Arizona senior Jordan Geist won the NCAA indoor shot put championship Saturday night after muscling the 16-pound ball 69 feet, 4.75 inches.
The victory in Albuquerque, New Mexico, capped an undefeated season for Geist. At one time, Geist had registered more than a dozen of the season’s best collegiate marks, topped by his throw of 70-5.75 on Jan. 20 at NAU.
Jonah Wilson of Nebraska was second Saturday at 68-7.25. Arizona State’s Turner Washington, a graduate of Canyon del Oro High School and Geist’s former UA teammate before transferring to ASU in 2018, was third at 67-11.25.
Geist won All-American status in both the shot put and the weight throw, although he did not make the finals in the latter event on Friday. All competitors who qualify for the national meet are honored as All-Americans.
Arizona seniors Talie Bonds and Alexa Porpaczy joined Geist as All-Americans, competing this week in the women’s 60-meter hurdles and women’s high jump, respectively.
Bonds sprinted over the 60-meter hurdles in 8.03 seconds to capture seventh place. During the indoor season, Bonds broke the school hurdles record three times and tied that mark on Friday by running 8.01.
Porpaczy cleared 5 feet, 9.75 inches to finish 14th in the national competition. Her season best was 6-0.25.
The Wildcat men’s and women’s teams open their home outdoor schedules March 24-25 at the Willie Williams Classic at Drachman Stadium.
