Incoming track and field athlete Kord Ferguson hopes he can throw Wichita State into a better season this year.

He placed first in the discus throw at the 2014 USA Track and Field Junior Outdoor Championships. He will be a freshman this Fall.

“I have been practicing with that discus for about three weeks now and that was probably the farthest I have ever thrown it before,” Ferguson said.  “For me to go over 200 with that discus, I was really excited because there were times throughout the year that I did not go over 200 with the high school discus.”

Ferguson won the discus competition last weekend with a throw of 201 feet, making him just the fifth American high school student athlete in history to throw a discus more than 200 feet at the USATF Junior Outdoor Championship. He threw a “designated discus,” which is lighter than a college discus but heavier than a high school discus.

The competition took place in Eugene, Ore., and served as a qualifier to the 2014 International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) World Junior Championships to be held in Eugene, Ore., July 22-27.

The USATF Junior Outdoor Championships is designed to showcase the skills of the nation’s top track and field athletes under the age of 20. Qualifiers for this competition include the best high school athletes and college freshman that have competed at the high level during the regular season.

Ferguson also competed in the shot put and finished seventh overall with a put of 59-feet and 7 and half inches.                        

He is from Ottawa High School and was named the 2013-14 Gatorade Kansas Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year. Many are calling Ferguson the top shot put and discus thrower in the nation under the age of 20.

With this type of recognition, Ferguson had the chance to go to college anywhere in the country, but ultimately decided to become a Shocker.

“At the beginning there was a pretty lengthy list,” Ferguson said.  “It came down to me being family oriented. When I went on my visit to WSU, it was exactly what I was looking for as far as having a family aspect and I liked how everybody is excited about what everybody is doing.”

Undefeated in the discus throw for the past two seasons, Ferguson has had his sights set on making the USA team since high school.

“I want to compete at the pro level,” Ferguson said. “I want to try to make it to the Olympics games and some World Championships.”

WSU freshman Isaac Poe also competed at the USA Track and Field Junior Outdoor Championships in the 400-meter hurdles.

Poe finished 17th in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 55:52.

Poe’s time fell short of making into the top six to qualify for the finals.

Ferguson’s victory at the USATF Junior Championship earned him a spot on the USA World Junior Championship team that will compete against 212 countries at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Eugene Ore., from July 22-27.

“I’m really excited to hopefully represent USA very well at that international caliber meet,” Ferguson said. “ I couldn’t be any happier and I really just have to give all the glory to God because its just a dream come true for me, something that I really wanted for a long time and to be able to do it now is a pretty amazing thing.”