Building Confidence with Each Throw

By: D. Scott Fritchen

The Kansas State record holder in the weight throw gobbled up McGriddles, played Fortnight, drove to the Cliff Rovelto Indoor Track last Friday in Manhattan and shortly after 1:45 p.m. threw the weight the farthest he has in his entire life.

Meet Gary Moore Jr., who on his second throw at the Steve Miller Invitational threw for 22.36m (73' 4 ½"), a new school record by almost two feet, breaking the previous school record set by Kade McCall last season at 21.94m (71' 11 ¾").

Since his arrival in the Little Apple this past August, Moore Jr., a transfer from Baylor, has lit it up, setting personal bests at every stop, and there's no slowing as he prepares for the Tyson Invitational on Friday in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

"At Arkansas, we'll have some really good competition that'll push me," Moore Jr. says. "I usually throw even better when I have other really good people to throw against. I have a lot more left. We're not at the top. We're still climbing."

At the KU-KSU-WSU Triangular on January 17, Moore Jr. won the weight throw at 20.90m (68' 7"). At the Red Raider Invitational on January 24, Moore Jr. earned runner-up at 21.30m (69' 10 ¾") his best by another foot. One week later, Moore Jr. reached 20.80m (71' 6 ¼"), his farthest by almost two feet and a new facility record at the DeLoss Dodds Invitational.

It all led to last Friday's fateful weight throw that broke the school record and placed him at No. 15 nationally in Division I.

"Obviously, getting the school record is nice, but my main goal is to get to nationals. So, it's looking at the big picture, being aggressive and staying confident," says Moore Jr., a junior. "Usually on the opening throw, I'm just thinking stay cool, calm, relaxed and get a nice distance in, and go from there. So, for that throw to be that easy, I really wasn't putting anything into it, and my second throw is usually my most efficient in being aggressive and having good technique.

"I knew if I'd get the record, it'd be on the second throw."

Moore Jr. has already vastly improved since moving from Baylor to K-State, where he trains under associate head coach and throwing coach John Newell. Newell arrived in Manhattan on August 2 — just weeks before Moore Jr., transferred to K-State — and the coach/athlete relationship has flourished. Newell brought 19 years of experience to K-State, spending the last two seasons at Arkansas (2022-23) and Vanderbilt (2023-24), and he has coached one national champion, 41 First Team All-Americans and 22 conference champions.

"He's not the strongest thrower and he's not the fastest thrower, but he has a good understanding, and he's been able to make consistent progress through training," Newell says. "He opened up with a PR in our first home meet, and he's been able to put distance on it every competition.

"He's going to need to throw father to secure a spot at nationals for sure. It's a fairly deep field. That's what I like. You don't want it to be easy. You want to get to throw against the best guys and some of them are the top throwers in the history of the NCAA, so why not go see where you fit amongst them."

Moore Jr., does allow himself pause to grasp the enormity of being ranked among the best weight throwers in Division I. But it does feel good.

"Seeing the ranking, I was extraordinarily happy," he says. "The last two years I've been a spectator instead of actually competing in those big competitions and being a part of the conversation as one of the best in the country, which is what everybody wants.

"Seeing myself on those lists and in those conversations of people who could make nationals, it feels good to see the hard work paying off finally."

Growing up a football player in New Haven, Connecticut, it really wasn't until his junior year that Moore Jr. became interested in the weight throw. Moore Jr.'s parents, Gary and Michele, both coach track at Hill House High School, "so I've been doing track my whole life," Moore Jr. says.

"I was using track to get to college," Moore Jr. says. "That was always the main goal. I grew up around high school kids when I was young. Track has been second nature to me."

Moore Jr.'s emergence on the high school weight throw scene was sudden and terrifying.

"As a junior, my first meet I threw 61 meters and a couple weeks later I threw 71 meters and I was top-5 in the country," he says. "Once that happened, I realized I could be good at it. I'm proud of my state records because I had almost all of them, and I was a national All-American my senior year."

As a sophomore at Baylor, Moore Jr. set the school record at 20.97 meters in the weight throw.

But Moore Jr. sought something more.

"There's a fine line between doing your part and I felt I was doing too much and reaching that point where I needed more help if I wanted to reach where I wanted to get to," he says. "The coaching was a big part."

He's assuredly getting that extra push that he so desires from Newell.

"Coach Newell has helped me a lot," Moore Jr. says. "He has gotten me to the next level, where I wanted to be, and that's the main thing I wanted coming here, and he's given me that. It's been very positive so far."

And there's more to come.

"I think I can throw 23 meters," Moore Jr. says. "I never thought I'd get there this fast. I think I can do it. I don't know if that's the farthest, but if I execute everything I need to, I'll at least close the distance down to get there.

"I feel good. Every time I throw a PR, in the back of my mind, I think, 'Is that the farthest I can go?' Every week I'm more and more confident in myself."

As Moore Jr. builds confidence, records might only continue to fall.

The biting question becomes this: Just how good could Moore Jr. become by the time he leaves K-State?

"He can throw it substantially farther," Newell says. "There are training indicators that say one thing, but ultimately it comes down to his internal belief because he's the one who has to do it in the ring. He can throw it farther, but that's all in the future."

And what an exciting future it could be.

Kansas State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Kade McCall

Gary Moore Jr.

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