My Words: Ready for my moment
Jason Swarens
10/9/2025
Growing up as an only child might suggest a solitary path, but my early years were rich with the presence of numerous accomplished athletes within my extended family. From a young age, it became evident that track and field wasn’t merely an interest or a pastime, but an essential, almost genetic, cornerstone of my identity.
A lot of my family members were student-athletes at the college level. My grandpa played football and ran track at Wisconsin, my grandma was a member of the dance team at UW and my mom’s sister ran track for the Badgers. Meanwhile, my uncle competed in track at UW-La Crosse and my mom’s sister ran track at Illinois State.
I was in the sixth grade, playing football and basketball, when I learned that my mom was once a thrower at Indiana State. She happened to be a teacher at my middle school who also served as coach of the track team.
I like to think that I found a way to channel their experiences – all of their struggles, triumphs, commitment and lessons learned – into my five years at Wisconsin. In the end, not only did I earn a degree in mechanical engineering, I was able to do some things as an athlete that I hope made them proud.
I came to Madison from Terra Haute, Indiana, in the midst of the COVID pandemic using the glide technique, a method of throwing the shot that involves a backward sliding motion across the circle into a power position. Now I utilize a rotational style, which calls for a spinning motion similar to a discus throw that generates angular momentum prior to release. During my transition there was a good amount of doubt and struggle – it required a completely different rhythm and timing as well as a significant upgrade from a 12-pound ball in high school to a 16-pounder – but eventually I got the hang of it.
My coach, Dave Astrauskas, encouraged me to make the change and I’m glad he did. He maintains that while gliding is more consistent than the rotation, the rotation has more upside. His track record for making judgments like that goes to the heart of the throwing culture he’s created at Wisconsin.
Look at Taylor Kesner, who won the NCAA indoor title in the weight throw for the Badgers after transferring from Illinois State.
Look at Chloe Lindeman, who earned first-team All-American honors indoors and outdoors in the weight throw all while in the midst of setting program records in the weight throw and hammer throw.
Look at Michael Lihrman, who won the NCAA indoor title in the weight throw in 2014 and ’15. He also set school records in the weight and hammer throws.
It’s nice to have a lot of UW teammates that are just as successful because you know where they’ve come from and how much work they’ve put into their craft. That goes for all the student-athletes I met in the DeJope dorm early on in my career, from men’s soccer, softball and wrestling, to women’s track, women’s rowing and men’s track.
My final throw as a college shot putter turned out to be the most fulfilling. I had finished second in the NCAA Outdoor Championships the year before, but was sitting in fourth place going into my last try. That’s when I checked in with Coach Dave, who had a simple message.
“You’re ready for this moment,” he said. “Go get it.”
Two throws before me, Thomas Kitchell from North Carolina threw 20.80 meters to move into first place. In my head I knew it would take at least 21 meters to win.
Normally when I throw, I always grunt, but on this particular one I didn’t for some reason. I just yelled loudly when I saw where it landed. I could tell right away it was the furthest one out there and just started yelling and screaming as the shot landed 21.23 meters away. That euphoric feeling of triumph, of standing on top of the podium, is one I’ll never forget.
That euphoric feeling of triumph, of standing on top of the podium, is one I’ll never forget.Jason Swarens
Going into my freshman year at UW back in 2021, I don’t know that I ever thought my career would end like this. I knew that I could throw far and I had the feeling in my gut that I could be the best shot putter to compete at Wisconsin. In the end, I accomplished what I set out to outdoors. I topped 70 feet and put myself in position to contend for a berth on the U.S. Olympic Team for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
My trust for Coach Dave has grown to the point that I’ve allowed him to take the reins in my training and will continue to coach me even though I’ve exhausted my athletic eligibility. I remember there was a day where I was asking him all these questions about logistical stuff, like what kind of lifts and practices we’d be doing in the coming months and what meets to go to next year. He said, “How about this Jason. I’ll do the thinking and you do the throwing.’’ From that moment on, I was like, “Sounds good to me.”
I think making the Olympic Team is very realistic even though it took 22.22 meters to make the world team this year, which is absurd. From my personal best of 21.37 meters to 22 meters, that’s about 2 feet that I need to add in three years. Next year is a gap year – meaning there are no Summer Olympics or World Championships – so time is on my side. That helps me out. I can really train hard for the next year, go to a couple of meets and get my world ranking up a bit.
I’ve always wanted to be the best shot putter I could be and to do that you have to make the Olympic team and win the Olympics. Those are my goals.
Outside of training, I’m looking for a part-time job right now just to keep me busy, anything that involves mechanical engineering would be great. You can only throw so much in a day without getting bored.
Funny, someone from World Wrestling Entertainment messaged me recently. I enjoy watching it – I tried wrestling in high school – but it’s really not my cup of tea. I have a personality, but not for something like that.
I haven’t said no yet, though. They have a tryout in December in Florida, where they gauge your athleticism, agility and personality. An acquaintance of mine said you can make a six-figure salary. I’m just seeing what happens.
No matter what happens, it’s been a really good year and I’m just getting started.