Jordan Geist let the shot put go and watched it soar farther than any he had ever thrown in an event.

It landed 74 feet, 1 inch away.

The only problem was, Geist faulted. Still, it let the Knoch junior know what could possibly lie ahead when he competes in the New Balance Nationals Indoor meet at The Armory in New York City March 11-13.

“That’ll be where I want to throw my best, especially with all the competition that will be there,” Geist said. “I don’t really have a number in mind. I just want to win a national championship.”

Geist just won the state championship this past weekend with a throw of 71 feet, 3¼ inches at Edinboro University.

Geist also won the state title in the shot put last indoor season.

“It’s awesome,” he said. “Especially since I defended the title from last year. It’s a pretty cool feeling.”

The state-winning throw wasn’t his farthest of the season. That was 72-9½ and came the week before at Edinboro.

That effort cemented his place as No. 1 in the country in the shot put and No. 3 all-time for an indoor throw.

The indoor high school record is 77-2¾ — perhaps within Geist’s reach, if not at nationals this year, before his high school career concludes.

“I still can’t wrap my mind around the fact he’s only a junior,” said Geist’s mother and throwing coach Judy Geist. “It was a good day at state. He doesn’t want to (throw his personal record) there. He wants to do that at the big meet, at the national meet.”

To do that, Jordan Geist is taking the same approach he takes before any meet.

He’ll lift. He’ll throw. He’ll work on smoothing out the errors in his technique, but he won’t overthink things.

“I’m just going to roll with it,” Geist said.

It’s what Geist has been doing since he began throwing.

He’s been rolling with it — and improving each step of the way.

Last year he won the state indoor shot put title with a throw of 64-11½.

Six weeks later, he captured the championship in the event at the prestigious Penn Relays with an effort of 67-1¼.

A month after that, he won the state outdoor title and had a season-best throw of 69-1.

Even during this indoor season he has bettered his personal best almost every time out.

To Geist, that means only one thing.

“It means I have a target on my back,” he said. “Everyone wants to gun me down.”

Geist, though, has his eyes on even bigger prizes.

He wants to throw in the Olympics and is taking an unofficial visit soon to Arizona State University, where two Olympic throwers train.

He also has his sights set one day on the national outdoor shot put record of 81-3½.

“Throwing 80 feet is a little far for me right now,” Geist said. “But getting the indoor mark might be something I can do.”

Judy Geist doesn’t doubt it.

“Maybe that’ll light a fire under him,” she said. “He’s moved in the Top 10 all-time for all throws. Again, he’s only a junior. Whatever he sets his mind on doing, he seems to find a way of doing.”