Who’s Coming: Throws

Highlighting the top New Balance Nationals Outdoor commitments leading up to the championships on June 13-16

By Steve Underwood of the NSAF | Watch #NBNationals Live Webcast June 13-16

Ty Hampton – Tough rehab pays off

While doing limited drills in Germany while watching his NSAF Project Javelin teammates compete, or sitting in a hospital bed earlier this year for surgery, Ty Hampton had to dig deep to maintain the belief that he could recover and eventually match or exceed his outstanding javelin throwing of the past. As a North Bend HS (Ore.) sophomore in 2017, he became a 200-footer, winning 4A state and taking 4th at NBNO in an outstanding campaign. But a “pop” in his elbow in spring of 2018 led to time off and missed junior year opportunties, a search for answers while doing limited training, then finally a diagnosis and subsequent surgery for a dislocated ulnar nerve.

All of the subsequent rehab paid off. With returning health and some winter training, Hampton started off with 198-11 in his March season-opener. Then, returning to Coos Bay where he first was injured, he fired a mighty 216-10 to take the national lead. Demons exorcized! After Project teammate Sam Hankins passed him on the national list, Hampton retook US#1 with his 221-4 at Districts. A week later, the Oregon signee returned to the top of the podium at 5A state with 213-11. The competition for a national title and other post-season honors will be fierce. But Hampton’s season has already been one huge triumph.

Skylar Ciccolini – Chasing a national record

It’s been an amazing journey for Skylar Ciccolini in the javelin – from success as a high school freshman at the local and USATF Youth level, to joining the NSAF’s Project Javelin and seeing a 30-foot improvement in her first year, and then to becoming a national championship contender and Youth Olympian in 2018. Now, in the final weeks of her senior year at Mifflin County HS (Pa.), Ciccolini could literally break the national record on any given throw – a fact that we know because at the Penn Relays in April, she defended her title and landed a jaw-dropping 184-2 on her first attempt, #2 all-time and within 18 inches of Madison Wiltrout’s 2015 standard.

Ciccolini battled for the U.S. #1 status last year with Team NSAF teammate Dana Baker. But with Baker now at Duke, the Mifflin County PA senior has thrown 16 feet further than anyone in the country. Along with the Penn Relays achievement, she won her 2nd straight AAA state title and, of course, is unbeaten. Her younger sister has been moving up the state and national ranks, too. Ciccolini has plenty to gun for these final weeks before she heads to Missouri – an NBNO title and possibly battling for USATF Junior and Senior team berths.

Trey Knight – Finally his Greensboro debut

As hammer and weight fans have watched Trey Knight progress as the most talented young prep thrower since Conor McCullough, he’s made his mark at some of the biggest indoor meets in the country. The Ridgefield HS (Wash.) junior is a 2-time NBNI champion in the weight throw and has won elite competitions like the Simplot Games. And, of course, he has racked up titles at the local and state level, including state titles in the shot and discus for Ridgefield. But Knight hasn’t yet competed at the national championship level outdoors. That changes in Greensboro in a few weeks.

There’s no question Knight is ready for the challenge – and that won’t be the only new experience he’ll have this spring. He’s also representing Team NSAF in Havana, Cuba next week, his first time competing outside the U.S. Knight has had a great start to his junior outdoor season, reaching 254-0 in the hammer to move to #4 all-time. He’s been over 250 three other times. And, in his “secondary” events, the humble champion has added to his Washington state 2A titles in the discus and shot put with 187-6 and 63-4. Now it’s time for the next step.

Devin Roberson – Monster discus breakthrough

It was definitely one of the best throws moments of the year: Devin Roberson completing an epic discus series with a Missouri state record and US#1 218-4, leaping in celebration as he knew he’d set another PR – and even laughing off an accidental slip and fall during celebration to jump up again in joy. And that joy wasn’t just from a tremendous personal breakthrough, but also from what it meant for his team and community: The state track meets had been split up and moved two days after a devastating tornado hit his home town (and state meet home) of Jefferson City. It was one of those #JeffersonCityStrong-type moments that can help a city and school recover.

Roberson’s throw – a 12-foot PR – gave him back-to-back 5A state discus titles and he was also runner-up in the shot. He has three other 200-foot meets this year after a best of 188-4 as a junior. Roberson now has a great chance to win NBNO – even with a tough field of 200-footers to beat – as well as make the U.S. team for the Pan Am Under-20 champs, if he so chooses. Due to post-tornado clean-up, he was unable to accept an invitation to the Iron Wood Throws, but plans to be in Greensboro. Having signed to throw at Missouri, a rising throws powerhouse, his future looks very bright.

