Kennesaw State hammer thrower chasing Olympic dream while preparing for a future in WWE

At first glance, the towering metal cage surrounding Kennesaw State's hammer throw circle can look intimidating. For Kali Terza, it's where she feels most at home.

The All-American hammer thrower didn't grow up dreaming of the event. In fact, she had never even heard of it until her senior year of high school.

"It wasn't until my senior year of high school someone at the state track meet came up to me and said, 'Hey, I really think you need to try hammer,'" Terza recalled. "I had no idea what it was."

She laughed as she remembered expecting an actual hammer.

"I was looking around for a little hammer, and they brought me this shot put on a string," she said. "I started that day, and I was so terrible at it. But the coaches saw something in me that I didn't, and I've been throwing ever since."

That leap of faith has transformed Terza into one of the nation's top collegiate hammer throwers.

She has broken Kennesaw State's women's hammer throw record 13 times and earned first-team All-America honors. Now, she's chasing an even bigger goal: representing Team USA at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

Terza said every practice is focused on refining the smallest details of her technique.

"There's such a difference between being a first-team All-American and being able to represent your country at the Olympic level," she said. "We're just tweaking the things we see that I need to fix. We come out here and work on making that technique perfect, making it super repeatable, so I can do it over and over again. That's where you improve."

Her success hasn't gone unnoticed outside the track and field world.

A viral social media video showing Terza squatting a man on her shoulders attracted more than 6 million views and more than 1 million likes. Fans flooded the comments, tagging WWE and encouraging the sports entertainment company to recruit her.

They did.

"We got in contact through Instagram," Terza said. "I had a meeting while I was at nationals my sophomore year with WWE, and they ended up offering me a three-year deal through their NIL program. I've been with them ever since."

For Kennesaw State Director of Track & Field Cale McDaniel, the opportunity gives Terza another path after college while complementing her athletic personality.

"What I've seen is that it leads to careers after track and field," McDaniel said. "There's such a small contingency that goes pro in the sport. Even the best of the best may not. So to have another avenue through the NIL program that WWE had, that's fantastic. And it fits her so well."

While WWE may be in her future, Terza said her focus remains on becoming an Olympian.

Still, she admits she's already imagining one part of her wrestling debut.

"I want something that's going to get the crowd ready," she said of her entrance music. "The first beat that comes on, I want the crowd to know who it is and start cheering me on as I come out."

McDaniel has little doubt she'll command the spotlight.

"The personality, the energy she brings — you can tell me just about anything, and I'd believe she was good at it," he said. "I don't think she'll have any issue at all. If she's coming down the ramp, you better watch out."

For now, Terza is focused on perfecting every throw inside the hammer cage. If all goes according to plan, the road she's building could eventually take her from Kennesaw to the Olympic stage, and perhaps one day, to the bright lights of WWE.