Another state meet, another step up for James Barnett.
The Iowa City West sophomore rose to the occasion, recording his longest shot put throw of the day on his fifth attempt.
He chucked it 59 feet, 3 inches, enough to secure a second-place finish in the Class 4A boys shot put at the Iowa high school track and field state meet on Friday, May 22.
“It felt good,” Barnett said after posing for photos on the podium. “Obviously, that’s not what I wanted; I wanted first place. But it is my personal record, so I’m happy with that.”
Barnett entered the state tournament as the top qualifier in 4A – and with the fifth-best throw in the state this season, 59 feet, 3 inches.
He threw 54 feet, 10.25 inches on his opening attempt. He fouled on his second throw before recording a throw of 57 feet, 5.5 inches on his third attempt, which solidified his spot in the finals.
Barnett’s fifth throw was his best of the day, and it held off a sixth-round throw of 57 feet, 8.25 inches that propelled Ames’ Brandon Johnson from sixth to third place.
And as is the case with throwing events, Barnett just couldn’t get past a competitor who recorded his best throw of the season at the right time.
Hunter Infanger’s second attempt traveled 59 feet, seven inches. The Lewis Central senior hit another mark over 59 feet, but he fouled on his final two attempts. But both of those throws were better than his previous season-best of 57 feet, 9 inches – and they were enough for Infanger to take home the title.
Despite his runner-up finish, Barnett counts his individual improvements as a victory this season.
He came in third place at the state meet last season with a throw of 53 feet, 11 inches. His best attempt on Friday traveled over five feet further, and Barnett has two more years of high school to improve even more on that distance.
“It feels good,” Barnett said. “All my training and practicing coming (together) at the meet, it’s awesome to see. …I think it’s very possible to hit 65-plus next year, and I believe in that because of my training.”
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa City West’s James Barnett takes 2nd in shot put at state track meet
Reporting by Alyssa Hertel, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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