Golden Valley alum breaks Long Beach throwing record

It didn’t take long for Golden Valley alumnus TJ Wiggins to etch his name in the Long Beach State record books.

Wiggins broke the freshman discus record on his first official throw as a collegiate athlete at the Beach Opener over the weekend. The freshman took a few more attempts and extended his own record to 56.39 meters.

“It felt amazing,” Wiggins said in a phone interview. “After the first throw that was 55 meters, right after I let go I had no reaction because I felt like it wasn’t that good. The second throw, however, I knew as soon as it left my hand that I did something huge.”

Wiggins cracked numerous records as a senior with the Grizzlies, capped off by his Foothill League record throw of 198 feet and 11 inches. The now-long Beach Shark thrower will be able to expand his accolades into the NCAA record books.

The freshman was nervous going into his first meet as a collegiate thrower but once he stepped into the circle, he felt in the zone. The Golden Valley alum’s throw was a team-best for the meet and placed Wiggins in second overall.

Wiggins was excited to break the record but is still looking ahead and preparing for what’s next.

“My next goal is to continue to build on this,” Wiggins said. “(The throw of) 56.39 meters is a big mark but the season is far from over. I’d like to see myself go to nationals and hopefully beat my coach’s personal record.”

Wiggins will look to keep bumping up the freshman record all season, with his next opportunity coming this weekend when Beach heads to Fullerton for the Ben Brown Invitational.