Tanner Duffin – Throws triple threat

You don’t need many fingers to count the number of prep throwers who are over 200 feet in the discus and 70 feet in the shot put this year. There’s exactly one – and that’s Tanner Duffin, a St. Pius X (Atlanta, Ga.) senior and leading member of the elite Throw 1 Deep Club. T1D coach Mike Judge is known for developing great hammer and weight throwers, but he coaches all of the throws and Duffin – a U. of Michigan signee – has hit US#2 70-2.25 and #3 206-8 to emerge as the nation’s best combo thrower.

Duffin won both his AAAA state discus and shot put titles, then repeated the feat at the Georgia HS Meet of Champs. He nearly had the same double-double as a junior last year, but was runner-up in the MOC shot. Indoors, however, he’s also been a standout in the weight throw, reaching 72-9.75 this past winter. Amazingly, Duffin did not become a thrower until he was a high school sophomore, but has long excelled in football. Now he’s primed to become a double All-American in Greensboro.

Daniel Viveros/Faith Bender – Great tradition in California

It’s something special if your school can develop multiple throwers in the nation’s top five in each gender. But that’s exactly what Liberty HS in Bakersfield, CA has with Daniel Viveros and Faith Bender. Viveros, a senior signed with Ole Miss, is the unbeaten state champ in the shot and joined the 70-foot club in May with his US#1 71-3 three weeks ago (#20 all-time). He’s also a 195-5 discus thrower. Bender is “just” a soph, but already super elite nationally, coming off a new PR and US#3 168-6 in a narrow runner-up finish at state to national leader Jocelynn Budwig. She’s also a 47-4.5 shot putter.

To throws followers in Bakersfield, and Kern County of California all told, this success is not a huge shock. This regional has a long and rich history of developing great throwers in the Golden State – with 17 state champs winning 30 titles in the past 46 years. “You never know when you are going to have an athlete of this caliber,” Liberty boys throws coach Rod Chronister told Bakersfield.com recently. “And we have three.” Bender’s success can also be traced to her father, Paul, who also coaches throws at Liberty and was a state champ in 1980. His daughter was 4th at NBNO last spring as a freshman in the disc, while Viveros will be making his NBNO debut.

Annika Kelly – Rising star in Rhode Island

As all hammer and weight throw fans know, Rhode Island has a tremendous history in those events, with a positive culture perpetuated by coaches and elite athletes, and all-time hammer guru Bob Gourley. One whose star has been rising for a few years and hit new heights in 2019 is Annika Kelly. The Barrington senior joined the 190-foot club last weekend at the Mt. Pleasant Invite – throwing 190-8, a five-foot PR, and a level only a few others from the state have reached. This past indoor season, Kelly was an impressive runner-up in the NBNI weight throw at 58-1 – a 2nd NBN All-American honor after she was 3rd in the hammer last spring.

What many don’t know, however, is that she has already had international opportunities due to her family Estonian citizenship. Kelly represented Estonia last fall in the Youth Olympics and has competed in European events when she’s had a chance outside of the school year. Now, in Greensboro, she’ll go for her first national title – it won’t be easy as defending champ Samantha Kunza is again the U.S. leader over 197 feet. But if Kelly’s improvement curve continues, she’ll be right in the mix.

Gretchen Hoekstre – Alone over 50 feet

Hailing from little Seaside, Ore. on the Pacific Coast, this weight-lifter and throws standout saw immediate results when she changed her technique from the glide to the spin under the direction of her new coach, Krystal Pike, a former Division 3 All-American. Gretchen Hoekstre became the season's first and only 50-footer when she connected on a big throw at the Nike/Jesuit Twilight Relays in Portland on May 3. She PR'd by 30 inches when she threw 50-1.50. "I was able to get behind it and put all the force I had behind it," Hoekstre said. 

The BYU signee will be on her biggest stage yet when she makes the cross-country trip to North Carolina. She won Class 4A titles in Oregon in May when she put the shot 43-8.75 and threw a personal best 156-11 to take the discus.  She won her first state title in the shot put in 2018, when her season best was 43-4. She was third as a sophomore at the state meet in 2017 when she threw 41-5 to conclude her first season in the sport.