Kansas State University Athletics

Thompson 23 SE

Thompson Succeeding at Her ‘Dream School’

Dec 08, 2023 | Track & Field, Sports Extra

By: D. Scott Fritchen

Throwing the shot put has taken Grace Thompson many places, including the podium in the 2023 Big 12 Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Championships. But Thompson embarks upon her junior season at Kansas State eager for one thing.
 
She'd like to score more points for the Wildcats.
 
"With the addition of teams in the Big 12 Conference, I'm not sure what it'll take to score, but getting up on the podium is obviously a big goal," she says. "I want to do whatever it takes to score points for our team."
 
This past Saturday, she emphatically showed her competitive fire.
 
Thompson won the women's shot put with her farthest indoor throw at 15.76 meters (51 feet, 8.5 inches) during the Bob Timmons Challenge at Anschutz Pavilion in Lawrence, Kansas.
 
This comes after Thompson finished in fifth place with a throw of 16.21 meters at the 2023 Big 12 Outdoor Championships, which topped her previous high of distance of 15.56 meters when she finished second in the shot put at the Bobcat Invitational in March.
 
Her improvement has been impressive over the course of her career. As a freshman, her farthest throw was 14.40 meters at the Steve Miller Invitational. She threw the shot put 13.73 meters in her first meet at the K-State Winter Invitational on December 11, 2021.
 
Medaling in the Big 12 Indoor Championships gave Thompson a big sense of accomplishment.
 
"I was on the bubble for the nine, 10 or 11 spot, and I knew I was going to have to throw a personal best to make the finals," she says. "I made it on my third and final throw. I was fired up. I didn't throw in the finals like I had hoped, but I was able to score a point for the team and that was exciting."
 
Thompson 23 SE

Thompson goes through a mental checklist while describing the technical method behind her strides inside the ring. The main ingredients? Strength and power.
 
"It's about having tension, which is making sure you're separating the shot put from your lower half," she says. "On the start of the throw, you make sure your lower body is rotating, and the key thing is to stay relaxed so you can get a good push on the ball, almost like a rubber band.
 
"Then you must make sure you're maintaining and keeping your feet on the ground as long as you can and are really working the ground and pushing through it."
 
She continues.
 
"And patience," she says. "You have to have a lot of patience as well."
 
Thompson came to K-State after a stellar career at Sedgwick High School, where she was named 2019 Catch It Kansas Female Track and Field Athlete of the Year and earned all-state honors in the discus, 4x400, 100 meters and 200 meters. Coming from a graduating class of 30 students, Thompson particularly enjoyed knowing all of her classmates and appreciated the support of her teachers and coaches.
 
An avid basketball player since age 5, Thompson was also a standout softball player. In high school, she was a two-time all-state selection in volleyball.
 
Once she made her way to the track and field, she really stood out.
 
She received her first recruiting letter for track and field during her sophomore year of high school. More correspondence followed throughout her junior year. But Grace, the daughter of Jonathan and Marcie Thompson, believed that there was no comparison to potentially landing in Manhattan. Marcie and several other family members are K-State graduates.
 
Thompson said K-State was her "dream school" growing up.
 
"Where do I start?" Thompson says, chuckling. "I love how personable everyone is at K-State. You're not just a number. It's not about 'what can you do for us,' but rather, 'we're here for you,' which I really appreciate.
 
"This might sound cliché, but K-State really is a family."
 
Thompson 23 SE

Thompson continues to work hard in hopes of helping her family — her coaches and teammates — even more during her junior season.
 
"I'm really excited," she says. "I'm a lot more confident going into this season being an upperclassman now. Obviously, there's always a little bit of nerves because you want to start off well. I'm really excited to see all of my hard work from the offseason pay off."
 
Already in her first meet of this indoor season, her hard work paid dividends.
 
"I've learned to trust myself more," she says. "Coming from a big fish in a small pond to a little fish in a big pond, that was a transition, but I've learned to trust myself that I know how to compete in a high-level environment."

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