Throws
Jacqueline David - William Chrisman
The top returner in the state in the shot put and discus, Jacqueline David looks ready to take over the throws scene in Missouri.
As a sophomore, David finished 11 meets with a shot put mark over 40 feet, closing out her season with three straight 44+ marks en route to a 4th place finish at the state meet. Her 44-10 best is almost two feet ahead of her closest challenger.
In the discus, David finished 11th at state after earning a 4th place finish as a freshman. Before that 11th place finish, though, she was able to heave the disc 148-7. This mark was 22 feet farther than any other sophomore in the 2019 and number 7 all-time among sophomores.
It's safe to say that David could be helping William Chrisman pull in at least 20 points in the throws events in the near future.
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In a town known for its distance runners, Marysa Flieg has decided to put Ste. Genevieve on the map in the javelin, too.
As a sophomore, Flieg finished no worse than 5th overall and no worse than 3rd in 11 tries at the javelin throw. She finished out her season second to Trinity's nationally renowned thrower Sydney Juszczyk in the event with a 123-1 toss, eight feet shorter than the 131+ marks that had gotten her through the state series.
After a state runner-up finish, Flieg would not be denied at the AAU Jr. Olympic Games as she won the national championship in the event with her personal best 136-1.5.
Keep an eye on the junior as she continues to rise through the javelin ranks.
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Timberland's J'Dyn Green is third among returning juniors in the discus and fifth among returners in the shot put. Her 125-1 best in the discus has her ranked fourth among all returners in Class 5 and her personal best of 40-1.5 has her fourth in the shot put.
Two years removed from an eighth place finish as a freshman, Green is a serious contender for the crowns in the shot and discus.
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Julia Crenshaw - Ft. Zumwalt West
Ft. Zumwalt West's Julia Crenshaw has taken her talents on the softball diamond and turned them into serious state level success in the javelin.
As a sophomore, Crenshaw broke through at the Class 5 state meet with a 4th place finish in the javelin throw, heaving an impressive 132-5 mark. After winning 8 of her first 9 meets, Crenshaw missed out on gold in Columbia, but returns as the top thrower in Class 5.
Crenshaw could also turn those javelin results into shot and discus success, too. She currently holds personal bests in those events of 35-9 and 99-5 respectively.
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Earning a top 8 spot in the Class 4 Girls Javelin last spring was quite the accomplishment as the spear was soaring in Washington.
The lone sophomore among those 8 was Webb City's Haidyn Berry whose 133-6 was more than enough for her to secure a spot on the podium. Berry enjoyed a stellar breakout campaign and enters 2020 third among returners in Class 4 and third among juniors in the entire state.
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The younger brother of former state champion Nathan Swadley, Marshall has already made a name for himself in his first two seasons.
As a sophomore, Swadley made a massive leap, throwing four straight personal bests in the shot put from his conference meet to the state meet, earning three golds and then 3rd place finish at state. His 52-2.5 is third among all returners in Class 4 and the entire state and tops among all juniors.
This indoor season, he cleared 51 feet three times, including a 51-9.25 toss at the Arkansas High School Invitational.
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Putnam County's Colder Evans posted all-state performances at the Class 2 state meet last spring, earning a 4th place finish in the discus and 7th place finish in the shot put. The sophomore posted personal bests of 150-3 and 48-3 respectively.
Now a junior, Evans is the third best returner in the discus and second best in the shot put. Evans also has already improved on his shot put this indoor season, clearing his 48-3 best four times, and moving up to 50-2.
In the javelin, Evans was the fourth best Class of 2021 freshman when he threw 154-1 to finish 5th at the AAU Jr. Olympic Games. Evans should pick up significant points and compete for victories in all three throws events over the next two years.
Battle junior Sam Innes appears to just be getting started in the throws events. As a sophomore, Innes threw personal bests of 47-3.5 in the shot put and 148-8 in the discus and enters 2020 as the 9th and 6th best returner in both events.
Innes improved on his shot put best already this indoor season with a 48-4.5 mark at the Jayhawk High School Open.
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Mason Brock's 159-0.25 javelin throw as a freshman was the third best toss in state history by a 9th grader, and the encore performance he provided as a sophomore left very little else to be desired. The Howell sophomore finished the 2019 campaign in 6th at the Class 5 state meet and cleared 161 feet in each of his last five competitions.
The 168-10 mark he posted at his conference meet is enough to have him ranked among the top 8 in Class 5 in an absolutely stacked field. Look for the junior to continue to climb the ranks once the season starts back up.
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Lebanon's Derek Tucker is another quietly competitive thrower in the Class of 2021. Focusing on the discus as a sophomore, Tucker broke through at the Class 5 State Meet and posted a 160-6 personal best to finish 6th overall.
Tucker returns for the 2020 campaign as the second best returner in Class 4 -- Lebanon moved down a classification this spring. Tucker has also posted personal bests in the shot put and javelin of 33-1.5 and 115-4.75, but hasn't attempted to improve on those since his 2018 freshman campaign.