Having Fun While Chasing 70

By: D. Scott Fritchen

Kade McCall isn't sure how it'll end. All he knows is it'll end. The Kansas State junior is one of the top hammer throwers in NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field. He just broke a K-State record — his own. And he sets his sights on the Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships with one goal in mind: To throw just a little bit farther.

"Seventy meters is a big number for us to hit," he says. "I've been wanting to hit that this entire year."

The last time 6-foot, 228-pound McCall entered the ring, he left with a new personal-best of 67.98 meters (223 feet) at the Rock Chalk Classic, marking the third time in two years that he topped his career high and school record. His previous best was a school-record 67.71 meters (222 feet, 1 inch) in the 2022 NCAA Championships for Second Team All-America honors. His mark in the 2022 NCAA Championships topped his previous record of 67.56 (221 feet, 8 inch) set at the Texas Relays on March 26, 2022.

He's a living legacy in the world of K-State track and field. And he isn't finished.

"It feels really good," he says. "I'm the first person to do it on the men's side, to break it, but it feels really good to do it. All the throwers, we all push each other. They're like, 'If he can do it, I can do it.'"

Few in the Big 12 Conference have been better this outdoor season.

McCall ranks 22^nd in the NCAA with his mark of 67.98 meters. That ranks third in the Big 12 behind Texas freshman Jeremiah Nubbe (69.65) and Kansas junior Oleg Klykov (68.04). After McCall, no Big 12 competitor is better than 63 meters in the hammer throw.

It is expected to be a top-heavy hammer throw competition in the Big 12 Championships, which runs Friday through Sunday in Norman, Oklahoma.

"He's had a great fall and offseason of training, and that's starting to pay off this spring," K-State throws coach Greg Watson says. "He and I are pretty happy. It's been very, very consistent — high 66s and low 67s — which should bring about a far throw somewhere. It's just a matter of when we're going to get them."

The NCAA West Preliminaries are May 24-27 in Sacramento, California. The NCAA Championships are June 7-10 in Austin, Texas.

"I definitely feel pressure to perform at these bigger meets. There's a shaky feeling in your body, and I've gotten used to it," McCall says. "I perceive the pressure a lot different. In high school, I used to be a lot more hardcore, not talking to people, and not being very loose. In college, I've become looser. I've learned to have fun."

McCall's journey began in the seventh grade in Boise, Idaho. McCall was a tremendous gymnast, wrestler and grew into an inside and outside linebacker at Timberline High School. He began throwing discus and shotput in middle school. His father, Shane, served as his coach. The hammer throw took the McCalls to various states for competition. He owns the junior high school discus record, the high school discus, shotput and hammer throw record, and the Idaho state record in the hammer throw.

Crazy to think five years before McCall's assault on the K-State record book began, he served as barista, short-order cook, party host and arcade prize attendant at an indoor trampoline park in Boise.

"Probably wouldn't have expected this back then," McCall says. "But toward the end of my (high school) career, I was like, 'This is it.'"

Although McCall took an official visit to Washington State, he left his official visit to K-State on November 8, 2020 enamored with the coaches, people and facilities. He signed with K-State the following week.

And now he's setting and resetting hammer throw records.

McCall had a decent warmup at the Rock Chalk Classic. He took two throws in practice. He usually takes no more than that. The third competitor to throw, McCall, full of adrenaline, had a strategy in mind.

"I was just thinking of taking my first throw easy and wasn't expecting much," he says, "and then I set my PR on my first throw. I had a lot of adrenaline going into that first throw."

McCall and Watson will happily take the result.

"Pretty pleased anytime you can break a school record," Watson says. "It's a pretty remarkable accomplishment. I'm pretty happy with that. At the same time, there's a lot more left out there and the big number we think about is 70 meters. He's certainly capable of that.

"It's just a matter of when we're going to do it."

Exactly what has changed to bring McCall to this point in his development?

"Even last year, he was very diligent in doing all the right things, and not just the training, but making sure he was getting into the training room, and taking care of himself and his body," Watson says. "It's just maybe a little bit more detailed than last year. His understanding of the event has grown even more."

That's a scary thought, indeed.

"I'm having a lot of fun right now," McCall says. "I have my bags packed for Austin for nationals. The West Regionals are pretty competitive this year, too, but a couple people threw really well the first week and haven't performed as well since then. It'll be an interesting regional."

It'll be the perfect time for McCall to improve upon his K-State record again.

Kansas State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Kade McCall

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