Kentwood track and field coach Steve Roche knew he had a rarity on his hands when freshman Alyx Toeaina first stepped onto the oval earlier this spring.
Roche is quickly learning, however, how rare Toeaina is.
The Kentwood youngster served up an eye-opening performance last week in a loss to Kent-Meridian, sweeping the throwing events of discus, shot put and javelin.
Toeaina’s 127-foot-11-inch toss in the discus was the eighth-best mark in the state this season.
“In the throws, very rarely do you see this,” Roche said. “It usually takes a couple of years for kids to build up their strength. Alyx just came in and lit the world on fire. We knew her marks before from middle school, but we just didn’t know she’d make the transition (to high school) this well.”
Success might be the understatement of the year.
Toeaina ranks among the state’s top 10 in the shot put and the discus. More telling of exactly how good she has been takes only a look at the state leaderboard. She’s the only freshman in the state among the top 10 in either event.
Against K-M, Toeaina won the javelin with a throw of 94-2, which remains off the pace of a state top 10. Her heave in the shot put (37-8.50) was slightly off her season best of 39-2, which currently ranks eighth in the state.
Not bad for a freshman.
“She’s just an athlete … so powerful,” Roche said. “An amazing kid.”
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