Kiski Area's Hepler earns medal at national track and field meet
Kiski Area rising sophomore CJ Hepler placed sixth in the freshman discus competition Friday at the New Balance Nationals Outdoor Championships in Greensboro, N.C.
Using a disc slightly lighter than what is used for high school competitions, Hepler completed a toss of 164 feet, 1 inch on his first of six throws.
He finished only eight inches away from fifth, but he still was able to take home a medal from the field of 20 of the top rising sophomores in the country.
Hepler was the only freshman to throw the discus at the WPIAL Class AAA championships May 16 at Slippery Rock University. He took 12th (128-4), and was just six feet from a top-eight medal.
He owns a varsity career best of 133-1 recorded at the Pine-Richland last chance meet a week before WPIALs.
Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.
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