National High School Records Through the Years

Glrs Outdoor Record – Discus

Shelbi Vaughan (Legacy High School, Mansfield, Texas) 

Performances – 196-11, 198-9

Date – June 15, 2012

Place – Bloomington, Indiana

Meet – USATF Juniors (U20)

Previous Record – 191-6 by Vaughan March 30, 2012, at the Texas Relays in Austin, Texas

In the 110 years since American high school girls have been throwing the DT, Vaughan is the first Texan to hold the national record. (There have been 10 from California.) Vaughan first made her mark her junior season, 2011, throwing 176-5. She won Texas Relays, the state 5A title, U.S. Juniors and bronze at the World Youth meet in France. She wasted no time as a senior, breaking Californian Anna Jelmini’s national record of 190-3 with 191-6 to repeat as Texas Relays champion. In June, a dozen years ago this week, she returned to U.S. Juniors and broke the record twice more, on her fourth and sixth throws. Though just 17, she narrowly missed that year’s Olympic team, finishing fourth at the Olympic Trials in Eugene with a throw of 195-9. Vaughan had a distinguished college career at Texas A&M, winning the SEC four times and the NCAA twice. After making the 2016 Olympic team and graduation, her throwing career declined until retirement in 2021. She finished with a lifetime best in the DT of 211-8.  

National High School Records Through the Years appears once a week, compiled and written by a track historian, Jack Pfeifer (Lake Oswego, Oregon). Inquiries may be directed to him by email (jack.pfeifer@gmail.com).