2022’s Best Throwers

Yesterday, I conquered the teams, here today are the individuals. Listed below are charts of the best throwers, along with the Throwers of the Year. For the Throwers of the Year, what I’ve decided to do is give those to State Champions and whomever is first by their score. I think that’s what I’ll do come June. Look at the end for some up and coming throwers to watch for in the next few months.

BOYS TABLES

GIRLS TABLES

BOYS THROWER OF THE YEAR

Zane Forist, Carson City-Crystal

2022 Bests

Discus: 200’4
Shot Put: 67’5

2022 Accolades

D4 Shot Put & Discus Champion
Greater Lansing, MSAC Shot Put & Discus Champion
Nike Outdoor Nationals Shot Put Champion

Now

Placed in the Top 20 at Big Ten Indoors at both the Shot Put and Weight Throw.

Overall Rank	Grade	Name	Team	Division	Discus	Shot Put	Athlete Score
1	12	Zane Forist	Carson City-Crystal	4	550	560	1110
2	12	Andrew Quinn	Mason County Central	3	487	510	997
3	12	Alex Mansfield	Monroe Jefferson	2	487	505	992
4	11	Kellen Kimes	Hart	3	475	491	966
5	12	Connor Williamson	Mason	2	473	463	936
6	12	Aidan Taylor	Zeeland East	2	453	477	930
7	12	Brady Ploucha	Dearborn Divine Child	2	483	441	924
8	12	Tristan Hinkley	Swartz Creek	1	436	478	914
9	11	Andrew Berryhill	Battle Creek Lakeview	1	429	484	914
10	12	Jake Steslicki	Farmington	1	488	422	910
11	11	Dalton DeBeau	Frankenmuth	2	487	422	909
12	12	Todd Nanasy	Morrice	4	465	440	905
13	12	Brenden Quackenbush	Chesaning	3	425	466	891
14	10	Gavin Nurenberg	Pewamo-Westphalia	3	431	458	889
15	10	Merrick Hocking	Midland	1	428	452	880
16	12	Riley Smalarz	Macomb Dakota	1	431	436	867
17	12	Ashton Lepo	Grand Haven	1	445	419	864
18	11	Michael Griffey	Plainwell	2	452	402	854
19	12	Caleb Paarlberg	Caledonia	1	429	424	853
20	12	Riley Brock	Kingsley	2	427	423	850
21	11	Gerald Capaccio	St. Joseph	1	405	441	845
22	12	Ryan Shinabery	Hudsonville Unity Christian	2	422	422	844
23	12	Kadyn Warner	Traverse City Central	1	373	471	844
24	12	Chris Whitehead	Beal City	4	428	415	843
25	10	Ty Robertson	Saginaw Heritage	1	419	422	840

D1 Boys Throwers of the Year

Tristan Hinkley, Swartz Creek

2022 Bests

Discus: 155’3
Shot Put: 57’1

2022 Accolades

2^nd Place – D1 Shot Put
FML Shot Put & Discus Champion

Andrew Berryhill, Battle Creek Lakeview

2022 Bests

Discus: 152’8
Shot Put: 57’9

2022 Accolades

D1 Shot Put Champion
SMAC, Region 3 Shot Put & Discus Champion

Now

MITS Shot Put Champion

Jake Steslicki, Farmington

2022 Bests

Discus: 176’0
Shot Put: 50’0

2022 Accolades

D1 Discus Champion
Oakland County Discus Champion

Now

It appears that he’s concentrated on the weight throw in his redshirted freshman year at Michigan.

Division Rank	Grade	Name	Team	Division	Discus	Shot Put	Athlete Score
1	12	Tristan Hinkley	Swartz Creek	1	436	478	914
2	11	Andrew Berryhill	Battle Creek Lakeview	1	429	484	914
3	12	Jake Steslicki	Farmington	1	488	422	910
4	10	Merrick Hocking	Midland	1	428	452	880
5	12	Riley Smalarz	Macomb Dakota	1	431	436	867
6	12	Ashton Lepo	Grand Haven	1	445	419	864
7	12	Caleb Paarlberg	Caledonia	1	429	424	853
8	11	Gerald Capaccio	St. Joseph	1	405	441	845
9	12	Kadyn Warner	Traverse City Central	1	373	471	844
10	10	Ty Robertson	Saginaw Heritage	1	419	422	840

D2 Boys Thrower of the Year

Alex Mansfield, Monroe Jefferson

2022 Bests

Discus: 175’6
Shot Put: 60’6

2022 Accolades

D2 Shot Put Champion
2^nd Place – D2 Discus
Region 16, Huron League Shot Put & Discus Champion

Now

Throwing for Oakland, he finished 6^th in the Shot Put and 12^th in the Weight Throw at the Horizon League Championship.

