It’s been quite a year for junior Mitchell Callender. He is moving from winter track to spring track hoping to compete at shotput nationals, all while managing school and a social life.
He ended the winter season ranked 7th in the country and 2nd for the class of 2027 in a sport he never imagined he would compete in.
“I started in 7th grade, my resource room teacher Ms. Daley asked me to join. I got second in states that year, my first time trying it out. My freshman year was a real change too since I won nationals.”
Even when he’s placing highly, winning meets, and throwing some of the farthest throws in the state, he thinks he can do a lot better.
“My PR is 62 feet, 7.5 inches. And I don’t think that’s good enough right now. Especially when I’ve gotten a 65 or 66 foot throw in practice. I know I’m strong enough to throw 70, it’s all about technique now.”
When asked about Mitchell, head track coach Kyle Sousa had nothing but good things to say.
“Mitchell is clearly an incredibly talented athlete, but he is also a very hard worker. Throwing events are very technical, so you are constantly trying to sharpen what seem like small details. Mitchell is really committed to getting all the little things right, and that requires a lot of commitment and focus. He always brings that to practice and to meets.”
As a captain, Mitchell urges those who are not already doing track to give it a shot.
“I think more people should definitely come and do it. I just think it brings a lot of people together and everybody usually has a lot of fun with it.”
When he isn’t practicing for track or participating in another sport, Mitchell has a very simple schedule for his days.
“For fun, I work out a lot. I hang out with my friends and girlfriend. Those are basically the things I do outside of it.”
With spring season starting, and all of senior year, Mitchell hopes to continue his track and field career into college and believes he can.
“I think I can go pretty far with throwing… If I’m still consistently breaking new PRs, it’ll take me pretty far. I’m hoping to go D1 with a full ride, which is very hard for track and field. I want to go somewhere near a city, and it has to have a good environment that I’m comfortable with.”
