Youth hammer records fall in 2017
Over the past few weeks we have covered some of the highlights of the 2017 high school hammer throw season. We have compiled our final rankings, looked at the statistical depth of results, and the geographic distribution of top throwers. In this final installment, we look at the new records and top all-time performances from the season.
State Records
As was the case last year, athletes set 12 new state records in 2017. Seven boys broke records in Arizona, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina. Jordan Geist‘s (Knoch, Saxonburg, PA) is perhaps the most impressive new record as he added more than 40 feet to the previous mark with a massive throw of 238’9″. Five girls set new marks in Connecticut, Florida, Nebraska, New York, and Ohio. The last two marks are perhaps the most impressive as New York and Ohio are among the top states in the country for the youth hammer throw.
All-Time Lists
There was also substantial movement on the all-time lists. Michael Feldman (Tottenville, Staten Island, NY) Moved posted the 9th best mark of all-time, while Geist and Jacob Slate (Chandler, AZ) both broke into the all-time top 20 on the boy’s list.
On the girl’s list Jill Shippee (Shenendehowa, NY) did even better. She became just the fifth girl ever to break 200 feet. Makenli Forrest (Woodward Academy, College Park, GA) also cracked the top 20. Joy McArthur (Mater Dei, Santa Ana, CA) did not improve her best in 2017, but still closed out her prep career this year ranked second all-time.
