SAN ANTONIO — Senior All-American Richard Garrett Jr. will look to carry the momentum from his record-setting Western Athletic Conference (WAC) shot put championship performance into this weekend's NCAA Championships, which begin on Friday in Fayetteville, Ark.
Garrett Jr. is scheduled to compete at 3:15 p.m. on the opening afternoon of the two-day meet. The Garland native comes into the event with the nation's third-best mark (65-9 ½/20.05m), which he recorded in winnng his third consecutive league title two weeks ago. The 6-foot, 260-pounder bettered UT Arlington's Bozidar Antunovic by one-and-a-quarter inch and the measurement added nearly three feet to his previous best of 62-11 ¼ (18.81m) established at last month's Armory Collegiate Invitational. Garrett Jr., this year's WAC Field Athletie of the Year, has won a total of 10 gold medals during his illustrious four-year career.
Defending national champion Jordan Clarke of Arizona State currently leads the nation with a put of 67-6 ¾ (20.59m), while the 2011 runner-up, Mason Finley of Wyoming (65-9 ¾/20.06m), is the only other competitor who ranks above Garrett Jr. coming into Friday's competition.
It marks the second NCAA Indoor Championship appearance of Garrett Jr.'s career. He earned second-team All-America honors two years ago after placing 15th in College Station.
| Richard Garrett Jr.'s 2012-13 Progression List | ||||
| Mark | Place | Meet | Location | Date |
| 61-0 (18.59m) | 1st (7) | Texas A&M Reveille Invitational | College Station, Texas | Dec. 8 |
| 60-1 (18.31m) | 2nd (28) | Texas A&M 12-Team Invitational | College Station, Texas | Jan. 12 |
| 60-5 ¾ (18.43m) | 1st (15) | Leonard Hilton Memorial | Houston, Texas | Jan. 18 |
| 62-11 ¼ (19.18m) ^ | 2nd (49) | Armory Collegiate Invitational | New York City, N.Y. | Feb. 1 |
| 65-9 ½ (20.05m) ^ | 1st (15) | WAC Championships | Albuquerque, N.M. | Feb. 22 |
| ^ denotes new program record | ||||