Hall of Fame
Born in Czechoslovakia, Petra Juraskova came to Cal State L.A. after spending two years at Brigham Young University. She made quite an impact in her two years on the Golden Eagle track and field team, winning five individual national championships and helping Cal State L.A. field one of the best programs in the country.
Juraskova captured a pair of indoor national titles in the shot put in 1996 and 1997 and she also won outdoor national titles in that event in those same two seasons. She also won an outdoor discus national championship in 1996.
She was named the California Collegiate Athletic Association Female Athlete of the Year in 1996 and 1997, becoming the first female to win the conference’s top athletic honor two years in a row. She is still one of only two females to win the conference’s top athletic award more than once.
Juraskova is in the Cal State L.A. All-Time Top-10 in four events. She is second in the shot put (52-2), second in the discus (179-9), third in the hammer (165-2) and eighth in the javelin (134-2).
She currently resides in Georgia with her husband, former Cal State L.A. and current University of Georgia assistant coach, Don Babbitt. They have two daughters, ages 10 and 2. She works at the University of Georgia as an instructional tech in the biological sciences department. She is also an avid skier and photographer.
