Geist already a success in shot put at Arizona
Tri-State Sports & News Service
With a twist, hop and mighty launch, Jordan Geist blends grace and power when competing in the shot put at the University of Arizona.
Known as the Knochness Monster (he’s a Knoch High grad who stands 6-foot-2, 270 pounds), this freshman is so superior in the event that it is not outlandish to call him a gold medal contender for the 2020 Olympics. Already. “Making the Olympic team is a goal,” said Geist, arguably the best 19-year-old shot putter in the history of the sport.
Don’t get the wrong idea. Geist is not looking past the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which commenced Wednesday in Eugene, Ore. He qualified in the shot put and discus after winning both at the Pac12 championships, a first for a conference freshman.
He entered the four-day NCAA competition with the fourth-best shot put throw of the outdoor season (66 feet, 11.5 inches). He trailed only junior Payton Otterdahl of North Dakota State (68-9.25), junior Denzel Comenentia of Georgia (68-6) and senior Josh Awotunde of South Carolina (68-1.75).
“No one’s expecting me to win,” said Geist, whose top throw of 188-10 in the discus ranked 25th nationally, third among freshmen, entering the NCAA meet. “I embrace that. It pushes me.”
After emerging as the top high school shot putter in the nation at Knoch (where he set state and national records en route to winning three PIAA championships each in the shot and the discus), Geist wasted little time living up to his reputation at Arizona.
In just his second career competition, he became the youngest athlete to surpass 70 feet with the 16-pound shot put. Ever. His indoor throw of 70-4.5 — achieved at 19 years, 7 months, 13 days — bettered the mark set by the legendary Randy Barnes, an Olympic gold medalist whose outdoor throw of 75-10, set in 1990, remains the world record.
“Jordan, for his age, has done some things nobody else has,” Arizona throwing coach T.J. Crater told tucson.com. “If things continue to progress, and Jordan can stay healthy, he could be one of the best in the world.”
Geist’s record throw, which shattered the NCAA freshman indoor mark by two feet, is top among U.S. shot putters, both professionally and collegiately, this year. Only Tomas Walsh, 26, of New Zealand, Tomas Stanek, 26, of the Czech Republic and Konrad Bukowiecki, 21, of Poland have exceeded the mark in the world indoor rankings.
“It was definitely really cool when I found out I did it,” said Geist, who’s earned both NCAA Indoor All-American and Pac-12 Championships Athlete of the Meet honors this season. “Last year, when I was 18, I got the alltime age-group record, so I’ve been pretty fortunate.”
In a warm-up to the NCAA championships, Geist competed in the 11-man Tucson Elite Classic on May 19. His sixth-place finish turned heads, given he was the lone amateur at an event won by reigning world champion Walsh.
“My goal is to keep working hard and to keep getting better,” said Geist, who chose Arizona to train under Crater after initially committing to Arizona State (which underwent a coaching change in the offseason). “Have to keep pushing.”