Kansas State University Athletics
SE: Brett Neelly’s Path to Breaking K-State Shot Put Record May Indicate Better Marks to Come
Dec 12, 2018 | Track & Field, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
Brett Neelly slipped on his first throw. It was not exactly how he pictured starting his senior season for K-State track and field, but it was not the end of the world, either. He definitely had no idea, or expectation, that he was about to break a 37-year-old school record, however.
No, the shot put veteran simply shook off the underwhelming first mark of 18.38m/60-3.75 — underwhelming only because of his aspirations — and refocused. He told himself: "Second throw, let's just get a solid mark."
He threw his second attempt to 19.32m/63-04.75, a new personal best — a win for anyone in their first meet of the season.
With a new PR in the book, Neelly stepped into the ring for his third and final attempt on Saturday at the K-State Winter Invitational. He said three words came to mind: "All or nothing."
He went through his routine, swinging the shot put from his right hand above his head, placing it into his left, lowering it down to just below his ear and pinning it against his head. From there, he lowered his body, swayed briefly and spun in acceleration before unleashing the object and a yell that echoed through Ahearn Field House.
"I knew it was a good throw when it left my fingers," Neelly said.
When it landed, pure elation poured out of Neelly.
"I lost all control," he said. "I was just going crazy. It was an incredible moment."
The moment, caught on video, made its way to his parents. They both cried when they saw their son's third throw defy gravity for 20.15m/65-01.5, the longest throw in the country and second best in the world this season.
With it, he became the first Wildcat ever to throw a shot put more than 20 meters. He jumped from fourth to first in K-State's top-10 list, leaping above the previous school-record holder and All-American Ray Bradley, who held the top spot since 1981 with his throw of 19.82m/65-00.5. He also earned USTFCCCA NCAA Division I Men's National Athlete of the Week honors, the first male Wildcat to ever earn the honor during the indoor season.
"It was just a very crazy moment for me. Something I never really thought of was breaking the school record and having my name on the record wall at a university," Neelly said, adding: "We broke it and now we have to move forward."
To fully understand how Neelly got to this point, however, and why it might just be the first of many throws longer than 20 meters, one must go backward, specifically to July.
After taking a few weeks off once last year's outdoor season ended, Neelly met with then-K-State throws coach Greg Watson. He had plenty of motivation built up to prepare for his final indoor and outdoor seasons, starting with the fact that he fell 11 centimeters short of making the NCAA Indoor Championships last season.
"I was, like, 'This is it. I'm ready. You just tell me what to do, and I'll do it,'" Neelly, a three-time outdoor All-American, said. "My upper body was lacking, so he said, 'We're going to put you on this regimen. You have to follow it to a tee and you'll start to see things improve.'"
Neelly followed the regimen, took the tweaks Nathan Ott implemented when he was hired as Watson's replacement and continuously improved. He enhanced his upper body strength greatly, evidenced by his numbers in a handful of lifts. One in particular came to his mind after his record-breaking throw.
In July, he did a lifting test called "bounce bench." With a two-inch foam pad on his chest, he bounced heavy weights off of it in a bench press-like rep. He failed to get up 375 pounds this summer. Two weeks ago, he got the same weight up four times.
Again, it's a start to what he hopes is a continuous rise.
"We just have to keep going, keep improving," Neelly said, "keep pushing."
While K-State does not have another meet until January 12, Neelly has no doubt he will be able to keep pushing during the long break, much of which he will spend with family in Tennessee.
The biggest reason behind his confidence? His younger brother, Adam, throws for Memphis.
"I have him there to push me," Neelly said.
During Thanksgiving break, they did exactly that. They held a "mini competition" between the two of them, where both got "loud and crazy" and the elder Neelly picked up a new mantra to bring to the ring.
"That third throw, as anybody can tell by watching the video, I had a lot of energy come out after that throw," Neelly said. "That's one of the things I wanted to work on this year, is when you step into that ring, you're basically in a different world and you're a different person."
Neelly, at 6-foot-6, said he and Adam are very similar in build as well as their work ethic. It's one reason why going home for holiday breaks can actually be advantage for him, while it can hinder others.
Their father has already started mapping out possible gym locations for their Christmas with his family in Kentucky. When at home in Gallatin, Tennessee, the two brothers will work out at the local YMCA and even throw at an indoor area at their high school.
Ultimately, they will do exactly what they always have done.
"He pushes me, and I push him," Neelly said, "and we both get better."
This, he added, is even more important given his stellar start to the season. Now that he's put himself in a good position to make the NCAA Indoor Championships in Birmingham, Alabama — his mark now would have ranked sixth going into last year's national indoor meet — he wants to be ready to perform on the biggest stage.
"Over Christmas break, that's when a lot of people get lazy. They don't train. For me, training has to be harder. Training has to be a lot more focused, a lot more intense," he said. "You have to try to push yourself a lot harder now that you have a break because that's when you can get better, rather than taking steps back."
Brett Neelly slipped on his first throw. It was not exactly how he pictured starting his senior season for K-State track and field, but it was not the end of the world, either. He definitely had no idea, or expectation, that he was about to break a 37-year-old school record, however.
