Knoch’s Geist wins 3rd title in row
SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. — Many of the estimated 400 people crowded around the shot put area started clapping in unison Friday at the PIAA track and field championships. One of the greatest shot putters in U.S. high school history urged them on, clapping himself, hoping to get a little extra emotional charge for the final throw of the competition — and the final throw of his storied career.
Jordan Geist then spun, let loose and threw that 12pound metal ball far. Real far. When it landed, the crowd roared, knowing it might be close to that national high school record of 77 feet that Geist has been seeking. Then the crowd froze. Someone put up a red flag. A judge. Geist had fouled. His left foot stepped out of the thrower’s circle just after he released the shot. A PIAA judge raised his red flag and Geist’s throw was never marked. But it was thought to be about 76 feet.
So there was no national record. Instead, Geist had to settle for another state championship and a spot among the most elite field athletes from the WPIAL.
Geist, a senior at Knoch High School, won the Class 3A title for the third consecutive year with a throw of 714½ at Shippensburg University. He is only the second male athlete from the WPIAL to win three gold medals in a field event. The other was shot putter Ron Simkiew of Baldwin from 1970-72. Geist already had broken a number of Simkiew’s records the past two years.
“It’s disappointing, especially after the way warmups went because I think I hit 76 on my last warm-up throw,” said Geist.
After the last throw, Geist had an emotional moment in the middle of the shot put area, hugging his mother. This was a mom-son and coach-athlete moment all in one. Judy Geist is Knoch’s throwing coach.
“I couldn’t understand what she was saying because she was crying too much. I think I did hear through the mumbles how proud she was of me,” Geist said.
But Geist was a little emotiona,too.
“Over these past four years, we were with each other two hours every day at practice, just enjoying each other’s company,” said Geist, a University of Arizona recruit. “She was a thrower in her day, too. We just had a common bond that we were able to share.”
Geist’s best this spring was 74-10¼. But Friday, he couldn’t get close to 77 feet, which is the National Federation of State High School Association record set by Michael Carter of Jefferson High near Dallas in 1979.
The PIAA championship was the only invitational or championship over the past two seasons where Geist did not break a meet record. The PIAA meet record was set by Geist a year ago at 74-3½.
“He was just in a hurry too much today and didn’t hit his points,” Judy Geist said. “It’s a learning lesson in that you have to control everything because that’s what this sport is about. He was just too excited. But that’s OK.”
Geist still will compete at Junior Nationals in late June, but the National Federation record can only be set at a high school meet. He also hopes to make the U.S. team for the Junior Pan-Am games later in the summer.
“Hopefully I’ll still be remembered as the most dominant thrower in Pennsylvania history,” Geist said.
But he’s not done throwing yet. He will compete Saturday for the discus championship. His throw of 208-7 at the WPIAL championships last week was the best in any meet in Pennsylvania history.
Geist was the only gold medalist from the WPIAL on the first day of the PIAA meet.
Half of the field events were contested Friday. The rest of the field events and all of the running finals are Saturday.
The other WPIAL athlete who came close to a gold was Union’s James Thomas, who finished second in the Class 2A high jump with a mark of 6-6.