By STEPHEN MAZZONE
When it comes to wrapping up an already storied collegiate career, Ryan Whiting couldn't have asked for better.
In early June at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, the recent Arizona State University graduate and one of the world's best shot-putters, not only won his specialty with a new personal best, but also came home with national title No. 2 by taking the discus as well.
But Whiting's dual-winning performance inside the confines of Oregon's historic Hayward Field shouldn't come as a surprise. Fresh out of Central Dauphin High in Harrisburg, Pa., as the nation's top prep thrower with the metal ball, the now 23-year-old standout enjoyed success the minute he stepped on the soil at Arizona.
The final resume includes six national titles, including three indoor shot crowns, two more during outdoor and his discus title. There was also a date in the U.S. Olympic Trials back in 2008 when one of the youngest athletes in the field placed a respectable sixth.
And those are just the main highlights during a career full of them.
What's next for Whiting? What are the future plans?
A berth (or two) on the U.S. Olympic team and continued success, this time, against the best from around the globe. Straight forward, that's the focus right now.
There's also something else he wouldn't mind.
"I think someday, not necessarily the immediate future, probably five to seven years, that I have a chance at the world record, barring any injuries," Whiting said.
A lofty goal, perhaps? The current records so far on the indoor and outdoor surface are held by former Olympic gold-medalist and U.S. athlete Randy Barnes. Barnes set the indoor standard of 22.66 meters (74 feet, 4 ¼ inches) and the outdoor mark of 23.12 meters (75-10 ¼ ) just over 20 years ago.
Given the career that Whiting has already manufactured, one that includes 13 meets this past year where he tossed the shot more than 21 meters (68-10 ½) and five consecutive NCAA meets where he has cracked the 70-foot barrier, the grand idea of a WR doesn't seem too far-fetched.
Earlier last week, four-time World Champion and two-time Olympic medalist John Godina stated that he believes the 6-foot-3, 250-pound thrower is one of three Americans that have a possibility of etching their name in the record books.
"For him to say that about me is kind of an honor," Whiting said. "He's definitely one of the most decorated and best shot-putters in U.S. history. It certainly has put confidence in my throwing.
The quest for a possible WR and the other items on his laundry list - the second chapter in the life of the shot-put extraordinaire - begins this summer. It kicked off just a week ago at the U.S. Track & Field Championships at Drake University.
Competing for the first time as a professional athlete, Whiting unleashed the shot a distance of 67 feet, 7 ½ inches to place fifth overall. The distance was far below his personal best of 72-1, achieved at the NCAA's a mere three weeks earlier. But, considering the competition and the fact that he just completed his final collegiate season, he was content with the results.
Photo by Vic Sailer, PhotoRun.net
"I was a little bit off, kind of tired from the NCAA season. I didn't do as well as I wanted to, but fifth is a good start. It's my first time competing more against people. In the NCAA, I was competing more against a number," said Whiting, an overwhelming favorite in the shot at the championship meet.
A 70-foot thrower with the 12-pound ball in high school, one of the few to achieve the feat, Whiting picked up where he left off at his new location and with an apparatus that was four pounds heavier.
"As a high school kid, I was the first to throw 70 feet in like three or four years," Whiting said. "I had a lot of confidence going into college. I knew I was coming to a good coach (David Dumble). I can't say I didn't have expectations, but I didn't know what to expect going from a 12-pound to 16-pound shot."
Those expectations were exceeded while donning the Sun Devils uniform. Whiting points out his first national title, an indoor crown in 2008, and his past efforts at the NCAA's are his most memorable.
In claiming his inaugural title, Whiting set an ASU, collegiate indoor and NCAA Championships meet record toss of 71-3 ½. His latest dual-winning performance, where he led Arizona State to a fourth-place finish, ranks right up there, too.
Whiting had his winning heave on his second throw in the shot and posted a moderate upset in the discus with his season-best distance of 193-9 ¼ on a windy and wet day at Hayward. He was second in last year's meet, but was ranked No. 7 this spring. Mason Finley, a freshman from Kansas, was second at 191-5.
"I knew going into that day with the bad conditions and the kind of tail wind that I would have a better chance because I had been there before," said Whiting, who has a best of 201-9 in the discus. "All it takes is one throw and that's what I got. I just think I had an edge because I had been there before."
Whiting, who was among the field in the Prefontaine Classic this past weekend, plans to compete in five or six other meets this summer with a trip to Europe near the end of July or early August. At Pre, he finished 4th in the elite field with a put of 68-8. More meets on the European circuit will follow in the years ahead and the dates of 2012 in London and 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, the next two Summer Games, are also on the calendar.
Consistency, throws in the 21-meter range, is what he's looking for right now.
"That's kind of the baseline for being an elite shot-putter," he said. "Going up against the big boys, it's always different."
