Walker Whalen, a three-sport senior standout in track and field, wrestling and football at Indianola High and an Iowa signee, joins DyeStat editor Erik Boal to discuss competing in the Iowa high school 4A boys discus throw final May 19 at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa. Whalen, the No. 4 all-time prep competitor in Iowa with a 202-10 (61.82m) performance, reflects on his 25-foot improvement since last season and his determination to emerge victorious after placing fifth at last year's state meet with a mark of 164-2 (50.03m). He also speaks about the motivation of being able to compete against reigning 4A state champion McKade Jelinek of Linn-Mar and his personal-best 183-8 (55.98m) effort. Whalen shares his three career goals of eclipsing the Indianola program record, winning a Drake Relays title and capturing a 4A state championship, and how he has achieved two of them, prevailing April 28 at "America's Athletic Classic" with a 191-5 (58.34m) performance. He examines how significant it would be to secure the first boys state title for Indianola in any event since 2012 and the first in the discus since 1992. Whalen also analyzes the potential to challenge the all-time state meet record of 197-5 (60.17m) produced by Tom Yezek of Northwood-Kensett in 2016. He also explains how profound it is to be one of four athletes in Iowa prep history to surpass the 200-foot mark and how meaningful it would be to challenge the 1978 record of 207-8 held by Scott Crowell of Mason City. Whalen also explains how inspiring it is to have seven athletes in the state this season surpassing 180 feet, including five competitors in the 4A classification. He revisits postseason experiences from throughout his senior year, including reaching the quarterfinals in football for a 9-2 team and accumulating 12.5 tackles for loss and five sacks, in addition to scoring a pair of touchdowns, as well as placing fifth at 195 pounds in the state wrestling tournament. Whalen also looks forward to competing for Iowa and collaborating with Hawkeyes throws coach Ray Robinson, in addition to the potential matchup of throwing against reigning collegiate record holder, 19-year-old Mykolas Alekna of Cal, who is expected to represent Lithuania in July at the World Outdoor Championships in Oregon.