Dalton DeBeau, Frankenmuth

2022 Bests

Discus: 175’7
Shot Put: 49’11

2022 Accolades

D2 Discus Champion
7th Place – D2 Shot Put

Now

Just recently signed with Michigan State.

Division Rank	Grade	Name	Team	Division	Discus	Shot Put	Athlete Score
1	12	Alex Mansfield	Monroe Jefferson	2	487	505	992
2	12	Connor Williamson	Mason	2	473	463	936
3	12	Aidan Taylor	Zeeland East	2	453	477	930
4	12	Brady Ploucha	Dearborn Divine Child	2	483	441	924
5	11	Dalton DeBeau	Frankenmuth	2	487	422	909
6	11	Michael Griffey	Plainwell	2	452	402	854
7	12	Riley Brock	Kingsley	2	427	423	850
8	12	Ryan Shinabery	Hudsonville Unity Christian	2	422	422	844
9	10	Garrett Weeden	Zeeland East	2	436	397	833
10	12	Tag Bonnema	Zeeland East	2	416	413	829

D3 Boys Throwers of the Year

Andrew Quinn, Mason County Central

2022 Bests

Discus: 175’3
Shot Put: 61’1

2022 Accolades

D3 Shot Put Champion

Now

Throwing for SVSU, he finished 8^th in the Weight Throw at the GLIAC Championship.

Kellen Kimes, Hart

2022 Bests

Discus: 165’10
Shot Put: 58’8

2022 Accolades

D3 Discus Champion
2^nd Place – D3 Shot Put

Now

MITS Champion – Discus & Weight Throw
State Record Holder – Indoor Weight Throw
Inflicted terror on many at the LAB, his weight throws barreling through many team camps.

Division Rank	Grade	Name	Team	Division	Discus	Shot Put	Athlete Score
1	12	Andrew Quinn	Mason County Central	3	487	510	997
2	11	Kellen Kimes	Hart	3	475	491	966
3	12	Brenden Quackenbush	Chesaning	3	425	466	891
4	10	Gavin Nurenberg	Pewamo-Westphalia	3	431	458	889
5	12	Kyle Kloska	Grand Rapids West Catholic	3	416	422	838
6	12	Levi Harber	Montrose	3	416	411	827
7	12	Cobie Bonds	Coloma	3	437	387	824
8	10	Logan Cole	Union City	3	423	399	822
9	12	Sparty Skillern	Grayling	3	396	415	811
10	11	Xavier Soss	Adrian Madison	3	391	417	807

Division Rank	Grade	Name	Team	Division	Discus	Shot Put	Athlete Score
1	12	Zane Forist	Carson City-Crystal	4	550	560	1110
2	12	Todd Nanasy	Morrice	4	465	440	905
3	12	Chris Whitehead	Beal City	4	428	415	843
4	12	Joel Bradley	White Cloud	4	418	415	833
5	12	Trey Nieman	Morenci	4	420	411	831
6	12	Matthew Oswald	Beal City	4	411	399	809
7	11	Connor Palmer	Deckerville	4	394	403	797
8	11	Jace Silverthorn	White Cloud	4	378	403	781
9	11	Nick Wayne	Britton Deerfield	4	402	374	776
10	12	Taiden Robinson	Carson City-Crystal	4	389	385	775

UP Boys Thrower of the Year

Noah Johnson, Kingsford

2022 Bests

Discus: 137’9
Shot Put: 42’2

2022 Accolades

3^rd Place – UP Division 1 Discus
4^th Place – UP Division 1 Shot Put
Region 42 Discus Champion

Now

State Qualifier this past weekend at the Wrestling State Finals. Finished 3^rd at 215 lbs. in Region 9.

Lucas Tappy, Kingsford

2022 Bests

Shot Put: 47’2

2022 Accolades

UP Division 1 Shot Put Champion
Undefeated season in Shot Put competition

Now

Playing offensive line for St. Norbert College in Wisconsin.

