Greater Cincinnati has a deep track and field history, but two events that should not get overlooked are the shot put and discus.
Athletes from Western Brown and Walton-Verona still hold state discus records and Bishop Brossart’s Ava Walters holds the Kentucky indoor state shot put record.
While female shot-putters lead this year’s throwing events, a few males also put up impressive performances at this year’s indoor state championships and can shine this spring.
Here are the top throwers in Greater Cincinnati ahead of 2026.
Koa Anoai, Moeller
He opened his junior year with a bang, winning the Division I indoor shot put state title with a throw of 60 feet, 8 inches. Last spring, he participated in the district meet in both throwing events and has personal bests of 49-0 for the shot put and 137-8 for the discus.
Ari Carter, Dixie Heights
The junior will be looking to reclaim her Class 3A discus state title after taking second place in 2025 with a new personal best of 124-10. She won the 2024 state title as a freshman with a throw of 122-0. Carter also has an outdoor shot put personal best of 34-9.
Joey Corcoran, Mason
He is coming off a fourth-place finish in the shot put at the DI indoor state meet, where he registered a new indoor personal best of 53-2. The junior should improve on his 15th-place finish from the 2025 outdoor state meet. He has outdoor personal bests of 52-10.25 in the shot put and 150-1 in the discus.
Ava Dunn, Cooper
She is coming off a Class 3A indoor shot put state title after taking fourth place in the event at the 2025 outdoor state meet. Dunn’s outdoor shot put personal best is 40-7 from her eighth-grade year, and while she hasn’t cleared 40 feet since then, she did open her junior season with a throw of 39-11. She also took eighth in the discus at last year’s state meet.
Quentin Jones, Covington Catholic
He has given the Colonels a presence in the throwing events, scoring points in the discus and shot put at this year’s Class 2A indoor state meet and last year’s outdoor state meet. He has personal bests of 47-2.75 in the shot put and 142-4 in the discus.
Ava Kendall, Walton-Verona
Class 1A, Region 4 has an exceptionally deep field when it comes to girls throwers. Kendall is coming off a fourth-place finish in the discus at last year’s Class 1A state meet, thanks to a personal best of 109-8.
Camille Lewis, Deer Park
The University of Cincinnati commit already has three top-three finishes in the shot put between the indoor and outdoor state championships. Her outdoor personal best is 46-1.5 and if she can replicate or exceed that in the postseason, she could find herself atop the podium at state.
Chloe Meyers, Bellevue
She took fifth place at last year’s outdoor meet in the discus and took seventh place in the shot put. Meyers is the defending Class 1A, Region 4 shot put champion and has a personal best of 35-8.25 in the event. Her top discus throw measured at 116-11.
Natalie Niese, Loveland
The junior recently took eighth place in the shot put at the DII indoor state meet. She appeared in the 2025 outdoor regional competition in that event and has a personal best of 38-11.75 from her freshman year.
Eshaal Pasha, Sycamore
The senior recently took fourth place in the shot put at the DI indoor state meet. Her outdoor personal best in that event is 35-0.75. Pasha broke out with a top discus throw of 138-7 at the regional meet before taking 12th place at state. If she can be more consistent in the discus, she should find herself on the podium.
Anica Rane, Madeira
She is coming off a runner-up finish in the weight throw (similar to the hammer throw) at the DIII indoor state meet. Rane made her first outdoor state meet appearance last year, taking 15th place in the discus. Her outdoor personal bests are 36-6 for the shot put and 129-0 for the discus.
Addison Walker, Ryle
The junior took sixth place in the shot put at the 2025 Class 3A outdoor state meet. She was also the runner-up in that event at that year’s indoor state meet. Her outdoor personal best is 35-2.
Ava Walters, Bishop Brossart
The Eastern Kentucky University commit is a four-time state champion, winning the last two Class 1A outdoor shot put state titles, last year’s outdoor discus state title and this year’s indoor shot put title. She had quite the indoor season, winning the shot put in a collegiate meet on Jan. 23, breaking the overall indoor shot put state meet record with a throw of 42-10.25 on March 3, then taking third place in the event at Adidas Track Nationals on March 20. Her outdoor personal bests are 39-1.5 for the shot put and 125-8 for the discus.
Max Watson, Villa Madonna
The senior has a lot of momentum heading into his final high school season. He took second place in the shot put at this year’s indoor state meet and has already earned new outdoor personal bests in both throwing events, posting marks of 47-7 in the shot put and 133-0 in the discus at Mount St. Joseph University on March 10.
Austin White, Mason
She parlayed a runner-up finish in the shot put at the 2025 DI outdoor state meet into a 2026 indoor state title, throwing an indoor personal best of 42-0.25 to take home the gold. Her outdoor best is 43-4, a distance that could deliver her a title in a few months in Columbus.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Who are top throwers in Greater Cincinnati track and field in 2026?
Reporting by Brendan Connelly, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
