Soaking in the Final Moments

By: D. Scott Fritchen

Kansas State senior Jaycee Schroeder isn't sure how it will end. But she knows it will end on Friday. That's when one of the most talented shot putters in school history will perform at the Ward Haylett Invitational one final time. It's a spot that she knows full well.

"It's surreal," Schroeder said. "I've been pondering over the last couple weeks the fact that you put so much time and effort into a sport, and then it's over all at once. I'm just soaking in all my last moments at K-State. I'm really excited to go out and have a good time and shoot for a personal record in this home meet."

Schroeder's personal record of 16.44 meters in the shot put arrived at the 2024 NCAA West Preliminary. A couple weeks ago, she threw her best shot put of the year at 16.39 meters to finish fourth at the Drake Relays — a day that she vividly recalls due to its uncomfortable conditions.

"I was really happy with my performance," she said. "It was a really cold meet, and we were all bundled up in sweatshirts and blankets, but I was really happy I was able to string together my performance at such a high-level meet, especially going up against All-Americans and Olympians."

But there's something special about the Ward Haylett Invitational.

In 2023, she broke out of her slump at the Ward Haylett Invitational, propelling her into a prosperous junior campaign in which she delivered her personal best at the time of 15.37 meters at the Ward Haylett Invitational. Last season, she won the Ward Haylett Invitational with a throw of 16.34 meters.

No telling what Schroeder could add to her legacy in the home meet on Friday.

"My goal is to place as high as I can, and my lofty goal at the moment is definitely to break 17 meters," she said. "I think that's very reasonable. Right now, I'm at mid-16. Any PR is something I'd be happy with, but breaking 17 before NCAA Regionals would be really awesome."

It's been a pretty awesome marriage between Schroeder and the shot put. Schroeder, a native of Dandridge, Tennessee, picked up the shot put for the first time in the sixth grade. Her mother competed in shot put, discus, javelin and basketball in college, and she tutored Jaycee on her shot put technique.

It wasn't long before Schroeder seemingly mastered the craft. She won the 2019 Tennessee State Indoor shot put title for Jefferson County High School and ranked 35^th in the nation. She captured significant attention.

"All my recruitment letters went directly to my high school, so I started to get a little bit of a reputation with the amount of mail I received," she said. "Teachers joked that I got more mail than the principal."

Although Schroeder believed that she would zero in on competing for a SEC or ACC school, her high school coach did some homework and reached out to K-State, which visited Schoeder at her home.

"At first, I couldn't see myself going to K-State — a 13-hour drive from my hometown in east Tennessee — but you could just tell that K-State was about bettering its athletes as individuals and athletes," Schroeder said. "That drew me in. That's something I wanted to be a part of."

Schroeder has experienced ups and downs as any athlete might, but she has also experienced change as well, as Hall-of-Fame head coach Cliff Rovelto retired after 36 years at K-State last May, and Travis Geopfert, a four-time National Assistant Coach of the Year, took over in July.

"It's been a really smooth transition," Schroeder said. "Coach Travis has done a really good job of taking us to some really good meets. He's done a great job of making a team environment and trying to continue the winning culture that Coach Rovelto built. It's been really cool to see, and I'm excited for the future of the program."

Perhaps the most special meet for Schroeder — and one of the most unique meets for K-State in years — was the Oregon Team Invite on April 19 in Eugene, Oregon. Schroeder won the shot put with a distance of 15.85 meters.

"It was an insane environment," Schroeder said. "I'd never been able to experience track fans on the level of Eugene. After I won, people were telling me good job and they knew my name and I was getting interviews. They have a tradition that if you win an event you get to take a victory lap around Hayward Field.

"The sun was setting as I took my victory lap. I just kind of took it all in knowing this was my last track season."

As the sun sets on Schroeder's K-State career, she thinks of all that she's learned along the way.

"I've learned no matter what life or track throws at me, I can stay grounded and look at the bigger picture," she said. "I don't need to constantly be at the top all the time, but just enjoy the journey, knowing progress isn't always linear.

"You'll have tough times, and amazing times, and you can appreciate all those moments."

Schroeder looks forward to adding to her special moments on Friday.

Kansas State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Jaycee Schroeder

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