Fahey Bank Athlete of the Month: River Valley's Ethan Lyon 'waiting to pop that big one'

CALEDONIA — Ethan Lyon has throw the shot put farther than 59 feet. He's tossed the discus 169 feet. No one else in the Marion area is close to those marks.

"I’m still waiting for him to pop that big one," River Valley throws coach Bill Fegley said of his All-Ohioan who ranks among the top eight in both disciplines among Division II throwers.

That's the standard from where the RV senior is starting this season in track and field.

"The biggest struggle right now is transitioning from practice to meets because in practice I’m obliterating school records and I feel great and then I get to the meets and it’s a mental block for me," Lyon said.

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Chasing records

Lyon's personal record in the shot put is 59 feet, 3.5 inches. His PR in the discus is just under 170 feet. But he wants the school records of 60-9 by Quinn Levering in 2011 and 175 feet by his brother Austin Levering in 2007.

"Once I calm down and focus on technique and getting to throw better, I think those records will fall. They are very doable," he said.

Lyon has seen the marks eclipsed in the practice rings.

"I’ve had great practices where I’ve thrown past that shot mark by three feet and the disc mark by like two feet," he said. "It’s awesome to see it in practice. It gets you excited, but you have to realize that it has to happen in the meet."

He's working on translating practice success into meet performances.

"I’ve thrown it enough in practice to where it’s like, ‘All right.’ At the beginning of the year, I was excited, and this is doable. Now it’s like it doesn’t mean anything. It’s got to happen in a meet," he said.

Fahey Bank Award winner

Performance is in the eye of the beholder. Maybe he's not moved by the results shown on the tape, but the thrower is still dominating.

Lyon went undefeated in both the shot put and discus in April, throwing the disc 165-10 and the shot 56-9.5 during the month. It was more than enough to claim the Fahey Bank Athlete of the Month Award for Marion County boys in April. It is his second Fahey Bank Award.

"It’s really cool. Last year when I got it the first time, I knew in our school history we’ve had some two-time winners and three-time winners, and I thought it would be cool to be a part of that," he said. "It’s a blessing to be able to win twice. I’ve got great teammates and coach and a great family around me. I’m happy I could win it a second time."

After winning a pair of Mid Ohio Athletic Conference championships by more than seven feet in the shot and nearly 20 feet in the discus to set the MOAC mark at 167-11 previously held by Austin Levering, Lyon is ready to see a truly big one in his postseason run.

"Heading into districts, I feel pretty good in discus," he said. "I think I’ll be able to make it out. Shot put I think I’ll make it out, but I’m not technically where I need to be yet. It’s a process and a lot of feeling it out and trying new things right now. It’s been a lot of playing around with technique. Some things have felt great and have worked, but again, it’s been a struggle trying to translate it to the meets."

The goal is to make it back to the state meet where he placed on the podium in the shot put to earn All-Ohio honors. He wants to be a double placer in 2024.

"In practice, he’s relaxed. In competition, he’s jacked up," Fegley said.

Over the next few weeks, the coach and athlete will work to bring the best from practice into the meets.

"That’s the tough thing because when you start thinking about it, you press," Fegley said. "And when you press, you can’t throw far. He needs to relax a little more and let it happen, instead of trying to force it. If you try to force it and speed up, you can lose 90 percent of your throw through the back of the ring. He’s just got to let it happen."

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Fahey Bank Athlete of the Month

● April Boys Nominees

● Winner: Ethan Lyon, senior, River Valley track and field.

● Hudson Warner, senior, Pleasant track and field.

● Stephen Castillo-Carey, senior, Elgin baseball.

● Carter Ferguson, senior, Marion Harding track and field.

● Evan Ricketts, sophomore, Ridgedale track and field.

This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Fahey Bank Athlete of the Month: River Valley's Ethan Lyon 'waiting to pop that big one'