Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- McKay Madsen, a BYU football signee, made history in California athletics.
- He won back-to-back state titles in discus and shot put, a 103-year feat.
- Madsen set a state record in shot put, nearly reaching 70 feet, excelling nationally.
PROVO — The term "one of a kind" gets thrown around a lot in athletics, but in the case of BYU football signee McKay Madsen, it may be true.
The two-way athlete who has signed to play running back for the Cougars won a California state championship in both the discus and shot put for the second straight year, a feat not achieved sine 1922.
The Clovis North hurler is the first California thrower to win back-to-back titles in both events since Oxnard's Clarence Houser more than 100 years ago, according to ABC 30 in California.
But that's not the only rarity he accomplished Saturday at the CIF state track and field meet.
Madsen broke a state record in the shot put with a throw of 69 feet, 11 inches — officially, he was less than an inch shy of 70 feet — to win the title by nine feet. The current top mark in the NCAA West regional was set by Arizona's Zach Landa at 20.06 meters, or 65 feet, 9 3/4.
Of course, the NCAA men's shot put is roughly four pounds heavier than the one thrown by high schoolers. But Madsen's achievement stands out as one of the top marks in the country, or currently the third-best nationally according to MileSplit. Mountain View's Leif Arrhenius set the Utah High School Activities Association record in the event in 2004 with a throw of 66 feet, 6.5 inches.
Real Life Superman @McKayMadsen 69'11 at the State Finals. The 4 Time State Champion caps off his senior season in style. pic.twitter.com/VMITBZvCnf
— BallouttilUFallout (@fallout_u) June 2, 2025
BYU's all-time mark using the heavier shot put in the event of 68-7.25 was set by Soren Tallhem has stood since 1985.
"We peaked at the right time," Madsen told ABC 30 after his team finished second overall. "Every day I thought about winning state, and it's led me to here, and we did it."
His winning discus throw of 210 feet, 8 inches was just three feet shy of the state record, and more than 24 feet ahead of the runner-up.
A four-star recruit by 247Sports and ESPN, Madsen committed to BYU in January during the Navy All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas. He picked the Cougars over the likes of Oregon, UCLA, Oklahoma, Michigan State and Washington, among others.
A two-way athlete who also played linebacker, Madsen ran for 1,238 yards and 19 touchdowns as a senior at Clovis North while totaling 49 tackles, four interceptions and a pick-six on defense.
His father Josh played football at Stanford, which also recruited the younger Madsen. But Madsen will follower older sister Loie Madsen, a sophomore thrower on the Cougars' track and field team, to BYU after a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Argentina beginning this summer.
