Most Improved California Boys and Girls Shot Put

Three weeks into the season, the throws are beginning to dominate California Track and Field. In the shot put and discus, we have seen some of the best performances in the nation.

Click below to see our full list tracking the improvement of California shot putters. See who has already crushed their PR and who is inching closer each time they compete. 

*Editor's Note: This list was compiled by comparing the top 500 performances from 2024 with those from 2025.

McKay Madsen of Clovis North has been in the upper echelon of California throws since his freshman year, which continued at the start of 2025. At the John Godina Throws Invitational, he was just a quarter inch shy of his outdoor personal best from last season and is currently ranked number one in the U.S. outdoor rankings.

Alan Flores of Hesperia is moving up the California rankings to start off the season after his impressive PR of  10-7.5 feet at the Ontario Relays. Flores has used that momentum to make the Redondo shot put finals and finished 11th with a 48-4 foot throw. This looks like the beginning for Flores since he has great training partners at his side.

We caught up with Flores, Khali Ratcliffe, and Gabriel Montoya after they swept the Ontario Relays earlier this season. Ratcliffe made CIF Finals last season, where he threw a PR of 53-4.5. It's easy to tell there is some real competition and camaraderie between these boys at practice and meets. 

On the girl's side, Jaslen Massey has been undefeated and improving each time she steps into the shot put rink in 2025. She threw 48-7 feet at the Irvine ASICS Track and Field Invitational making her U.S. No.2 on the outdoor rankings. She has improved by 2-7 feet so far this season.