Before Ethan Thayer puts the pads on and prepares for his final season of high school football for the Onalaska Loggers, he secured another track and field championship.
The senior-to-be uncorked a toss of 183 feet, 10 inches to win the discus in the 17-18 division at the USATF National Junior Olympic Championships last weekend at Cerritos College in California. It’s the first time Thayer has won a junior olympic event in his prep career.
It caps a summer where he unloaded a new PR toss of 196-02 at the Nike Outdoor Nationals back in June and a victory at the Region 13 Junior meet that sent him to California. Thayer’s fifth throw topped Josh Komrosky’s best by .3 inches and held on, even with fouling his final attempt.
Through the spring and summer, Thayer finished with 14 victories in the discus.
The right-hander also competed in the shot put, where he brought home a third place finish by throwing 60 feet, 8.5 inches. Jace Cook, Kane Poje and Thayer all had their best throws on their final attempts.
Prior to his final throw, Thayer struggled to reach 60 feet, a mark he routinely reached during the prep season in the spring. It was the first time all summer he eclipsed 60 feet after having a previous top throw of 58-06.75.
