Photo by Derek Wiley, courtesy of the Leavenworth Times
After four years of hard work, the class of 2023 has completed their high school careers. Kansas MileSplit has selected an elite group of seniors to highlight in our "Senior Salute" summer series. Across all six classes and eighteen events, we will release seven articles featuring an individual senior, and three videos featuring a pair of seniors linked in some way. After fighting through a COVID year as freshmen, and embracing the releases of the next generation of 'super' spikes, the class of 2023 has seen it all. Now, it's time to look back on the remarkable careers of Kansas' best.
Our next salute goes to Lansing thrower Jamale Williams. The recent graduate was a terror in the UKC in the shot put & discus throws. Williams has results dating all the way back to 2017 - his sixth-grade year. As a member of his club teams, both Hot Feet and LL Elite over the years, he competed annually in the summer club meets: AAU & USATF. In 2017, he placed 5th in the discus at the USATF Junior Olympics to cap off his season.
A year later, he made the switch to AAU, qualifying through in both shot & disc to the Junior Olympics, placing top-25 in both. His best meet of 2018 was the AAU District Qualifier in El Dorado. In 2019, his final year before high school, he launched the disc 125 feet and hit 39' 6.5" in the shot at the AAU Region in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
After a year off in the pandemic, Williams was back and better than ever. He PR'd in the shot by 3 feet in his first meet, then another 2 a week later. His best discus throw was at the state meet, 149' 1" to claim his first KSHSAA medal in 7th place.
Williams competes at the 2023 5A Championship
(Photo by J Hobson)
As a junior, Williams made a big leap in the shot put. Clearing 50 feet in week 2, he won 6 meets, including the United Kansas Conference, his 5A Regional, and the AAU Regional. He also claimed another state medal, this time in a runner-up finish in Wichita. To cap off the season, he cleared 55 for the first time to place 8th at the AAU Junior Olympics. His discus was improving as well, winning 6 meets, placing 3rd at state, and 6th at the national AAU meet.
As a senior, it was state title or bust. How could it not be as one of the top returners? Jamale Williams did not disappoint, winning 14 times across the two events. At the Kansas Relays, he was second in both events, PR'ing in both at 57' 3.5" and 191' 10". At the Shawnee Mission North relays, he PR'd again, going over 59 to win the shot. That became 60 at regionals, and finally 61' 1" at 5A State, winning in dominating fashion. The disc was a similar story, taking gold in Wichita by wide margins over the 5A field.
Moving forward, Williams will be joining one of the best throws programs in the region at Missouri Southern State. The Lions are a force in Division II throws, and often compete locally against their fellow MIAA schools. The sky is the limit for a hard worker like Jamale Williams, so keep an eye on this Lion as he takes the next step in his career!