Sound technique key in West Holmes' Maddax Graham's discus win at OCC meet
TL;DR
Maddax Graham from West Holmes won the discus event at the OCC meet, showcasing sound technique as the key to his success.
Key points
- Maddax Graham won the discus event at the OCC meet
- Sound technique was crucial for his victory
- The meet featured other events like shot put
- Gatlin Herman from Waynedale competed in shot put
Norwayne's Haley Bittinger.
Waynedale's Gatlin Herman in the shot put.
Waynedale's Gatlin Herman in the shot put.
Wooster's Anna Melrose in the discus.
Smithville's Nathan Horst in the shot put.
Wooster's Zion Pryor in the discus.
Wooster's Zion Pryor in the discus.
Norwayne's Hannah Froelich.
Norwayne's Hannah Froelich finished second in the discus.
Norwyane's Hannah Froelich in the discus.
Norwayne's Haley Bittinger finished first in the discus.
Waynedale's Gatlin Herman in the shot put.
Wooster's Brody Boreman in the shot put.
Triway's Landen Harvey in the shot put.
Orrville's Tate Howell.
Orrville's Tate Howell finished third in the shot put.
West Holmes' Maddox Graham won the shot put event on Friday.
Wooster's Wylie Fuqua placed second in the shot put.
Wooster's Wylie Fuqua.
Orrville's Maddie Kraft takes off in the high jump.
Orrville's Maddie Kraft in the high jump.
Norwayne's Noelle Wingate finished third in the high jump.
Norwayne's Noelle Wingate in the high jump.
Orrville's Caden Race in the pole vault.
Wooster's Teagan Hafner ahead of the rest in her 100m hurdles win.
Northwestern's Brooke Nolletti in the 100m hurdles.
Waynedale's Lane Troyer in the 110m hurdles.
Triway's Olley Krupp (middle) in the 100 meter sprint.
Orrville's Maddie Kraft in the pole vault.
The first lap of the girls 1600m meters race.
Smithville's Kaitlyn Carr won the 1600 meters on Friday.
Smithville's Kaitlyn Carr running in the 1600.
Orrville's Owen Lacy placed first in the 1600 meters.
Smithville's Nigel Wenger.
Smithville's Nigel Wenger finished second in the 1600 meters and third in the 3200 meters.
Dalton's Samantha Kerby finished third in the pole vault.
Dalton's Samantha Kerby.
Orrville's Cole Cecil in the 400 meters.
Smithville's Isaiah Lee finished first in the 400 meters and 200 meters.
Norwayne's Kaylee Graham.
Norwayne's Kaylee Graham won the 300m hurdles.
Triway's Liam Krupp in the 300m hurdles.
Orrville's Bronson Rogers won the 300m hurdles.
Northwestern's Keagan Kostohryz finished second in the 300m hurdles.
Smithville's Maryn Erdman running in the 800 meters.
Smithville's Maryn Erdman finished first in the 800 meters.
Norwayne's Romagn Wingate finished second in the 800 meters.
Wooster's Teagan Hafner at the end of her 200 meters race, where she placed third.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Norwayne's Haley Bittinger.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Norwayne's Haley Bittinger.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Waynedale's Gatlin Herman in the shot put.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Waynedale's Gatlin Herman in the shot put.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Wooster's Anna Melrose in the discus.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Smithville's Nathan Horst in the shot put.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Wooster's Zion Pryor in the discus.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Wooster's Zion Pryor in the discus.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Norwayne's Hannah Froelich.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Norwayne's Hannah Froelich finished second in the discus.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Norwyane's Hannah Froelich in the discus.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Norwayne's Haley Bittinger finished first in the discus.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Waynedale's Gatlin Herman in the shot put.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Wooster's Brody Boreman in the shot put.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Triway's Landen Harvey in the shot put.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Orrville's Tate Howell.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Orrville's Tate Howell finished third in the shot put.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
West Holmes' Maddox Graham won the shot put event on Friday.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Wooster's Wylie Fuqua placed second in the shot put.
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Wooster's Wylie Fuqua.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Orrville's Maddie Kraft takes off in the high jump.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Orrville's Maddie Kraft in the high jump.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Norwayne's Noelle Wingate finished third in the high jump.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Norwayne's Noelle Wingate in the high jump.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Orrville's Caden Race in the pole vault.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Wooster's Teagan Hafner ahead of the rest in her 100m hurdles win.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Northwestern's Brooke Nolletti in the 100m hurdles.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Waynedale's Lane Troyer in the 110m hurdles.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Triway's Olley Krupp (middle) in the 100 meter sprint.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Orrville's Maddie Kraft in the pole vault.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
The first lap of the girls 1600m meters race.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Smithville's Kaitlyn Carr won the 1600 meters on Friday.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Smithville's Kaitlyn Carr running in the 1600.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Orrville's Owen Lacy placed first in the 1600 meters.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Smithville's Nigel Wenger.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Smithville's Nigel Wenger finished second in the 1600 meters and third in the 3200 meters.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Dalton's Samantha Kerby finished third in the pole vault.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Dalton's Samantha Kerby.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Orrville's Cole Cecil in the 400 meters.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Smithville's Isaiah Lee finished first in the 400 meters and 200 meters.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Norwayne's Kaylee Graham.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Norwayne's Kaylee Graham won the 300m hurdles.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Triway's Liam Krupp in the 300m hurdles.