No, the shot put veteran simply shook off the underwhelming first mark of 18.38m/60-3.75 — underwhelming only because of his aspirations — and refocused. He told himself: "Second throw, let's just get a solid mark."
He threw his second attempt to 19.32m/63-04.75, a new personal best — a win for anyone in their first meet of the season.
With a new PR in the book, Neelly stepped into the ring for his third and final attempt on Saturday at the K-State Winter Invitational. He said three words came to mind: "All or nothing."
He went through his routine, swinging the shot put from his right hand above his head, placing it into his left, lowering it down to just below his ear and pinning it against his head. From there, he lowered his body, swayed briefly and spun in acceleration before unleashing the object and a yell that echoed through Ahearn Field House.
"I knew it was a good throw when it left my fingers," Neelly said.
When it landed, pure elation poured out of Neelly.
"I lost all control," he said. "I was just going crazy. It was an incredible moment."
School Record! #KStateTF
— K-State Track (@KStateTFXC) December 8, 2018
Senior Brett Neelly breaks the 37-year old shot put record set by Ray Bradley in 1981 by throwing 20.15m/66-01.50!
P.s. Sound on ?? pic.twitter.com/DFPfUPKfiI
The moment, caught on video, made its way to his parents. They both cried when they saw their son's third throw defy gravity for 20.15m/65-01.5, the longest throw in the country and second best in the world this season.
With it, he became the first Wildcat ever to throw a shot put more than 20 meters. He jumped from fourth to first in K-State's top-10 list, leaping above the previous school-record holder and All-American Ray Bradley, who held the top spot since 1981 with his throw of 19.82m/65-00.5. He also earned USTFCCCA NCAA Division I Men's National Athlete of the Week honors, the first male Wildcat to ever earn the honor during the indoor season.
"It was just a very crazy moment for me. Something I never really thought of was breaking the school record and having my name on the record wall at a university," Neelly said, adding: "We broke it and now we have to move forward."
It may be early in the season, but Brett Neelly's throw of 20.15m/66-01.5 on Saturday set the bar high
— K-State Track (@KStateTFXC) December 11, 2018
No. ?? in the NCAA this season
No. ?? in the world indoors this season ??
The first Wildcat to EVER break 2?0? meters in the event#KStateTF ?? pic.twitter.com/wzU040oY2m
To fully understand how Neelly got to this point, however, and why it might just be the first of many throws longer than 20 meters, one must go backward, specifically to July.
After taking a few weeks off once last year's outdoor season ended, Neelly met with then-K-State throws coach Greg Watson. He had plenty of motivation built up to prepare for his final indoor and outdoor seasons, starting with the fact that he fell 11 centimeters short of making the NCAA Indoor Championships last season.
"I was, like, 'This is it. I'm ready. You just tell me what to do, and I'll do it,'" Neelly, a three-time outdoor All-American, said. "My upper body was lacking, so he said, 'We're going to put you on this regimen. You have to follow it to a tee and you'll start to see things improve.'"
Neelly followed the regimen, took the tweaks Nathan Ott implemented when he was hired as Watson's replacement and continuously improved. He enhanced his upper body strength greatly, evidenced by his numbers in a handful of lifts. One in particular came to his mind after his record-breaking throw.
In July, he did a lifting test called "bounce bench." With a two-inch foam pad on his chest, he bounced heavy weights off of it in a bench press-like rep. He failed to get up 375 pounds this summer. Two weeks ago, he got the same weight up four times.
Again, it's a start to what he hopes is a continuous rise.
"We just have to keep going, keep improving," Neelly said, "keep pushing."
While K-State does not have another meet until January 12, Neelly has no doubt he will be able to keep pushing during the long break, much of which he will spend with family in Tennessee.
The biggest reason behind his confidence? His younger brother, Adam, throws for Memphis.
"I have him there to push me," Neelly said.
During Thanksgiving break, they did exactly that. They held a "mini competition" between the two of them, where both got "loud and crazy" and the elder Neelly picked up a new mantra to bring to the ring.
"That third throw, as anybody can tell by watching the video, I had a lot of energy come out after that throw," Neelly said. "That's one of the things I wanted to work on this year, is when you step into that ring, you're basically in a different world and you're a different person."
Neelly, at 6-foot-6, said he and Adam are very similar in build as well as their work ethic. It's one reason why going home for holiday breaks can actually be advantage for him, while it can hinder others.
Their father has already started mapping out possible gym locations for their Christmas with his family in Kentucky. When at home in Gallatin, Tennessee, the two brothers will work out at the local YMCA and even throw at an indoor area at their high school.
Ultimately, they will do exactly what they always have done.
"He pushes me, and I push him," Neelly said, "and we both get better."
This, he added, is even more important given his stellar start to the season. Now that he's put himself in a good position to make the NCAA Indoor Championships in Birmingham, Alabama — his mark now would have ranked sixth going into last year's national indoor meet — he wants to be ready to perform on the biggest stage.
"Over Christmas break, that's when a lot of people get lazy. They don't train. For me, training has to be harder. Training has to be a lot more focused, a lot more intense," he said. "You have to try to push yourself a lot harder now that you have a break because that's when you can get better, rather than taking steps back."
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