California standouts Duensing, Elbettar, Howard and Lyons, all 60-foot shot putters, also scheduled to compete in new throwing ring at Notre Dame High in Sherman Oaks

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Bakersfield Liberty standout Faith Bender, the top junior girls thrower in the country, headlines an impressive lineup of California athletes scheduled to compete Saturday at the John Godina Throwers’ Invitational at the new throwing ring at Notre Dame High in Sherman Oaks.

Esperanza’s Jeff Duensing, Newport Harbor’s Aidan Elbettar, Los Alamitos’ Sawyer Howard and Notre Dame’s Quintin Lyons – four of the top senior boys throwers nationally – are also expected to participate.

Duensing has signed with Cal, Elbettar has committed to UCLA, Lyons is headed to Iowa and Howard is going to Sacramento State.

The boys varsity shot put and girls varsity discus throw are scheduled to start at 11 a.m. PST, with the boys varsity discus and girls varsity shot put expected to begin at 1 p.m. PST.

Bender boasts personal bests of 47-7.25 (14.51m) in the shot put and 168-6 (51.35m) in the discus.

She placed third in the shot put and fourth in the discus in June at New Balance Nationals Outdoor in North Carolina, which followed a runner-up performance in the discus and fifth-place effort in the shot put in May at the California state meet.

Bender will be joined in the girls discus by Bakersfield Liberty junior teammate Bella Rigby, who finished ninth in the state final.

Beckman senior Saloni Khandhadia, another state qualifier, is also scheduled to compete, along with Thousand Oaks junior Jaelyn Lee, Notre Dame senior Asanti Johnson, and Newport Harbor junior Ariana Grum and sophomore Aissa Grum.

Notre Dame freshman April Fontenette and sophomore Abby Rutt will join all of the aforementioned athletes in the girls shot put, along with Heritage Christian sophomore Hope Gordon, and Esperanza sophomore Bailey Speakman, freshman Caitlyn Efron and Bella Vosburgh.

In addition to Duensing, Elbettar, Howard and Lyons – all four have surpassed 60 feet in the shot put – also scheduled to compete is Golden Valley junior Kienan Donovan. Elbettar was second, Howard placed fourth, Lyons took fifth, Duensing finished eighth and Donovan secured 12th at last year’s state final.

Thousand Oaks senior Quincy Stokes, Alemany senior Khai Redd, Notre Dame junior Sulaymen Adeoye, Bakersfield Liberty sophomore Andrew Trottier, Paraclete senior Alan Rennie, and Esperanza juniors Adrian Moreno and Diego Reynoso are also scheduled to compete in the shot put.

Bakersfield Garces Memorial junior Zach Buckey is expected to participate in the boys discus, along with Elbettar, Duensing, Lyons, Donovan, Trottier, Adeoye, Rennie, Stokes and Reynoso.

Duensing finished fourth, Donovan took seventh and Elbettar was 21st at last year’s state meet. Elbettar rebounded to place fourth in the discus, in addition to sixth in the shot put, at New Balance Nationals Outdoor.