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Orrville's Bronson Rogers won the 300m hurdles.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Northwestern's Keagan Kostohryz finished second in the 300m hurdles.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Smithville's Maryn Erdman running in the 800 meters.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Smithville's Maryn Erdman finished first in the 800 meters.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Norwayne's Romagn Wingate finished second in the 800 meters.
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Gallery: Triway Track High School Invitational
Wooster's Teagan Hafner at the end of her 200 meters race, where she placed third.
ASHLAND − At the very beginning of the boys discus event on Friday evening during the Ohio Cardinal Conference track and field meet at Ashland University, West Holmes' Maddax Graham had put himself into a little bit of a bind.
On his first throw, Graham tossed it out of bounds, which put a some pressure on him to get it right the next time.
But what he focused on correcting after that was pretty clear to him: technique.
"I was too open. I was throwing my left into the middle and I needed to be more patient," said Graham afterwards. "I needed to let my lower body work in front of my upper body. That's what I worked on and it showed in my throws."
It did.
On his second throw in the final round (each thrower got three throws in the final), Graham buckled down and heaved a throw of 159' 10". On his third and final throw of the day, the junior got low and threw with all his might, and reached 169' 5". The only problem was that it landed just outside the line, making his discus throw of 159' 10" the furthest throw of the day that clinched Graham his first discus title at the OCC meet of his preps career.
More: Packed day doesn't stop Orrville's Caden Race in fourth PAC meet pole vault title
West Holmes' Maddax Graham's longest throw of the day was 159' 10".
Said Graham, "I knew I was in first place on that last throw. I was feeling some pain in my right leg, so I probably should have saved that. They actually measured it at 169' 5", which would have been my OCC meet PR (personal record)."
If anything, Graham had to be at his best against a field featuring Madison Comprehensive's Jaxin Stancombe (2nd place; threw 154' 0"), last year's discus winner in Wooster's Wylie Fuqua (3rd place; 152' 6") and Ashland's Greyson Blough (4th place; 148' 9").
"I knew Greyson's PR was 152. I knew coming into this it wasn't going to be an easy win and I was going to have to work for it," said Graham, who's discus personal best is 168' 11", which he threw at the West Holmes-Dover Dual in late-April. "The Madison kid threw a PR that put me down to second, so I knew I was going to have to step up and I did."
Right around this time at last year's OCC meet in Graham's sophomore year, he finished fifth (140' 3") in the discus. This season, he's made a considerable jump in nailing winning results.
Heading into Friday's OCC meet, Graham had finished first in the discus event four times and first in the shot put three times at track meets/invitationals, as he has stood out as one of the top field event performers throughout the Wayne/Holmes County area this track season. His steady form this season trickles down to keying in on his technique.
"Especially with me being a smaller guy, I have to lean on technique. I just can't muscle my way through," Graham explained, talking about his work in the discus. "I do have to end up getting a lot of force on it at the end of the throw. Honestly, it's making sure I'm eating the right foods. Getting enough nutrition. Going to the gym and getting stronger. The biggest thing is staying consistent."
West Holmes' Maddax Graham won the discus event at Friday's Ohio Cardinal Conference track meet at Ashland University.
To go along with a more keen focus on getting his technique right, Graham said it's his ability to take his time in those two events.
"Technique-wise, it's really just patience. Making sure that you're hitting every position. Lower body first. Just keep things consistent every meet. You have something that you can think about in every throw and keeping it the same."
Regarding the jump that Graham has made in his junior season, he did say that he is surprised at the results he's been able to obtain this season.
"It was a little surprising. I wasn't expecting to take first at every meet but I have to say, I did expect some bigger things this year. My freshman year, I threw 151. Last year, I threw 148. That sophomore slump really hit me. I knew I needed to work harder and change things or otherwise things wouldn't change."
Even after placing fifth in the shot put (50' 2") earlier in the afternoon, Graham wasn't too bummed out about it. He's looking towards to next week's OHSAA district meet.
"If I had thrown close to my PR today, I would have placed better than I did," Graham added. "Can't be upset. Big throws don't matter until districts next week."
Twitter/X: @JamesSimpsonII
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: West Holmes' Maddax Graham wins discus at OCC track meet
Q&A
Who won the discus event at the OCC meet?
Maddax Graham from West Holmes won the discus event at the OCC meet.
What was the key to Maddax Graham's success in discus?
Sound technique was the key to Maddax Graham's success in the discus event.
Which school does Maddax Graham represent?
Maddax Graham represents West Holmes High School.
What other events were highlighted at the OCC meet?
The OCC meet also highlighted events like shot put, featuring athletes such as Gatlin Herman from Waynedale.