When it comes to throwing events in track and field, the Garland family has a long history at Oak Park and River Forest.
Reese Garland, a class of 2023 graduate, earned an athletic scholarship to the University of Southern California and is throwing the discus and shot put for the women’s track and field program.
Next year, she’ll see a familiar face on the Trojans’ men’s team as her brother Kaden, an OPRF senior, told the Wednesday Journal that he is committed to USC as a thrower.
“Definitely a big part of it was the facilities and the coach,” Garland said. “Obviously Reese being there was another factor, and I like the nice weather.”
The Garland siblings have been throwing since middle school. They were introduced to the shot put and discus by their father, Ty, who himself was a thrower.
“We liked it and stuck with it,” Garland said.
Garland’s dedication is evident based on results. Last season, he won both the shot put and discus titles at the West Suburban Silver meet and the IHSA Class 3A Proviso East sectional respectively. He went on to place fifth in the shot put and 11th in the discus at the state championships.
This year, Garland is off to a terrific start. At the OPRF Triangular, Feb. 8, he established a new personal best as well as the field house record with his winning shot put throw of 18.59 meters (60 feet, 11.89 inches). Then he won the Grayslake Central Throwing Showcase, Feb. 17, with a toss of 17.99 meters (59 feet, 0.3 inches).
“I’m really happy with where I’m at right now,” Garland said. “I’ve improved a lot since the start of the year, and I’m looking forward to bigger marks.”
He is currently the top-ranked thrower in the state and is ranked 14th nationally. He says the hard work he puts in has been the key to his success.
“Training year-round and being consistent is big,” he said. “Shot put is from January to May, and training year-round is like double the work that other people, who don’t take it as seriously, do. I’m grateful for the work I’ve been able to put in.”
Garland’s efforts will be on display this week as he participates in two high-profile national events: the Nike Indoor National, March 8, in New York City, and the New Balance Indoor National, March 10, in Boston.
“I’m extremely excited for that,” he said.
He’s also excited about OPRF’s potential for the upcoming outdoor season. Last year, the Huskies took home their sixth consecutive WSC Silver championship, won the Proviso East sectional, and finished eighth at the Class 3A state meet.
“Right now, we’re looking pretty good,” said Garland. “We’re looking forward to showing teams how good we can be.”
OPRF also recently debuted an on-campus track and field facility with regulation lanes and designated areas for jumps and throws. Although there are currently no meets scheduled for this spring there, Garland said he hopes to somehow get a chance to throw there during a competition.
“I would love to,” he said. “We used to train at Concordia [University in River Forest], so training here has made a huge difference. All we have to do is just walk outside and we’re there.”