Division Rank	Grade	Name	Team	Division	Discus	Shot Put	Athlete Score
1	10	Noah Johnson	Kingsford	UP	391	360	751
2	12	Mathias Miller	Engadine	UP	360	382	742
3	12	Chance Bridgers	Painesdale-Jeffers	UP	331	390	721
4	12	Brett Boudreau	Gladstone	UP	353	365	718
5	12	Eli Ostermayer	L’Anse	UP	353	360	713
6	12	Jaden Borseth	Ewen Trout Creek	UP	369	333	702
7	12	Isiah Wood	Negaunee	UP	314	374	687
8	11	Brayden Dunstan	Negaunee	UP	345	340	684
9	12	Drew French	Engadine	UP	317	361	677
10	12	Ethan Suggitt	Rudyard	UP	326	350	676

GIRLS THROWER OF THE YEAR

Abigail Russell, Allen Park

2022 Bests

Discus: 144’4
Shot Put: 44’6

2022 Accolades

D1 Shot Put & Discus Champion
Downriver League, Region 5 Shot Put & Discus Champion
5^th Place – New Balance Nationals Shot Put

Now

MITS State Champion – Shot Put
2^nd Place – MITS Weight Throw

Overall Rank	Grade	Name	Team	Division	Discus	Shot Put	Athlete Score
1	10	Abigail Russell	Allen Park	1	500	505	1005
2	12	RyAnn Rohrer	Ludington	2	476	504	980
3	11	Maelie Hope	Whitehall	2	499	463	962
4	12	Tess VanDyk	Kalamazoo Christian	4	473	485	958
5	11	Sophia Snellenberger	Quincy	3	499	458	957
6	10	Rylan Finstrom	Grayling	3	503	434	937
7	11	Ava Wojciechowski	Walled Lake Central	1	480	452	933
8	12	Eriana Hubbard	Oxford	1	467	455	922
9	10	Janae Hudson	Marysville	2	476	443	919
10	12	Jamie Giese	Dexter	1	412	494	905
11	12	Paige Westra	Zeeland East	2	445	456	902
12	11	Raigen Horsfall	Quincy	3	447	452	899
13	11	Payton Otto	Olivet	2	472	419	891
14	11	Haley Guerrant	Otsego	2	455	434	889
15	12	Corinna Hernandez	Mason County Eastern	4	437	448	885
16	12	Madison Drouin	Otsego	2	437	445	882
17	12	Lane Hagens	Grand Blanc	1	467	415	882
18	11	Elyse Finch	Royal Oak	1	447	433	879
19	11	Savannah Breitwiser	Walled Lake Central	1	458	420	878
20	12	Emma Vantol	Essexville Garber	2	451	425	876
21	10	Kayla Harris	East Kentwood	1	437	434	871
22	12	Kaydence Richardson	Eaton Rapids	2	430	440	870
23	12	Karly Klaer	St. Joseph	1	425	437	861
24	11	Emily Carbajal	Sand Creek	3	442	416	858
25	12	Akiyah Ash	Melvindale	2	430	428	858

D1 Rank	Grade	Name	Team	Division	Discus	Shot Put	Athlete Score
1	10	Abigail Russell	Allen Park	1	500	505	1005
2	11	Ava Wojciechowski	Walled Lake Central	1	480	452	933
3	12	Eriana Hubbard	Oxford	1	467	455	922
4	12	Jamie Giese	Dexter	1	412	494	905
5	12	Lane Hagens	Grand Blanc	1	467	415	882
6	11	Elyse Finch	Royal Oak	1	447	433	879
7	11	Savannah Breitwiser	Walled Lake Central	1	458	420	878
8	10	Kayla Harris	East Kentwood	1	437	434	871
9	12	Karly Klaer	St. Joseph	1	425	437	861
10	12	Kamryn Bice	Monroe	1	430	426	856

D2 Girls Thrower of the Year

RyAnn Rohrer, Ludington

2022 Bests

Discus: 135’7
Shot Put: 44’6

2022 Accolades

D2 Shot Put & Discus Champion
Region 11, Lakes 8 Shot Put & Discus Champion

Now

Freshman at Calvin.

