mark that would have won almost any other national title in history. In fact, that throw was the fourth-longest in the history of NCAA Division III.
While Hester eventually took the top spot with the second-longest throw in DIII history, Bourassa’s performance solidified his legacy. To produce the fourth-best mark of all time on the biggest stage imaginable is a testament to his big-game temperament. Bourassa didn't just participate; he pushed the boundaries of the record books.
But he wasn't finished. Showing the versatility that has become his trademark, Bourassa returned to the field to compete in the hammer throw. With a toss of 57.37 meters, he earned Second Team All-American accolades, proving that his excellence wasn't confined to a single discipline.
During the 2026 season, Bourassa achieved a feat never before seen in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) by becoming the first athlete in history to win every single throwing event at a conference championship. His sweep was punctuated by a championship and facility record in the javelin with a mark of 69.24m, followed by a dominant 58.81m performance in the hammer throw. He rounded out his unprecedented performance on the field by securing top honors in the outdoor shot put at 15.84m and the discus with a toss of 45.90m.
“It’s wild to think about some of the things I’ve done in these last four years,” said Bourassa. “For the first three years of my career at Fitchburg, I had never felt a sense of accomplishment. I had achieved a lot, but I wasn’t able to appreciate it in the moment. It wasn’t until this year that I took some time and learned the things that were holding me back.
“Since I broke free from those constraints, I’ve been incredibly grateful for all the opportunities I’ve had to represent myself and this school,” said Bourassa. “Everything I’ve accomplished has been a blessing.”
It’s wild to think about some of the things I’ve done in these last four years. For the first three years of my career at Fitchburg, I had never felt a sense of accomplishment. I had achieved a lot, but I wasn’t able to appreciate it in the moment. It wasn’t until this year that I took some time and learned the things that were holding me back. Since I broke free from those constraints, I’ve been incredibly grateful for all the opportunities I’ve had to represent myself and this school. Everything I’ve accomplished has been a blessing.
This wasn't just a flash in the pan. At the DIII New England Regional Championships, Bourassa single-handedly scored 30 points for the Falcons, winning both the javelin and hammer titles. He followed that by making history at the 139-year-old NEICAAA Championship, becoming the first athlete ever to win both the javelin and hammer titles at the same meet.
Success at this level is rarely a straight line. Bourassa’s journey from a talented junior in 2025, where he already held the top national rank in javelin with a 68.99m throw, to a multi-discipline national powerhouse in 2026 was paved with intentionality.
His commitment to his craft is evident in the statistics. In the 2026 season alone, Bourassa set three different facility records for the javelin and two championship records. He currently holds 10 of the top 25 throws in the history of NCAA Division III javelin. In the decades of athletes who have competed in this division, one man from Fitchburg State owns nearly half of the most elite marks ever recorded.
“Liam is the type of person who knows what he wants and works to get it,” said Jellison. “After three years he has finally found the peace of mind to enjoy his accomplishments and realize what he has actually accomplished and what he can accomplish in the future, as he will continue to compete in the future. You will hear about him. He believes in himself and takes no shortcuts to get better.”
This level of consistency requires a meticulous breakdown of mechanics—the precise angle of the javelin's release, the centrifugal force management in the hammer circle, and the explosive glide in the shot put ring. Bourassa's school record in the outdoor shot put (16.23m) and his No. 5 regional ranking in the discus shows a student-athlete who refused to leave any stone unturned.
“Those who know me understand that I am extremely competitive and obsessed with getting better,” said Bourassa. “I've always wanted to be the best at everything I do. So when I realized I wasn’t the best, I did every possible thing to get better. Through technical analysis, learning the science behind each event, studying hours of data, training six days a week, lifting weights four days a week and so much more.
“I wanted to be the best multi-event throwing athlete in DIII history, after this season's conclusion I feel as though I've accomplished that,” said Bourassa. “I was good at this sport because it meant more to me than anything else in my life. This sport was never just a game to me, I always looked at it as a means to something greater.”
Bourassa knows just how much coaching matters. He’s thankful to have throwing coach Nora Armstrong by his side, pushing, motivating and inspiring him every step of the way.
“I wouldn’t be where I’m at without coach Nora,” said Bourassa. “She took a kid who had only thrown jav and helped shape me into an all-around threat for throwing. Staying for five-hour practices, putting up with my nonsense, listening to my opinions on training, and guiding me towards my goals. She has been more than a coach to me these last four years, she’s been my biggest supporter and one of my greatest friends. If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t be the athlete I am today, and I definitely wouldn’t be the man I am today. I owe her more than she will ever know.”
Armstrong said that’ she’s a lucky throwing coach because Bourassa decided to attend Fitchburg State for all four years.
“He is extremely dedicated to improving his throwing,” said Armstrong. “He keeps researching and watching videos to find minor changes that could help lead to bigger throws. Freshman year, he focused on javelin and high jump, everything else he tried was for fun. Sophomore year he switched his focus to throwing full time. It's not easy to compete well in all four throwing events because of the wide difference in technical form, strength, and speed. He considered it a challenge to achieve success in all of them. No one else has ever competed at the national championship meet in both javelin and hammer until Liam this year. It shows how dedicated he is to his training and recovery that he could become an All-American in hammer in just four years of doing it.”
Bourassa knows that this program wouldn’t be as reputable as it is without the extraordinary efforts of Coach Jellison.
“His passion for the sport has always been unwavering,” said Bourassa. “His passion for his athletes' success could never be questioned. He was the type of coach to never take credit for his athletes’ accomplishments – in this sport that is incredibly rare. He’s been a friend in times of crisis and a true mentor.”
Bourassa has a message for all incoming freshmen to the track program.
“You get out what you put in,” said Bourassa. “If you want to be successful, you have to be the driver for it. A person could have the greatest coach in the world and have it not amount to anything, if the athlete doesn’t put the effort in. We have very good coaches at Fitchburg, and when effort is put into getting better that athlete will almost certainly see success.”
Bourassa’s legacy is defined by a list of accolades that transcend standard collegiate success, marking him as one of the most decorated specialists in the history of the sport. He reached the pinnacle of competition as a USA National Championship qualifier in the javelin, a rare feat for a Division III athlete. Regionally, his dominance was absolute; he secured the No. 1 ranking in the East Region for both the javelin and hammer throw, while becoming the first athlete ever to win three consecutive DIII New England Regional titles in the javelin. Perhaps most impressive was his unprecedented versatility on the national stage, as he became the first DIII athlete in history to qualify for the National Championships in both the hammer and javelin simultaneously, cementing his status as a historic multi-event powerhouse.
Bourassa leaves Fitchburg not just as a five-time All-American, but as a symbol of what is possible when natural talent is met with a relentless, almost obsessive, desire to improve. Every time a young thrower steps into the circle at Fitchburg State and looks at the record boards, they will see one name repeated across every category.
“Liam has left a legacy that will be hard to beat,” said Armstrong.
Bourassa didn't just break records; he built a monument to hard work that will stand the test of time. He came to Fitchburg as a thrower from Shirley; he leaves as a legend of the sport, a national runner-up, and arguably one of the greatest track and field athletes to ever wear a Falcons uniform.
“I just want to say thank you to every single person that has supported me through my career,” said Bourassa. “I wouldn’t have been able to push through the hard times without the help from them.”