Her rise to a national record-breaking thrower has been a life changer for Raven Saunders

Raven Saunders wasted no time in etching her name into the record books.

The senior from Burke High in South Carolina smashed the national mark in the shot put at the New Balance Nationals on Saturday with a heave of 56 feet, 7.5 inches. Her effort broke the existing record of 54-9.25, set by Michelle Carter of Red Oak (TX) at the nationals in 2003.

Saunders’ winning distance came on her first toss.

“I was kind of looking forward to it but I didn’t know how far it would actually be,” she said. “I knew it would be about 54 feet but I never thought it would be 56.”

Saunders demonstrated consistency throughout the afternoon with all her throws exceeding 50 feet. She beat a talented field that included three more that reached the half-century mark. Liberty (NV) senior Ashlie Blake was second at 53-10.5 (US #2). Stamatia Scarvelis,  a senior from Dos Pueblos (CA), finished third with a throw of 52-8 and senior Lena Giger of Highland (IL) placed fourth at 50-feet even (US #4).

The Burke shot-putter had a nearly three-foot best, but she wasn’t surprised by her performance.

“Actually I have seen it for a while,” Saunders said.” I have been working hard in practice. We hit 54 sometimes. There’s been a couple of meets where I hit it in my warm-ups. I kind of have been seeing it for a while now. I was just waiting for it to come.”

What’s her thoughts on the victory?

“It feels great,” she said. “It’s one of the best feelings in the world.”

Championship Girls Shot Put (View Official Results)