D2 Rank	Grade	Name	Team	Division	Discus	Shot Put	Athlete Score
1	12	RyAnn Rohrer	Ludington	2	476	504	980
2	11	Maelie Hope	Whitehall	2	499	463	962
3	10	Janae Hudson	Marysville	2	476	443	919
4	12	Paige Westra	Zeeland East	2	445	456	902
5	11	Payton Otto	Olivet	2	472	419	891
6	11	Haley Guerrant	Otsego	2	455	434	889
7	12	Madison Drouin	Otsego	2	437	445	882
8	12	Emma Vantol	Essexville Garber	2	451	425	876
9	12	Kaydence Richardson	Eaton Rapids	2	430	440	870
10	12	Akiyah Ash	Melvindale	2	430	428	858

D3 Girls Thrower of the Year

Sophia Snellenberger, Quincy

2022 Bests

Discus: 144’0
Shot Put: 40’3

2022 Accolades

2^nd Place – D3 Discus
3^rd Place – D3 Shot Put
Big 8 Conference Shot Put & Discus Champion

Now

MITS State Champion – Discus
2^nd Place – MITS Shot Put

Rylan Finstrom, Grayling

2022 Bests

Discus: 145’2
Shot Put: 38’1

2022 Accolades

D3 Discus Champion
4th Place – D3 Shot Put

Now

Just finished her basketball season at Grayling.

Grace Elliott, Sand Creek

2022 Bests

Discus: 103’11
Shot Put: 40’4

2022 Accolades

D3 Shot Put Champion
Lenawee County, TCC, Region 26 Shot Put Champion
17th Place – D3 Discus

D3 Rank	Grade	Name	Team	Division	Discus	Shot Put	Athlete Score
1	11	Sophia Snellenberger	Quincy	3	499	458	957
2	10	Rylan Finstrom	Grayling	3	503	434	937
3	11	Raigen Horsfall	Quincy	3	447	452	899
4	11	Emily Carbajal	Sand Creek	3	442	416	858
5	12	Liathano Ramirez	Benzie Central	3	428	422	850
6	12	Grace Elliott	Sand Creek	3	387	459	846
7	11	Adelyn Moore	Caro	3	399	413	812
8	12	Claire Meacham	Montague	3	402	407	808
9	9	Brenna McDonald	Schoolcraft	3	386	419	805
10	12	Grace Spitzley	Pewamo-Westphalia	3	410	395	805

D4 Girls Thrower of the Year

Tess VanDyk, Kalamazoo Christian

2022 Bests

Discus: 134’6
Shot Put: 42’9

2022 Accolades

D4 Shot Put Champion
2^nd Place – D4 Discus
SAC Shot Put & Discus Champion

Now

Throws for Western Michigan. Placed 9^th in the Shot Put and 20^th in the Weight Throw at the MAC Championships.

Elli Stender, Gobles

2022 Bests

Discus: 122’9
Shot Put: 36’0

2022 Accolades

D4 Discus Champion
2nd Place – Region 34 Discus
3rd Place – SAC Discus

Now

Throws for Western Michigan, primarily focusing on the Shot Put this indoor season.

D4 Rank	Grade	Name	Team	Division	Discus	Shot Put	Athlete Score
1	12	Tess VanDyk	Kalamazoo Christian	4	473	485	958
2	12	Corinna Hernandez	Mason County Eastern	4	437	448	885
3	12	Elli Stender	Gobles	4	440	412	852
4	11	Harley Bear	Marion	4	428	413	841
5	11	Natalie Wandrie	Indian River Inland Lakes	4	400	441	841
6	11	Gaby Reeve	White Cloud	4	445	367	812
7	12	Kyla Wiersema	Muskegon Western Mich. Christian	4	402	404	806
8	11	Kelsey Hansen	Lincoln-Alcona	4	387	404	791
9	10	Lily Parker	Marlette	4	389	396	785
10	11	Keyara Szymanski	Mendon	4	390	394	784

Upper Peninsula Girls Thrower of the Year

Alyssa Hill, Negaunee

2022 Bests

Discus: 123’4
Shot Put: 34’2.5

2022 Accolades

UP Division 1 Discus Champion
2^nd Place – Division 1 Shot Put

Now

Started 25 of 26 games as a freshman for the Bemidji State basketball team.

Eliana Juchemich, Negaunee

2022 Bests

Discus: 106’7
Shot Put: 36’3

2022 Accolades

UP Division 1 Shot Put Champion
2^nd Place – UP Division 1 Discus

Now

Plays on the district-winning Negaunee basketball squad.

