MURFREESBORO—Thursday was the first day of the TSSAA Spring Fling Track and Field Championships for Large Schools at the Dean A. Hayes Track and Soccer Stadium on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University.

One of the day’s earliest competitions was the Girls Shot Put Championship and Jasmine Roberts of Elizabethton stepped on the big stage with 16 other competitors and when the last shot put was thrown, Roberts had earned All State by finishing eighth among much larger schools being represented.

“I felt pretty good about my performance today,” Roberts said after the competition. “It wasn’t my worst but it wasn’t my best either. I feel like I went out there and did what I came here to do.

“I am used to seeing most of them throw. It makes me want to try and push harder and try to get that extra edge. I always try to think about them and realize they have bigger programs and that really makes me want to go a little further and try harder.

“When I talk to them, they talk to me and try to help me,” Roberts continued. “Even though they are bigger schools they really share things to help me.”

For Roberts throwing coach Brock Pittman, Pittman feels that no one has really seen the true Roberts to this point in her shot put career.

“I just think that it’s an honor for anyone to make it this far in general,” said Pittman. “This is her third trip so that is impressive.

“She has a lot of technique work to do and I think that she is a lot better than what she showed today and she will get even better I believe next year.

“Just her being here for the third time is an awesome thing and we are really proud of her.”

Roberts said there are some things that she wants to work on to move further up the podium next year.

“There are a lot of lower body technical stuff and really that mindset,” said Roberts. “This is one of two years throwing against larger schools. It’s a different type of level and you have to have a different type of mindset for it.

“You can’t just go in there to throw, you have to think about this is what you want to do but you can’t stress about it either. Just a lot of little technical things.”

Roberts earned fourth place in her freshman year competing in the small school category.

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TSSAA Spring Fling Large School

Girls’ Shot Put Finals

Competitor              Class     School           Best throw                                                                          

1 Vlk, Zoe                 11    Wilson Central       44-09.00

2 Schroeder, Jaycee    11    Jefferson County     44-04.00

3 Hood, Andreanna      11    Brighton             40-00.00                                

4 Ivory, Brittney         12    Memphis Central      39-08.75                              

5 Brown, Michaela        12    Whitehaven           37-09.50    

6 DeArman, Hallie        10    Rhea County          36-10.50    

7 Wingo, Analeigh         12    Brentwood            36-07.00    

8 Roberts, Jasmine       11    Elizabethton         36-06.75    

9 Ferrell, Kaylan            10    Tullahoma            36-04.50    

10 Armstrong, Megan    11    Bearden              34-07.00    

11 Ervin, Jasmine          11    Maryville            34-06.75    

12 Smith, Jessica          12    Rossview             33-03.75    

13 Anderson, Hope        10    Blackman             33-01.50    

14 Frederick, Sophie      11    Walker Valley        32-04.75     

15 Hudson, Konesha      12    Glencliff            31-05.75      

16 Carter, Melisa                Houston             29-06.75