Manatee’s Seth Walter wins state shot put title

It’s been less than two years since Seth Walter first threw a shot put and after a rapid ascension, the Manatee senior is a state champion.

The thrower claimed the Class 4A title Saturday in the first event on the final day of the state championships at IMG Academy. Walter’s throw of 56 feet, 11 1/4 inches was five feet longer than his closest competitor, Vero Beach’s Jeremiah Pearson. Only three throwers total cracked the 50-foot mark Walter has stood above all season.

The medal is Walter’s second in the shot put. He finished fourth in 4A last year to cap his first season in the sport and draw the eye of college recruiters. He’s committed to play football at Dartmouth, a Football Championship Subdivision program, and chose the Big Green over other offers in part because the school will allow him to both play football and compete in the shot put.

Walter will have one more crack at a state medal later during the day in Bradenton. He’ll compete in the discus alongside Lakewood Ranch’s Sam Jackson and Noah Oxley. Jackson, who has signed a National Letter of Intent to play football at Central Florida, finished sixth in the shot put.

This story was originally published May 6, 2017 at 10:58 AM with the headline "Manatee’s Seth Walter wins state shot put title."