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Jon O'Neill, a relative newcomer to track and field, has achieved great success as an individual and has also made remarkable contributions to the Long Beach State track and field team.
"Jon is a great athlete. He won a lot of meets for us this past season," head coach Andy Sythe said. "He always scored well in his events, the discus, shot put and hammer."
- Jon O'Neill
Prior to the Junior National Track Meet at Edwardsville, Ill., held on June 25, O'Neill was ranked the No. 2 junior athlete in the country. O'Neill went into the discus competition ranked No. 2, but a recent knee injury hindered his performance and his ranking dropped to No. 3.
His best mark on the year for the discus was 187 feet 3 inches. At Edwardsville, he placed sixth with a throw of 169 feet 1 inch. He placed ninth in the shot put competition and was ranked 19th in the event.
"I hurt my knee throwing in a meet," O'Neill said. "I don't like to make excuses for myself, but I think my knee injury played a big factor in my performance."
O'Neill will take the next couple of weeks off from training so that his knee can heal properly.
Overall, O'Neill is pleased with his performance this season. At the beginning of the season he set goals for marks that he wanted to reach. By the end of the season he had surpassed or come very close to the goals he had set. He has already set new goals for next season.
"I would like to improve on my form and strength," O'Neill said. "I want to be an All-American, place in the top eight in national meets, and make it to the NCAA Championship meet."
"As a freshman this is quite an accomplishment for a young man who did not reach high marks in high school," Sythe said.
O'Neill, a freshman, has not yet decided on a major. He attended Rancho Santa Margarita Catholic High School and was part of three CIF Championship teams in football, basketball and track and field. O'Neill did not join his high school track and field team until his junior year.
"My junior year my best friend convinced me to try to throw the shot put and the discus," O'Neill said. "It came very easy to me. I guess I was a natural."
O'Neill chose to attend Long Beach State because his mother, father and brother all attended this college. Another factor that he considered was location. The college was near his home.
"He has a great future ahead of him as a thrower," Sythe said. "If he continues to progress at this rate he will be one of the finest if not the finest throwers in the country."