UP Rank	Grade	Name	Team	Division	Discus	Shot Put	Athlete Score
1	12	Alyssa Hill	Negaunee	UP	442	392	833
2	11	Eliana Juchemich	Negaunee	UP	395	414	809
3	12	Kennedy Olson	Menominee	UP	368	423	791
4	11	Grace Hill	Brimley	UP	379	404	783
5	12	Joanne Arbic	Sault Ste. Marie	UP	411	369	780
6	10	Danielle Lund	Manistique	UP	395	382	777
7	12	Leah McCracken	Republic-Michigamme	UP	366	392	758
8	12	Allison Korpi	Escanaba	UP	415	339	754
9	11	Kadence Potoczak	Pickford	UP	394	356	750
10	12	Victoria Paquin	Gwinn	UP	396	344	740

Who Else to Watch For

Gavin Nurenberg, Pewamo-Westphalia: Part of the great Pirate throwing crew at P-W. Individually, nabbed a 3^rd place finish in the Shot at the MITS State Meet

Merrick Hocking, Midland: Already in peak form, at least compared to his 2022 standards, where he placed 7^th in the Disc at D1 State.

Michael Griffey, Plainwell: Plainwell senior has reached new lengths in the Shot this winter. Many throws over 50’, including a 52’ toss that placed 7^th at Indoor State. Has shown skill in the Weight Throw and Discus as well, placing in both events.

Gerald Capaccio, St. Joseph: Juuuust missed out on an All-State spot in the SP last season. Has begun the process of rectifying that, his 54’0 toss at the LAB nabbed a 5^th place finish in that event.

Lukas Ray, Wyandotte Roosevelt: Threw over 50’ multiple times during indoor, a good 5’ further than his junior outdoor best. Placed All-State at both the Shot and Disc at the MITS State Championship

Ty Anthony, Coopersville: Didn’t even make it out of last spring’s Regional meet. Blasted a 54’ toss last weekend, over 10’ past his best mark as a junior.

Maelie Hope, Whitehall: Has shown the potential to be a champion in the Discus, with multiple 140’+ throws in the late season. It just didn’t happen at the State Finals, though she was able to grab a 3^rd in the Shot Put.

Ava Wojciechowski, Walled Lake Central: During this indoor season, she’s already matched the elite level she found while competing in 2022, where Ava placed on the medal stand in both events at D1 State.

Janae Hudson, Marysville: Improved by over 30 (101’ to 135’) feet in the discus between her freshman and sophomore years.

Raigen Horsfall, Quincy: Raigen + Snellenberger make for some automatic points whenever Quincy steps to a meet. The two combined for 28 points at the D3 State Finals, Raigen attaining 2^nd in the SP and 3^rd in the Discus.

Payton Otto, Olivet: Payton underwent a meteoric rise in the Discus over the course of her junior year. Early on, hanging around 100’, then reached 130’+ in mid-May, a performance she found at the D2 Final, where she placed 2^nd.

Elyse Finch, Royal Oak: Faced adversity early at last June’s State Final, her discus tosses not going the way she planned. Came out on top after all, hitting nearly a 2’ PR en route to a 7^th place finish. She added another 2’ this indoor season too.

Best Youngsters

Teegan Simmons, Monroe: His 155’2 at Dundee’s Freshman Invite was good enough for the 20^th best Disc in the State. Look out, he’s already thrown further in 2023.

Mason Brodie, Clinton: Qualified for State in the Shot and Disc, didn’t place in either, but gained valuable experience. Quite consistent in his SP, throwing over 40’ in all but one of his competitions.

Garrod Alexander, Walled Lake Central: Another one in a line of great Vikings in the ring. Captured both the Shot and Disc titles at the Freshman Oakland County meet.

Carter Helsel, Manton: Ranked amongst the top-6 freshman in both events.  

Ellianna Foley, Coldwater: Steady string of 100’ discs and 36’ shots led to I-8 titles in both events.

Brenna McDonald, Schoolcraft: 13^th in the D3 Shot Put as a freshman. Past May 1^st, Brenna was a lock to throw at or over 32’.

Isabel Rozeveld, McBain: Had only ripped at 100’+ discus once before passing that mark at consecutive championship meets. 103’0 at Highland Conference and 112’7 at Cadillac News both resulted in 2^nd place finishes.

Cora Williams, Ann Arbor Huron: Stronger in the Shot as of now. And when I say stronger, I mean she is legit. 2^nd place finish there as a freshman, her 41’ tosses to close the year were better than any other 9^th grader by 5 feet.