Mason Finley (Kansas) Transfers to Wyoming

Eight-time All-American at Kansas to compete in throws for Cowboys
Finley will compete for the Cowboys starting the 2013 indoor season.

Aug. 22, 2012


LARAMIE, Wyo. - Coming off a strong 2012 season, the Wyoming track and field program will receive additional momentum for 2013 as eight-time All-American thrower Mason Finley will join the Cowboys.

Finley, a Salida, Colo., native, joins Wyoming by way of Kansas where he was a four-time NCAA runner-up in the shot put and discus throw and four-time Big 12 champion. He will compete indoors in 2013 and redshirt the outdoor season, then have one full season in 2014.

"We are obviously thrilled to have Mason join our team, not only for his tremendous talent level but also because he is a great young man with the highest moral character," said Wyoming associate head track and field and throwing coach Paul Barrett. "He has incredible potential as one of the best young talents in the country, so we will work together to help him achieve his goals of winning NCAA titles and making world and Olympic teams in the future."

A 2009 Pan American junior champion in the discus throw, Finley earned the American junior record in the discus at 214' 4". He also set the national high school discus record his senior year in 2009 at 236' 6." His current personal records are 67' 11.25" in the shot put and 201' 5" in the discus throw.

Mason's father, Jared Finley, is a Wyoming graduate who was an All-American discus thrower in 1979.


Courtesy Wyoming
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Keith Conning: I remember seeing Mason Finley and his father Jared at the Ontario Airport before the 2009 Arcadia Invitational. They are both very large men. Mason is listed in the 2012 FAST Annual as 6-8/330.

"Finley, a senior at Buena Vista (Colo), threw 19.78m 64-7 3/4 in the Shot Put and a nation-leading 67.36m 221-0 in the Discus at Arcadia." http://www.iaaf.org/news/kind=100/newsid=50146.html

2012 Season Bests
SP 19.89/65-3.25 1 Mason Finley Kansas Apr 20 Kansas R
DT 61.40/201-5 1 Mason Finley Kansas Mar 24 BakerR-Baldwin City

U.S. Olympic Trials, Eugene, OR, June 25, 2012
Discus Non-qualifier: Mason Finley (Ks) 192-2 (58.59)
He missed qualifying for the finals by just 5 inches.

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Mason Finley (Kansas)

Class:
Junior

Hometown:
Salida, Colo.

High School:
Buena Vista High School

Height:
6-8

Event:
Throws

2011 OUTDOOR
Had one of the best seasons a thrower has ever had in a Kansas uniform, a season where he earned seven first-place finishes in the shot put and discus, was named to the All-American First Team in both events, was the Big 12 Champion in the shot put and runner-up in the discus and broke the school record in the discus... Placed third in the discus at the NCAA Championships (6/8) with a throw of 60.16m (197-4 ft.)... Took his second-consecutive conference title in the shot put at the Big 12 Championships (5/14), hitting a mark of 19.63m (64-05.00 ft.)... Set the school record in the discus at the ULM Warhawk Classic (4/30), finishing first with a throw of 60.65m (199-00 ft.)... Top shot put mark of the outdoor season came at the Kansas Relays (4/22), placing first with a mark of 19.84 (65-01.25 ft.)... Competed at the USA National Championships (6/26) in both the shot put and dicscus, earning 11th-place and eighth-place finishes, respectively... Placed third in the shot put at the World University Games (8/16) while also earning an eighth-place finish in the discus... Named to the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team... Member of the Academic All-Big 12 First Team.

2011 INDOOR
Recorded the top shot put mark in the NCAA for the indoor season at the Kansas-Missouri Dual (1/14), placing first with a personal-best throw of 20.71m (67-11.25 ft.)... Earned All-American honors in the shot put at the NCAA Championships (3/11), placing second with a throw of 19.92m (65-04.25 ft.)... Was named field athlete of the meet at the New Balance Invitational (2/4) for his first-place finish in the shot put and his meet-record mark of 20.40m (66-11.25 ft.)... Earned a runner-up finish in the shot put at the Big 12 Championships (2/26), hitting a mark of 19.94m (65-05.00 ft.)... Won the weight throw at the Kansas-Missouri Dual (1/14) on a mark of 18.51m (60-08.75 ft.), a personal best.

2010 OUTDOOR
Named NCAA Midwest Region Male Track and Field Athlete of the Year... Named Big 12 Most Outstanding Male Athlete of the Year... Placed first in seven of the 10 events he competed in... Competed in the discus at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships (6/9), finishing second with a mark of 58.35m (191-05 ft.)... Also competed in the shot put at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships (6/12), finishing second with a season and personal best throw of 20.68m (67-10.25 ft.)...Won the shot put at the Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships (5/14) with a throw of 19.12m(62-08.75 ft.)... Placed first in the discus at the Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships (5/16) with a season and personal-best throw of 60.18m (197-05 ft.).

2010 INDOOR
Selected as All-American in the shot put... Twelfth KU athlete to be named Indoor All-American... Recorded five first-place finishes in the shot put... Won Big 12 Championship (2/27) in shot put with a season-best throw of 19.25m (63-02.00 ft.)... Competed in NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships (3/12) and finished fifth with a throw of 18.75 (61-06.25 ft.) in the shot put... Competed in the weight throw at the Kansas vs. Missouri Dual (1/15) and finished fourth with a throw of 15.55m (51-00.25 ft.).

HIGH SCHOOL
Selected as the 2009 Track and Field News Boys Athlete of the Year... National high school record-holder in the discus (236-6 ft.)... Won the gold medal and set a new U.S.A. Juniors record in the discus at the 2009 Pan American Juniors Championships, where he threw 214-4 ft... Won gold in both the discus and shot put at the 2009 Nike Outdoor Nationals, where he set a personal best 71-8.75 ft. in the shot put and threw 211 ft. in the discus... 2009 Great Southwest Classic discus champion... 2009 Golden West shot put and discus champion... Three-time Colorado state champion in both discus and shot put... Lived in Salida, Colo., and attended Salida High School for two years before transferring to Buena Vista High School for his junior and senior years.

PERSONAL
Son of Jared and Lisa Finley... Born in Kansas City, Mo... Father, Jared, was a high school state discus champion at Wyandotte in Kansas City, Mo., and also threw discus for the University of Wyoming... Has twin sisters, Matia and Rebecca... Majoring in film/acting.

Courtesy Kansas