It's been a little over five months since we saw Jordan Geist cap off his high school career with a win at the Pan-American Junior Championships in Peru. Geist tossed the 6kg shot put 72 feet, 3 inches for a new national junior record.
Since then, Geist has been in Tucson at the University of Arizona. He started off his collegiate career with a throw of 20.63 meters with the 16-pound shot put, an outdoor personal best at an all-comers meet.
PennTrackXC's Phil Grove caught up with Geist back home on winter break at the old ceramics plant in Saxonburg where we shot a Workout Wednesday. Grove took in a workout with Geist and looked back and looked ahead on Geist's career.
Geist says he's adjusting to life in Arizona well and connecting with his new coach, T.J. Crater. It was a little over a year ago that Geist launched a huge throw of 68-4 with the 16-pound shot put at Hempfield. That was a world junior record. Now throwing the heavier implement full-time, Geist is optimistic about the future.
"If we could keep that technique we had last December with more strength and still doing basic things better, then a 70-foot throw may be looming soon," Geist said.
Watch Grove's full interview with Geist, along with video by Nathanael Nulph.