SLIPPERY ROCK — Ava Bonetti had known only one way to throw the shot put since the very first time she picked up 8.8 pound metal ball in the fourth grade.

Bonetti was a glider.

It served her well at Butler High, where she was fourth at the WPIAL meet and 16th in the PIAA Track and Field Championships in the event last spring as a senior.

But when she arrived at Slippery Rock University, Rock throwing coach Meagan Shadeck wanted to rebuild her mechanics from the ground up.

“At first, I was really resistant,” Bonetti said. “I didn't want to do it.”

But Bonetti relented and spent four months retooling her technique from that of a glide to a spin. The freshman received help from Rock men's shot put thrower Kyle Toms, who won the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference title in the event last spring.

It was by no means an easy transition.

Bonetti struggled at first to even reach her best distance at Butler in the shot put at 40 feet, 3½ inches.

Her indoor season was uneventful until late when everything began to click.

“It wasn't until the PSAC meet when I felt like I was making some progress,” Bonetti said. “It was really frustrating. The meet before the PSACs, I was so frustrated that I didn't even want to throw.”

But Bonetti did and turned in her best throw of the season at 12.59 meters (41.3 feet) for a fifth-place finish at the conference meet.

The Rock women won the PSAC title.

Her finish helped her earn a spot on the All-Atlantic Region team.

That came as quite a shock to Bonetti, who spent most of the season grappling with a new technique and wondering if she would ever flourish again in the event.

“I didn't find out until I got an email saying I made the team,” Bonetti said, laughing. “I was very surprised.”

It was a reward for four hard months.

“I wasn't able to hit (41 feet) for the longest time,” Bonetti said. “Part of me wondered if I would ever hit that again. It was kind of a pay off for working so hard changing things. It paid off in the long run.”

Now, Bonetti wants more during the pending outdoor season.

“I want to be in the top three at the PSACs,” Bonetti said. “I don't really have a number in mind, but 44 feet in the shot would be pretty good.”

Bonetti is also throwing the discus and competing in the hammer throw, which is brand new to her.

There is no hammer throw in high school track and field.

“It's a lot different,” Bonetti said. “It's a lot more technical. Everything has to be perfectly timed.”

Bonetti said her switch from a glide to a spin was perfectly timed as well.

“There's still a lot more I can do to get better,” Bonetti said. “I have to keep improving in the drills.”