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Ironwood Throws Classic Preview: 4 prep national leaders top entriesPublished by
Ironwood Throws Classic Preview: 4 prep national leaders top entriesby Steve Underwood of NSAF
The elite NSAF throws event is in its 4th year at Ironwood and provides an opportunity for top high school athletes to compete alongside and be mentored by some of the USA’s top elite throwers – including Olympians, aspiring Olympians and other pros and post-collegians. The history of the event goes back to 2013, when the NSAF partnered with what was then the Chicagoland Throwers Series. Skylar Ciccolini (girls’ javelin), Ty Hampton (boys’ javelin), Daniel Viveros (boys’ shot put) and Gretchen Hoekstre (girls’ shot put) each lead their respective events on the U.S prep lists this spring. Ciccolini – a 3rd year athlete with the NSAF’s Project Javelin – in fact, is #2 all-time with her 184-2 PR and leads a field in that event that includes 160-footer Tanya Simora and Project super soph teammates Katelyn Fairchild and Sydney Juszczyk -- four U.S. top 10 throwers overall. In the boys’ javelin, Hampton, Sam Hankins and Joe Nizich are the current top three in the country and all represent Project Javelin – as does defending champ Zech Blake. The boys’ shot put field includes not only Viveros, but the year’s only other 70-footer - Tanner Duffin. Joining Hoekstre in the girls’ shot is Faith Bender, the country’s #2 sophomore and Viveros’ teammate at Bakerfield, CA’s Liberty HS. Bender is also throwing the discus, where she is US#3 and the top 10th-grader. She is accompanied in that event by Shelby Frank from North Dakota, right behind her on the national list. Duffin is also doubling up, part of a boy’s discus field that features the nation’s #2-3-4 throwers in Jacob Lemmon, Duffin and Jordan Johnson. Also invited was national leader Devin Roberson, who had to decline due to post-tornado cleanup in his hometown of Jefferson City, MO. Finally, the hammer is not part of the prep (or men’s elite) slate at Ironwood this year, due to scheduling conflicts with top competitors, but there will be a women’s competition and some of the preps may join in. Meet director Jarred Rome has also assembled another impressive field of more than 30 elite athletes to compete with the preps, including Olympians Gia Lewis Smallwood (American record-setter discus), Whitney Ashley and Maggie Malone (NCAA record-setter javelin); 69-foot shot putters Josh Awotunde and David Pless; 214-discus throwers Jason Harrell and Brian Williams and many more. Here are brief profiles of each of the Team NSAF throwers: The Four National LeadersSkylar Ciccolini – 184-2 JT
Ty Hampton – 221-4 JT
Daniel Viveros – 71-3 SP, 195-5 DT
Gretchen Hoekstre – 50-1.5 SP
More Outstanding ThrowersGirls JTTanya Simora – 160-11 JT
Katelyn Fairchild – 156-11
Sydney Juszczyk – 155-0 (161-8 in ’18)
Taylor Ciccolini – 146-1 JT
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