Nixa’s Jackson Cantwell wins U20 national shot put title at Nike Outdoor Nationals

Missouri high school football and track standout captures USA Track and Field U20 championship with 69-8 throw at Hayward Field

Nixa junior Jackson Cantwell - throwing for possibly the final time in his high school career - won the USA Track and Field U20 national championship in the shot put at the Nike Outdoor Nationals at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, on Friday, June 20, 2025. / Nathan Papes/Springfield News-Leader / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After winning the Class 5 state titles in both the shot put and discus at the 2025 MSHSAA Track and Field Championships - and coming just 1 centimeter shy of breaking a national high school outdoor record that has stood since 1979 - Jackson Cantwell already had his eyes on what was next.

He said at the time that he would compete at the Nike Outdoor Nationals, calling it “likely” the last high school meet of his career before football takes over heading into his senior year. The goal was clear.

“I just want to see if I can break the American record,” Cantwell said. “So, we’ll see how that goes.”

On Friday, he didn’t get the record - but he got something else he's pretty happy with.

Cantwell won the U20 national championship in the shot put at the USA Track and Field U20 competition at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. Using the 6 kilogram shot, the youngest competitor in the field launched his winning throw 69 feet, 8 inches on his fifth attempt to take the title.

He beat Ethan Thomas, a North Dakota freshman and former Grand Forks Central standout, who took second with a throw of 68-7 3/4. Oregon’s Ben Smith placed third at 66-10 3/4. Christian Brothers (Memphis, Tennessee) product Ashton Hearn, who is committed to Ole Miss, finished fourth at 64-5.

No one else in the field topped 63 feet. Cantwell, who just finished his junior year at Nixa in Missouri, now ranks fifth all-time in U.S. Junior history with the 6 kilogram shot.

Nixa junior Jackson Cantwell will compete in what he says is likely his final high school event on Saturday, June 21, 2025, at the USA Track and Field Nike Outdoor Nationals in Eugene, Oregon. He won the Men's U20 shot put national championship on Friday and will compete in the boys shot put on Saturday. / Nathan Papes/Springfield News-Leader / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oregon, which had recruited Cantwell as a football prospect before he committed to Miami, got a front-row look at what could have been. And he’s still not done yet.

Cantwell will not throw the discus in Eugene, but is scheduled to compete again Saturday in the boys shot put. He says it will “likely” be the final event of his high school career.

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