Knott named Student Athlete of the Month

Hayden Knott had a stellar track and field season.

The sophomore won the Illini Prairie Conference meet shot put and discus titles.

Knott tossed the discus 145 feet, 2 inches for the best mark and he did the same in the shot put with a throw of 48-5.

At the Clinton Carnival he kept up his exceptional season in the throws by sweeping both the shot put and discus. Knott put forth a toss of 44 feet, 2.25 inches to win the shot put and hurled the discus 143-8 to claim first place.
He also won the Falcon Invitational discus competition with a toss of 138 feet, 3 inches.

At a meet held in Rantoul that included Champaign Central, Clinton and Rantoul, Knott did it again with wins in the shot put with a toss of 42 feet, 1.25 inches and in the discus with a throw of 143-9.

At the sectional meet, Knott had a state-qualifying toss of 49 feet, 3.25 inches in the shot put that landed him a fourth-place finish.

He qualified for the state meet and competed this past Thursday in the preliminaries at O’Brien Stadium on the campus of Eastern Illinois University in Charleston. Knott unleashed a throw of 48 feet, 8 inches, but that mark wasn’t good enough to move on to Saturday’s finals in the event.

Head coach Jason Retz said Knott has a lot to be proud of.

“He has improved nearly 7 feet this year,” Retz said.

Knott was recently named St. Joseph-Ogden’s Student Athlete of the Month.
Knott said the best thing about being a student athlete at SJO was the support from the community, his team, coaches and family. That support motivates him even while he balances school work and practice.

Knott said he was honored to be nominated by Retz and recognized as the student athlete of the month.

“I feel proud that he recognized me,” he said.