Mention her infamous tirades during practice, and Becky Breisch instantly starts to blush. At least the color matches her Nebraska track uniform.

When things aren’t going well in the throwing cage for Breisch, she isn’t afraid to let everyone know about it, even those who are standing on the other end of the track.

Husker Coach Gary Pepin has turned his head in Breisch’s direction every so often just to see what’s going on in the shot put ring. Pepin works with the Husker jumpers.

Let’s just say Breisch is loud and proud when she’s working out.

Pepin doesn’t seem to mind very much.

“She’s a little bit excitable,” he said. “But I’d rather have her like that than somebody who doesn’t have any confidence or the fire or the intensity, especially in the throwing events.”

Breisch’s infamous outbursts are the byproduct of an athlete who strives to do her best every time she walks onto the track. It’s one of the reasons why Breisch, in just a season and a half as a Husker, has quickly vaulted up near the top of the Nebraska all-time charts in both the shot put and discus.

Really, Breisch doesn’t want to waste even one day, one workout, in her quest to be the very best.

“I’m just so competitive that I want to win and do my best every time I step into the ring,” she said. “Put me in any time of situation like that, and I always want to do the best. Even in practice.”

At meets, Breisch is apt to let her throwing do all the talking.

And right now, that’s every bit as loud and excitable as what she does vocally in practice.

Already this outdoor season, Breisch has broken the Husker record in the discus, launching the platter 192 feet, 7 inches to win the Texas Relays title. The former record, which Breisch shattered, fell a mere 8 feet shorter.

What makes Breisch’s record-breaking performance much better was the fact that she did it with literally four days of workouts with the implement.

When the sophomore from Edwardsburg, Mich., stepped into the discus ring in Austin, she had just a handful of training sessions with Husker assistant coach Mark Colligan.

“I figured I could throw 185 feet right away, but I never expected this,” she said. “Now, I want to build on it.”

Said Pepin: “Right now, her discus is taking off like a house afire. She has just been incredible.”

What Breisch hopes to accomplish during the rest of the outdoor season is to throw at a high level (185 and beyond) every time out. If she can throw the shot 185 feet on a consistent basis, bigger throws will come later in the season, when Breisch cuts back on her workouts and starts to peak for the Big 12 Outdoor Championships and the NCAA meet.

Lost in her big discus throw was the fact that Breisch is throwing the shot put with nearly the same kind of results. Already this spring, she has a mark of 55-9, which ranks second in school history behind former national champion Tressa Thompson.

“She has just as good a chance to do well in the shot,” Pepin said. “I really feel like Becky was better than she showed at the national indoor meet (where she ended up sixth). We’re still proud of her and she competed hard, but she’s much better than where she ended up.”

Her main focus right now is on the discus, an event in which she’s ranked first in the nation among college throwers.

As a freshman, Breisch qualified for the NCAA championships in the event, and fell an inch short of bringing home a gold medal.

That, Breisch said, won’t happen again.

“There are so many good discus throwers out there,” she said. “It’s going to take a big throw once you get to nationals. It’s not going to be a walk in the park.

“I’m not going home disappointed by an inch this year. I’m going to have that trophy and bring it back here.”

We’ll be listening.