'As far as I can': Mead senior Simon Rosselli has national prep discus record in sights before heading to Oregon | 2026 Spring High School Sports Preview

Mead senior Simon Rosselli has heaved a discus farther than anybody in Washington high school history. He hopes his state best is nothing more than a placeholder for what becomes a national record toss this spring.

Rosselli has only scratched the surface of his potential, considering the rarefied air he wants to climb in his final high school season.

When he pushed his personal best to 218 feet, 7 inches last spring at the Arcadia Invitational in California, the calls from college coaches started pouring in fast and furious. Rosselli suddenly had become a five-star recruiting attraction.

At the time, the throw ranked first in the nation. Rosselli ended the spring ranked third.

A week earlier, Rosselli eclipsed 200 feet for the first time when he flung the element 211-7 at the Oregon Relays at iconic Hayward Field in Eugene.

He whittled a list of two dozen schools down to seven, taking campus visits over seven consecutive weekends last fall. He signed with Oregon, one of the most successful programs in NCAA history, during the early signing period in November. His full-ride scholarship includes an NIL package that will grow this season if he hits the marks he’s aiming for.

It was Rosselli’s intent to make himself one of the hottest throwing prospects in the nation last spring. Now, with his college destination settled, he thinks pressure will subside and allow for more spectacular throws.

Rosselli is aiming for 237-6, the national high school record set by Ryan Crouser of Sam Barlow High in Gresham, Oregon, in 2011. Crouser went on to focus on the shot put at the University of Texas. He became a three-time Olympic gold medalist and is the world record holder.

“I would be disappointed in myself if I don’t throw over 240 this season because I know it’s there,” Rosselli said. “I’ve done it in practice. All I know is I’m physically and mentally able to do it. I just need to make sure I put it together when it matters most.”

Speaking of growth

Asked to pick a general number he’d like to exceed, Rosselli didn’t hesitate – 240. He reached out to Iron Wood Throws Center in Rathdrum , a year-round and highly respected training center founded in 1989.

Iron Wood director T.J. Crater prepared a conditioning program last summer that allowed Rosselli to add considerable strength and weight.

Rosselli, who is 6-foot-5, has gone from 195 pounds to 230 in eight months. He can’t wait to see the fruit of his training this spring.

Incidentally, Crouser is 6-7 and 320 pounds. Perhaps size may matter.

“I steadily gained the correct weight,” Rosselli said. “So now I’ve stopped trying to gain weight and I’m maintaining.”

Speed through the throw has been his best asset, so Rosselli didn’t want to hinder his strong suit.

“I’ve been fast and explosive. I just wasn’t very strong,” he said. “So I’ve lost speed with the weight gain, but it’s obviously increased my strength.”

He could see himself in two years, when he tries to qualify for the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, weighing in the 260 range.

Crater said there was a method to the growth madness.

“The intent wasn’t necessarily to get him bigger,” Crater said. “We just wanted to get him stronger without taking away his strength, which is his speed and flexibility. The weight gain is a side effect. We want him to apply more power into the implement. My hope is the extra confidence from having increased strength will give him the ability to hit the goals that he wants to hit this spring and maybe a little bit further. He definitely has some big goals, and I think they’re well within his reach.”

Thankful for his coaches

Rosselli, who is the top-ranked returning thrower in the nation, gives Crater the credit for where he is – and where he’s headed.

“More than I could say in words,” Rosselli said about his appreciation for Crater. “I wouldn’t be going to Oregon if it wasn’t for him. I wouldn’t have had the calls (from college coaches) if it wasn’t for him.

“I thought I understood things about throwing on my own, but I didn’t really understand anything. I’m going into college more prepared than most people because of T.J.”

Crater appreciates the credit Rosselli gives him, but Rosselli was well on his way when he arrived at Iron Wood.

“He’s provided the work ethic, the talent and the attitude,” Crater said. “He had the physical gifts and the drive to be special. There wouldn’t be a distance he throws this spring that would surprise me. I’ve seen him take enough throws and worked with him long enough to know that he’s capable. He’s attained those marks in training and now he just has to line it up in a meet.

