Ridgefield standout makes his mark in hammer throw and also earns recognition from Gatorade
It’s been quite the last few days for Trey Knight of Ridgefield.
Knight set a national high school record in the hammer throw on Saturday, and on Monday he was named Washington’s boys track and field boys Player of the Year by Gatorade.
Knight recorded a hammer throw of 261 feet, 7 inches at a throwers meet at Concordia University in Portland on Saturday, breaking a four-year record for high school athletes. Knight just graduated from Ridgefield High School. He will be throwing for the University of Southern California starting next academic year.
And on Monday, Knight was announced the state Athlete of the Year for boys track and field for the third consecutive year.
Knight had the best weight throw in the nation during the indoor season of his senior season. Due to the state’s shutdown of schools due to the pandemic, there was no outdoor spring season. Based on his indoor accomplishment over the winter, and his past excellence in the outdoor seasons, including last summer, Knight was given the nod by Gatorade.
“Trey’s personal record and statistics have not changed since last year, but I can tell you they would have,” Ridgefield track and field coach Gregg Ford told Gatorade, referring to the spring season. “Trey did not skip a beat in his preparation, and there is no doubt he would have improved across the board.”
Gatorade also takes into account academics and character. Knight has a 3.65 grade-point average and volunteers his time at Daybreak Youth Services and as a track and field coach for youth.
In his three seasons of high school track and field, Knight won two state titles in the discus, including a meet record last year, and two state titles in shot put. He finished second in both events as a freshman.
In college, he will specialize in the hammer throw.
“It’s harder to be good at multiple things,” Knight told Clark County Today in March. “Disc and shot for me are not my best. If I went to college for that, I really wouldn’t do that well. But the hammer, I’m pretty good at that. That’s what I want to do. It’s my favorite event. That’s definitely where my future is. If I want to go to the Olympics, that’s what it will be in.”
And over the weekend, he let the American hammer throw community know he is ready for that challenge. Note: Here is Gatorade’s full press release on Trey Knight: https://playeroftheyear.gatorade.com/poy/assets/writable/60729/2020_BTF_TKnight.pdf
