Butler senior Kalynn Callihan’s first few throws in the shot put came up an inch short of the state qualifying standard of 37 feet, 6 inches Thursday at the WPIAL Class AAA Championship track meet.

It was the type of situation Golden Tornado throwing coach Bill McElroy prepared her for.

During the winter, they spent time building Callihan’s confidence.

“Just believing in herself,” McElroy said. “We hit the weights hard and started doing a lot of power lifts. We tweaked a couple things and had her stay back a little longer and her distance started going up.”

Callihan ended up with a throw of 39-5, placing second in the district meet behind Bethel Park’s Alexandra Stevenson, who won with a throw of 41-4 ½.

Callihan’s performance was another strong one in what has been a standout season in the shot put for Butler County throwers.

On the boys’ side, three of the top four WPIAL throwers in Class AAA were county athletes. Knoch sophomore Jordan Geist won with a throw of 65-0 ¾.

Mars senior Gabe Spurlock and Knoch junior Brennan McTighe each qualified by placing third and fourth, respectively.

Moniteau junior Maura Kimmel won the District 9 Class AA shot put with a throw of 38-5 ½ feet. Brendon Stamm also won a district title with a personal best throw of 50-9 ½.

All of them earned bids to the PIAA state championships next Friday and Saturday at Shippensburg University.

Geist, McTighe, Stamm and Kimmel both also grabbed state bids in the discus.

McTighe enjoys having a lot of top-notch competition so close to home.

“Great competition brings the best out of you,” McTighe said. “Every time I throw with those guys, I seem to throw better. It’s great to have it around. Especially with Jordan, since he’s my teammate.”

McTighe missed qualifying for states by five feet in the shot put last season. A sports injury forced him to miss football and the winter track season.

Since he’s been back, he’s noticed an improvement.

“My technique got a lot better, that’s the main thing,” McTighe said. “I got a late start, but once I got the conditioning I would feel a lot better. With the coaching we have and everything at Knoch, it really helped me peak at the right time.”

Callihan credits McElroy with helping her get back to states.

“My technique, probably,” Callihan said. “He always says stay back, that’s the big thing. Also lifting a lot.”

Callihan balanced her time in the winter between throwing and basketball.

Building strength was a big key to her improvement.

“I did a lot of stuff on my own and tried going to other people that could help me try new things,” Callihan said. “I tried working on it during basketball this year, not just focus on basketball.”

At the district meet, McElroy had high hopes for Callihan. She delivered.

“Our goal was to be one or two today,” McElroy said. “Last season, she threw 37 feet even and was happy to get there. She came out here (Thursday) expecting to hit mid-38 to 40 feet. She definitely had way more confidence.”