“He’s put himself together as one of the best ever in the U.S. to throw the high school discus. And he still has another year to go. He’s set himself up at Oregon. He has all the numbers and all the predictables that are going to hopefully lead to him having a very high level of success at the NCAA level. And hopefully he gets to throw until he’s gray and represents the U.S.”

Rosselli is also grateful for Mead coach James Lehr, who has been an inspirational source during his four-year journey at Mead.

“He’s had a huge impact,” Rosselli said. “If it wasn’t for his enthusiasm for not only track but the throws I don’t know if I would be doing what I am. I respect him a lot and it only continues to grow.”

Lehr said his focus will be making sure expectations don’t overwhelm Rosselli. Lehr said Rosselli is positioned well after his offseason growth.

“Combine his technique – he’s very good technically – with his speed and strength, that’s an incredible combination,” Lehr said. “At the high school level, technique is the priority. You can develop speed and strength, but overall at this level your technique is going to take you further than relying on strength alone. When you have all of that, that’s why Simon is where he’s at.”

The beginning

When Rosselli was a freshman, he thought his ticket to college would be through football. He thought there could be a place for a speedy receiver/tight end combination.

But a hip injury during winter football workouts shut that door. He also had to abandon the thought of being a decathlete because the injury inhibited his ability to go over hurdles.

He turned his full attention to discus. He had picked it up halfway through his freshman season and managed to qualify for state. Rosselli was throwing in the 150-foot range, but the lingering hip injury stunted his technique.

“I think it was an overuse injury,” Rosselli said.

He won all four GSL dual meets his freshman season – including when he picked up the discus for the first time.

Finally healthy his sophomore season, Rosselli started finding consistency. Still, he was so new to throwing that he relied largely on athletic ability and not so much on technique. But he cashed in that season, nabbing his first state championship with a then personal-best throw of 183-9.

His growth in the throw was off the charts last season. He repeated as state champ with 203-7 – which broke the overall and Class 4A state meet records.

This season

He should add a third straight state title this season. And he’ll be out to win the shot put, which he will throw at Oregon.

Rosselli, who carries a 3.96 grade-point average, picked up the shot put last year and took second at state. While much of his training time will be spent with the discus, he has big goals in the shot.

When the weather warms, Rosselli won’t be able to use Mead’s discus sector. He’s thrown the discus over the fence, bounced another over it and bounced others into it.

Rosselli plans to be smart about his throwing early, especially if there’s inclement weather.

“I’m probably going to be a little conservative at first just to make sure,” he said. “There’s no need to get hurt early in the season.”

He will have ample opportunity to break Crouser’s record. The schedule will send him to two of his favorites, the Oregon Relays and Arcadia, along with the Legends Invitational in Walla Walla, a handful of Greater Spokane League duals, the league championship meet, district and state.

Another event

Figuring he needed to add something to his arsenal for college, Rosselli picked up the shot put last year.

At a jamboree meet to open the season, he threw 51 feet. He improved nearly 9 feet by season’s end, finishing second with a throw of 59-10½, his personal best.

He has his sights set on Mead’s record – 64-10½, set by an elite thrower in his own right, Jason Baskett.

“I want to throw as far as I can,” Rosselli said. “With that being said, I’m still really new to it. It’s still sort of an experiment.”

The shot put record is well within reach.

Looking ahead

Rosselli said he will be coached by who he calls the best in the nation, Ducks throws coach Brian Blutreich.

“When I was looking at schools, I did my research,” Rosselli said. “The transition to Oregon is going to be smoother for me than most people because I’m already on a very similar program to what they’ll have at Oregon.”

Family matters

Rosselli’s parents – Aaron Kagan and Jenni Rosselli-Hull – met when Mom was playing volleyball at Memphis and went on to coach at Community Colleges of Spokane. Dad played basketball at Memphis. They divorced when Simon was young but remarried.

Rosselli’s four parents are educators. That might explain his near perfection in the classroom. He credits his parents for instilling discipline in his life.

“I’m a student first, athlete second,” Rosselli said.

How it ends

The perfect scenario is breaking the national record, setting the school mark in the shot and claiming two state titles.

But he also hopes to be part of a team state title.

Rosselli’s added strength knows no bounds at this point. Once the implement leaves his hand, there’s no telling how far it will fly.