WINNER — Jaxon Day’s offseason work is paying off this season.

The Winner High School junior thrower uncorked a discus toss of 191-feet and six-inches on April 11, propelling up the all-time list in state history. Day’s toss at Winner’s Bill Pistulka Invitational catapulted him to sixth all-time in the discus throw. 

It not only surprised those in attendance and turned heads around the state, but it also left Day stunned. 

“I was kind of awestruck,” Day said. “I was like ‘That can’t be right. Like are you sure you measured that right?’ But after that I can’t even describe the feeling. It was something truly special. I was glad that God gave me that opportunity and chose me to do that and it was truly something special.”

Day’s 191-6 is currently the best throw in the state — regardless of class — and he’s one of only nine discus throwers in South Dakota history to surpass 190 feet. Aberdeen Central’s George Amundson (211-4) holds the all-time record from 1969. 

For Day, he credits his offseason work for hitting the top-10 mark. 

“I just put in a lot of effort, a lot of work in that offseason,” Day said. “I got pushed by my buddy, Max (Feisterman), who is in the weight room. He pushes me as hard as I can, and I feel like that time and dedication I put in, it just switched my mindset. Like I want to win Howard Wood this year, and that was the main thing for me. That work and dedication that I wanted to get to that goal.” 

Day crossed off his Howard Wood Dakota Relays goal on May 2. Last season, Day placed 10th at Howard Wood with a mark of 153-6. At state, Day slipped to 132-8 and took 13th place, saying “that was a real humbling moment.” 

At this year’s Howard Wood Dakota Relays, Day recorded a toss of 174-11 and captured first-place honors. All while not feeling he performed at his best. 

“Today was an off day,” said Day, who fouled on five of his six throws at Howard Wood. “It was not my best performance. My average throw is around 184, and my release was not really good today. I don’t know why, but I still got the throw and I am still happy with what I got. I am happy to be in this situation.” 

It also sets up Day for a strong finish to his breakout season. 

“It gives me a lot of confidence because this is probably the toughest meet of the year,” Day said. “Don’t get me wrong. State is going to be insane with a lot of competition there.”

At the Howard Wood Dakota Relays, Day finished just over three-feet ahead of second-place finisher (Grand Forks Central’s Lucas Fischer, 171-8). He also outperformed teammate Legend Benedict (168-8) and Elkton-Lake Benton’s Taiton Boersma (164-11). 

“Those guys that threw really well today, that’s going to make it really good competition at state,” Day said. “But this gives me really high confidence for the rest of the year.”