Waldron incoming freshman chasing records, titles in discus and shot put

WALDRON -- The spotlight has not yet fully found Maleah Williams.

Based on her impressive marks in the shot put and discus, Williams’ time is coming.

Her top throws in the shot put (42 feet) and discus (148-7.25) would have landed her fourth and second, respectively, in the 2025 IHSAA State Championship Meet.

Only Williams has yet to compete as a high school athlete at Waldron. She becomes a freshman in August.

“She is the perfect combination of natural talent, good in the weight room and not afraid to get after it and push herself,” said Waldron track coach D.J. Higdon.

On May 24, Williams captured the discus state championship at the Indiana Middle School State Championships at Indiana State University in Terre Haute. Her winning throw of 127 feet, 11 inches bested the field by more than 18 feet. And she was still 20 feet short of her personal best set at the Shelby County Meet.

Williams fouled on her first three attempts that day in Terre Haute before finally putting it all together.

“I shanked the first three,” said Williams. “I was really trying to stay confident and just keep it in (bounds). That was the struggle. I was thinking about aiming at a giant pole down the middle of the (throwing area) … there was an internet pole way out across multiple roads. I was aiming at it.”

Williams also finished second in the shot put with a new personal best. Greenwood seventh grader Liv Judge won the state title with a top throw of 44-9.5.

The top 10 finishers in the shot put at the IHSAA state meet were all juniors and seniors. Whitko’s Gwen Howard was the state champion at 46-11.

The Judge family may be the biggest threat to Williams winning a state title. Greenwood’s Maddison Judge, a freshman, finished fifth in the discus at the state meet with a throw of 141-5.

Judge and Silver Creek sophomore Sophia Scott (137-10) were the only two underclassmen in the top 10.

“I don’t see why she doesn’t set records at Waldron that never get broken,” said Higdon.

In her first high school meet, Williams, the daughter of Chad and Kim Williams, should break both Waldron records held by Vanessa Higdon. She also is intent on topping both of the boys records at Waldron, including the one held by her older brother Dalen (160-11).

Adam Tindall currently holds the Waldron shot put record at 48-11. Williams’ other brother, Braylon, just missed breaking that record during his career.

Strength is key to success but there also is an athletic component involved with creating distance.

“Some people think just because you are strong you can muscle it out,” said Williams. “In shot put, that definitely helps. If you don’t have any technique, you can just muscle it out.

“In discus, if you try and rip it, it will fight you and go shorter. If you don’t, it will go further.”

Williams has a full slate of summer track and field meets on her docket while continuing to work with Higdon.

“We work upstairs in the weight room. We work on different explosive movements,” said Williams. “That will translate out in the ring. We work on foot placement a lot upstairs to get the rhythm down. A lot of your technique is your rhythm. Even if you watch the pros, you will see everybody is slightly different. We work on what works best for me. What the technique is for me.”

“We are building a foundation of strength through the weight room,” said Higdon. “Form is a secondary component. She needs to get more explosive.”

Williams has seen the state finals results and knows where she stands before ever competing in a high school meet. She admits that is exciting but knows the future is not guaranteed.

“I think about how I can grow to better myself,” she said. “Instead of thinking what everyone else’s opinion is of me, I think of my opinion of myself and try and grow that to be the best I can possibly be.

“Everyone else can tell me I’m good but I want to keep working until I think I am good.”

That spotlight as one of the state’s top throwers will help her realize just how good she has already become.

“This is slowly starting to change her exposure with the middle school (success),” said Higdon. “I think she is ready for the spotlight and its coming.”

Chad Williams photos

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