Melton ready to build on high school success with Fort Scott track

For the last three years, Jaymes Melton has had a fondness for track and field — well the field part anyway.

Melton has been a thrower on the Wildcat track team all throughout high school and has seen gains every year. He’s also not ready to walk away from the sport he loves.

Melton, who won a state medal in the shot put this past season, will join the Fort Scott Community College track and field program this upcoming season as he signed with the Greyhounds earlier this year.

“Signing with a college to continue my track career meant a lot to me,” Melton said. “I felt like all my hard work in high school paid off. I have always enjoyed throwing, but my sophomore year I realized it was something I wanted to keep doing.”

It ended up being a special senior season for Melton, especially in the shot put. 

Melton set new personal bests on a weekly basis and saved his best throw for last. He set a new PR at the state meet back in May and left with his first state medal.

He also saw big gains in the discus as the season came to a close and he couldn’t have asked for a better end to his high school career.

“This was an amazing throwing season overall,” Melton said. “The coaches and team seemed to have a whole new level of determination. Maybe it was because it was my senior year, but we wanted to leave our mark at every meet. Each week we worked really hard to improve our distances. At the start of the season, I set some pretty big goals. I wasn’t sure if I could reach them, but I was going to give it my all.  As the season went on, I began PR’ing each week.  That was exciting and it pushed me to want to get further and further with my throws. 

“Making it to state was already a huge deal for me, but medaling at state and setting my final PR, was beyond anything I expected. It definitely exceeded my goals and it made all those hours worth it. It felt incredible to see my hard work pay off in such a big way.”

Now Melton is ready to continue that hard work with Fort Scott and head coach Philip Redrick. The Greyhounds have experienced a lot of success in recent years and Melton is excited to be a part of an up and coming program.

Along with continuing in the shot put and discus, Melton will also take up the hammer throw.

“Fort Scott felt like the right fit for me because the moment I visited, everyone was so welcoming and friendly,” Melton said. “Coach Redrick was really supportive and seemed genuinely interested in helping me improve. I can see myself training and getting better under his leadership. He is also a big pusher for academics, and I like the idea of a coach not just pushing me to be better in my events but also to be successful in life.”

As for what he hopes to achieve with the Greyhounds, he is about bettering himself, like he did in his final year in Louisburg.

“When I get on campus, the expectation is to work really hard and keep improving my throwing skills,” Melton said. “I want to make a good impression on my coach and teammates by showing my dedication and effort. I have set a few goals for myself, I want to improve my skills and set some new personal records. Fort Scott has some school records that I am going to try and reach.  

“Second, learning to balance my academics and athletics well. The top goal at Fort Scott is to earn my degree, the track team is a huge bonus for me to be a part of. Overall, I want to make the most of my time at Fort Scott and leave a positive mark on the track program and be proud of my accomplishments and effort while there.”