A new name has joined the top all-time list for javelin this season, as junior Ben Alexander makes his climb up the list. At South Relays on April 4, Alexander threw 176.4 feet in the javelin, propelling him to number four all-time in SM South history. Following his performance at South Relays, Alexander improved that PR and ranking the following week at Blue Valley Relays on April 10, throwing an additional three feet to reach number three all-time at 179 feet 5 inches.
“It’s a great feeling, getting on that leaderboard, cementing your name in the school,” Alexander said. “It was a good PR. It’s only up from there. I think we’ll get up to two, at least by next season.”
Alongside his ambitions of moving up on the leaderboard, there is also the desire to go to the state meet. Alexander is currently ranked fifth in the state, showing that the state meet is within his grasp.
“Medal at state, that’s the main goal,” Alexander said. “There are guys throwing 200, there were two at South Relays who threw 200, so there’s a lot of competition, but if I can medal at state, that’s the goal.”
Alexander admitted that, before his throw at South Relays, he hadn’t expected to do that well. His expectation for himself going into the meet was a throw somewhere in the low 170s, but he broke through those expectations even as he thought his throw was poor.
“I hit the ground with the back end of my javelin, and then I just launched it,” Alexander said. “They read [the distance] off, and I was like ‘oh, that was out there’. When I looked at it, I was like ‘third is 176 [feet] something’, and then I heard six and I was like ‘that’s on the leaderboard.’”
Alexander’s throw at South Relays was a moment of pride for him and the team, with him taking number four all-time at a home meet. As the season progresses, Alexander looks forward to his other goals of moving into the number two spot and making it to state.
“It felt good because I was comfortable with the area,” Alexander said. “I had a lot of people who were there to see it. It’s a home meet, so it felt good to do it in front of all the people I know, and I also made the realization that if I get six more feet, I would go to Nike Nationals. That’s exciting.”
