By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
St. Joseph Central senior, thrower, record holder and three-time state medalist Makenzie Garr announced her verbal commitment to Missouri Western State University track and field on April 10.
She made that commitment official Thursday, signing her national letter of intent to the Griffons surrounded by friends and family at Central High School.
"I thought about it and it's just nice to stay home and become a Griffon," Garr said.
Garr, a two-sport standout at Central, currently holds both school records in girls' shot put (44 feet-7 inches) and girls' discus (130 feet-2.5 inches).
Her shot put record, broken just this spring, ranks No. 1 in Missouri in Class 5 and No. 21 in the nation overall.
Garr medaled third at state track in 2021 in shot put after the 2020 season was wiped away due to COVID-19.
In 2022, as a junior, Garr medaled fourth at state in both shot put and discus.
With her senior season coming to a close this May, Garr has her sights set on even more lofty achievements.
"I feel like my season is so short, because things are going fast," she said. "My goal is to get a top distance at sectionals and head to state again. I just need to practice more and once I get to state, I just need to be calm and throw harder. So, I just want to be calm and throw it out there."
Garr, an all-district and all-city pitcher for Central softball also, is the younger sister of Jordan Garr.
Jordan, a state champion in shot put, graduated from Central in 2017 and became a three-time all-American shot put thrower at Missouri Western before transferring to Missouri Southern in Joplin last year.
Garr became an all-American shot put thrower again this past March with Southern at the NCAA Indoor national championships in Virginia, where he placed fourth nationally.
"He's really skilled in this sport," Makenzie said of her brother. "He taught me a lot of things about the coaches and all of that. So, I'm comfortable following in his footsteps and all of that."
Garr has made waves her entire varsity career, and this season is no exception. She competed at the KU Relays on April 14 against elite talent from all across the region. At that event, Garr placed third in shot put with a throw of 43 feet-5 inches.
"There was a lot of people there from out of state," Garr said. "I had never seen them before. So, I feel like I just needed to be calm and just throw it and I did - enough to make the top eight."
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