Matt Cahoon has already proven he’s one of the best athletes in the state.

Now, the Holly Pond graduate can officially say he’s one of the best in the country.

Cahoon recently represented Cullman City Parks and Recreation in the USATF National Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships at Kansas University, where he placed third overall in the boys 17-18 discus (178-10) and 22nd overall in the javelin (158-07). His excellent performance in the former event earned him a bronze medal and a coveted spot on the podium.

GymTek Academy’s Joshua Sobota took home the gold with a 186’2″ throw.

“To make the finals and be in the top three, I was through the roof,” Cahoon said. “That was great, even though I didn’t do that great with javelin. The conditions weren’t perfect. It was wet, it was slippery. My distance, though, was a personal best. I’m happy with that.”

The Samford signee — who was competing at nationals for a second straight summer — qualified this year by finishing first (discus) and second (javelin) in the state meet at The University of South Alabama before finishing second (discus) and fourth (javelin) in the regional meet at Alabama A&M University.

“This was sort of my last meet as a high school guy,” Cahoon added. “I’m a collegiate athlete now. I’m on a Division 1 team. I’m certainly excited to get started with that, but I’ve had a lot of fun competing against some great competition.”

Cullman’s Bailey Hayes (10th in 15-16 hammer and 35th in 15-16 discus), Fairview’s Dylan Garner (12th in 15-16 hammer), Cullman’s Emily Johnson (25th in 17-18 hammer) and Fairview’s Lorin Zehr (39th in 17-18 hammer, 44th in 17-18 discus and 49th in 17-18 shot put) also put forth solid efforts to round out the local participation.