Brentwood sophomore Sophia Rivera, after setting school records in discus and shot put as a freshman, has wasted no time besting her previous records, and more.
In December Brentwood sophomore Sophia Rivera attended the Kultan Kiehas Javelin Camp and was selected to be a part of an elite javelin development program involving year-round training as well as sponsored attendance at javelin camps in the United States as well as a trip to Finland this summer to train and compete. Javelin is very big in Finland.
Saturday was her first outdoor track meet of the season, according to her mother, Michelle Hassemer. The Riveras were on spring break in Orlando, so they entered her in a meet at Disney’s Wide World of Sports.
She won both the shot and discus, opening the season with personal records in both. Since she already owned the school records (won as a freshman) in both events she also set new school records. (Editor: I checked with MSHSAA, and even though the meet was in Florida, it was still legit for Rivera to set school records.)
In addition to throwing discus and shot for Brentwood this track season, Rivera will be competing in at the USA Team Trials in the shot put, discus and javelin. The top two finishers in each event will be eligible for selection to represent the United States at the World Youth Olympics in Nanjing, China, in August.
Over the winter she juggled basketball and indoor track meets. Playing basketball for Brentwood, Rivera led the conference in rebounds and blocked shots. She also led the entire St. Louis area in blocked shots.
