BOLIVAR, Mo. — Maddox Johnson, a freshman track and field athlete at Pittsburg State University, may have found himself on the cusp of qualifying for nationals with a career-best day at the javelin Saturday.
Johnson, throwing at the Southwest Baptist Bearcat Invitational, beat his personal best by more than 20 feet, taking fourth place with a throw of 204 feet, 7 inches, or 62.35 meters.
The distance could be long enough for a national track and field berth, depending on how may others hit the qualifying mark through the balance of PSU’s track and field season.
Johnson, who capped his senior year at Humboldt High School in 2023 with a fourth-place finish at the Class 3A state track meet in the javelin, had previously thrown for 183 feet, but topped the 200-foot plateau on multiple throws Saturday. His best throw was about three-quarters of an inch short of the third-place finisher, Michael Waldron of Central Missouri State.
As an aside, Johnson’s teammate, fellow Humboldt native (and cousin) Drew Wilhite, also competed in the javelin and finished 18th place at 149’10” (45.68 meters).
Their teammate, junior Caleb Calvin, won gold Saturday with his throw of 237’2” or 72.29 meters.
Johnson is the son of Bob and Melanie Johnson of Humboldt, and the grandson of Bob and Beverly Johnson and Allen and Pat Wilhite.
