HE HAS BEEN AROUND for so long it’s easy to forget that Tripp Piperi is just 23.
The Texas senior capped his college career – and dominant final season — by winning his second NCAA title with a throw of 70-7¼ (21.52). He never improved after the first round, but his distance was the meet’s first 70-footer since Ryan Whiting threw 72-1 (21.97) in ’10.
Piperi first came to prominence in ’15 as the World Youth (U18) gold medalist, and followed that with bronze and silver medals at the Junior (U20) Worlds in ’16 & ’18.
He won NCAAs on his home track in ’19, and not since then. The pandemic wiped out ’20, and he lost to Arizona State’s Turner Washington outdoors last year and indoors this year. Piperi threw over 21m (68-10¾) in every meet this season except for the West Regional and no other collegian hit that landmark until Washington did so in the final round (69-¾/21.05).
Piperi still won by 19 inches. He also had the second-longest throw, 69-8 (21.27), in the fifth round.
He conceded it was “bittersweet” to end his college career and said he was looking ahead, not back. He hopes this will be a springboard into the USATF Championships, where he was 11th last year.
“I mean, the experience itself, knowing what I have to do to compete on the big stage,” he said. “Just kind of dealing with that pressure and walking into the meet, making sure I’m able to compose myself when I’m nervous.
“That’s kind of the biggest thing because now I’m going to USAs, it’s going to be a huge meet, it’s huge competition, and I’m going to be a professional athlete now. So, I got to get used to that.”
MEN’S SHOT RESULTS
(June 08)
1. Tripp Piperi (Tx) 70-7¼ (21.52) (9, x NCAA)
(70-7¼, f, f, f, 69-8, 68-11¼) (21.52, f, f, f, 21.23, 21.01);
2. *Turner Washington (AzSt) 69-¾ (21.05)
(65-11, 66-3¾, f, 63-9, 63-11¾, 69-¾) (20.09, 20.21, f, 19.43, 19.50, 21.05);
3. Isaac Odugbesan’ (Al-Ngr) 67-2¼ (20.48)
(66-3¾, f, 67-2¼, 65-1¼, f, f) (20.21, f, 20.48, 19.84, f, f);
4. *Jordan West (Tn) 66-6½ (20.28)
(63-4¼, 64-5¼, 62-4, 66-6½, f, 63-10½) (19.31, 19.64, 19.00, 20.28, f, 19.47);
5. Darius King (NnIa) 65-9 (20.04)
(65-9, 62-8, f, 63-4¼, 64-6½, f) (20.04, 19.10, f, 19.31, 19.67, f);
6. Logan Calvin (IlSt) 65-3¼ (19.89)
(64-11½, 65-3¼, 62-6½, 63-5, 63-10½, f) (19.80, 19.89, 19.06, 19.33, 19.47, f);
7. **Hayden Tobias (OhSt) 65-2 (19.86)
(63-9, 63-2¼, 63-¾, f, f, 65-2) (19.43, 19.26, 19.22, f, f, 19.86);
8. Nikolas Curtiss (Ia) 64-9¼ (19.74)
(64-6¾, 62-7¾, 62-1, 64-9¼, f, f) (19.68, 19.09, 18.92, 19.74, f, f);
9. *Josh Sobota (Ky) 64-8¾ (19.73); 10. Josh Johnson (Cal) 63-7½ (19.39); 11. **John Meyer (LSU) 63-6 (19.35); 12. Jalil Brewer (Tx) 63-5 (19.33); 13. Christopher Licata (Prin) 63-4¼ (19.31); 14. Cooper Campbell (Ok) 63-¾ (19.22); 15. Burger Lambrechts’ (Nb-SA) 62-8 (19.10); 16. **Diego Trevino (Ok) 62-3 (18.97); 17. *Daniel Viveros (Ms) 61-9 (18.82); 18. **Maxwell Otterdahl (Nb) 61-8½ (18.81); 19. **Michael Shoaf (NDm) 61-6¼ (18.75); 20. John Stefan (NDm) 60-10 (18.54); 21. ***Bryce Foster (TxAM) 60-9¼ (18.52); 22. ***Dylan Targgart (SC) 59-5½ (18.12); 23. **Djimon Gumbs’ (NWnLa-BVI) 55-9 (16.99);… 3f—*Santiago Basso’ (Al-Chl).