By T.J. Brinkerhoff
tj@newsroom.byu.edu
BYU shot put thrower Jim Roberts is planning to defeat everyone he competes against this year.
After all, the senior from Cleveland, Texas doesn't want to leave any unfinished business on the table at the end of his collegiate career.
Roberts placed third in the shot put at last year's NCAA finals.
The margin between his throw and the first-place throw was six inches.
'It was frustrating to know that I was six inches from becoming a national champion,' Roberts said.
'I want to take care of some business this year.'
Roberts also competed at the U.S. Olympic trials this year but did not qualify for the Olympic team.
He spent his summer in Florida doing an internship working with the Boy Scouts doing some deep-sea fishing.
But now that he is back in Provo, he is focused on one goal.
'There is one word that I have been thinking about, running it through my head and it is: Nobody. I don't want to get beat by anybody this year,' Roberts said.
'I want to be a national champion.'
Aside from his personal goals, Roberts believes that his teammates are really showing some potential this year.
Matt Holcomb, from King City, Calif., is working hard to make his mark as a hammer thrower.
'Matt wanted to compete last year,' Roberts said. 'But they made him redshirt so now he is here, and he is on a rampage.'
Holcomb competed in the junior nationals this past year and placed fourth in the hammer throw.
He is pleased with that result, especially considering that he is still learning the event.
'I threw the discus and shot put in high school, but the hammer is not an event on the high school level,' Holcomb said.
Holcomb posted personal bests in high school of 170 feet in the discus and 55 feet in the shot put.
He is hoping that he will be able to prove himself as a hammer thrower.
'The throwers are going to be really good this year. I just hope that I can contribute to their success,' Holcomb said.