- April 8, 2025
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Liam St. John stumbled onto a path last year that could lead him to becoming Lakewood Ranch High's record-holder in the javelin.
St. John, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound sophomore, plays tight end for the school’s football team, but he wanted something to fill his free time in the spring.
His decided to join the track and field team.
The only problem was that he had no experience in the sport, and he wasn’t sure where to start.
At the suggestion of Chris Monoki, a football offensive line coach and the sprint and relays coach for the track and field team, St. John started throwing discus.
During a meet, though, the Mustangs' javelin thrower was sick, and St. John agreed to fill the spot.
He threw 42.40 meters that day (March 23, 2024), which was good enough for third at the ODA Thunder Classic. He’s never looked back.
“It’s inspiring,” Monoki said. “It’s confidence-building, and that confidence leaks back into everything else. If he thinks he can throw, maybe he can (also) do the 400 (meter run). He has the stride length for it. I hope that it also goes into his classes, where if he ever finds a class that’s a challenge, then he says, ‘You know what, I can get over this, too.’”
St. John’s throws improved with each meet as he learned the technique.
Less than a month after his first attempt, he had already increased his javelin throw to 44.33 meters and had placed in the top-four in four of his five varsity meets.
St. John said his steady progress was a revelation. He had found something he excelled at, which meant it was time to start taking the sport seriously.
That led him to take the school’s javelin to his home, which sits on 11 acres and makes for a nice practice area. He would practice in the cow pasture while listening to Lo-Fi hip-hop.
Using a rangefinder — an instrument golfers use to measure the distance from their ball to the pin — St. John measures how far he throws his javelin at home.
When he isn't practicing, he said he searches for Olympic javelin highlights on YouTube. Though he said he doesn’t even know the names of the throwers, he takes notes about their technique.
“We don’t really have a javelin coach,” St. John said. “I’ve taught myself everything I’ve known from YouTube.”
Using his phone, St. John started to record his practices and compare them to videos of the best throwers he could find.
The results speak for themselves.
St. John went on to win the 2024 4A District 8 meet with a throw of 48.31 meters.
He finished fourth at the 4A Region 2 meet with a throw of 46.80 meters, which left him two spots away from moving to the state meet.
Despite not advancing, he was hooked on his new sport.
He said there’s still progress to be made, and the early results are promising.
His best throw last year left him ranked No. 78 overall in the state, per the Track and Field Results Reporting System, but that was good enough to be No. 1 among all freshmen.
He kept up his pursuits last summer with a trip to Greensboro, North Carolina to compete in the AAU Junior Olympic Games.
Competing against other throwers in his age bracket, St. John had a strong showing. He finished eighth out of 71 competitors in the nationwide event with a throw of 42.61 meters.
Last season’s success has carried over to the start of this track and field season.
After debuting this season with a fourth-place finish at the Bobcat Relays Feb. 14 with a throw of 41.80 meters, St. John won the Pirate Booty Invitational at Braden River High with a throw of 47.40 meters.
He uncorked his personal-best throw of 50.39 meters to place first at the Lakewood Ranch Invitational on Feb. 28. That throw is currently the second-best in 4A Region 3 this season and the seventh-best in the 4A classification.
With a district championship already under his belt, the natural next step would be to place among the top two finishers at regionals and advance to the state meet.
Along the way, he said he hopes to break Lakewood Ranch High’s school record of 51.45 meters set by senior Blake Wood in 2021.
“He has great explosion and a very fast arm,” said Lakewood Ranch throwers coach Dave Revord, who specializes in discus and shot put, but also aids St. John in javelin practice. “It’s like a whip. I think he can definitely break the school record if he spends the time on it.”
