One chapter ends, another begins. For the past six years, the Showalter brothers, Connor and Caden, left an impressive mark on the school record books.
Now, recent graduate Connor Showalter will celebrate the next step in his athletic career, as he signed on to join the track and field program at Keiser University in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Fresh off two All-State finishes in the 2A Track and Field Championships earlier this month, Showalter will look to carry his success in the throwing events to collegiate level.
One of the many achievements in Showalter's career – he now owns the school record in the shot put, breaking a nearly 5- year-old mark with a throw of 52 feet, 11.5 inches. Add to that a lengthy list of meet titles, all-state performances in the throwing circle, and a brilliant basketball career, and Showalter earned a spot on a shortlist of the school’s most prolific athletes.
During their two seasons of overlap in high school, Connor and Caden provided a one-two punch on the court and in the circle that few area teams could match. Father and athletic director Heath Showalter served as a coach and mentor to them, leading to their postsecondary athletic and academic pursuits.
Connor earned second-team all-state in basketball after his junior and senior seasons and finished at the top of all-time scoring lists for Bluejays basketball.
For the Seahawks of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, he'll get to expand his repertoire to include the hammer throw, javelin and indoor weight throw, along with shot put and discus. Keiser University participates in the SUN Conference, and is coming off a runner-up finish in its league competition.
Both the Bluejays – now entering the post-Showalter era – and Connor himself will write the next chapter in Mancos sports.
