Shue Wins at Arcadia Invitational

Photo Credits:

Photo Credit Tom Smith - MileSplit

Shue Completes 3-Peat In Shot Put At Arcadia

Benji Shue of Bergen Catholic, one of the best throwers in state history, won his third straight title in the shot put in a great NJ duel with CBA's Marcus Blasucci on Saturday night at the Arcadia Invitational in California. The University of Texas-bound Shue was leading Blasucci by a quarter of an inch when he unloaded a throw of 63-0 on his fifth attempt, his best throw this season and No. 3 in NJ this season. Shue, a lefty spiner, took the lead for good with a 61-6.25 on his second throw, and Blasucci responded with a 61-6 on his third attempt, which earned him a runner-up finish.

Shue's series consisted of 59-2.25, 61-6.25, 61-3.50, Foul, 63-0, Foul.

Shue, the New Balance National champion in the discus last year, owns PR's of 69-2 in the shot put, which is No. 2 in NJ outdoor history, and 205-4 in the discus, which is No. 5 in NJ history. Blassuci, a senior and one of three CBA throwers who went over 56 feet in the competition, also had a strong series with four throws of 60 feet - 59-0.75, 60-2.50, 61-6, Foul, 60-1.75, 60-9. CBA's Albert Yodakis finished 10th with a 56-6 and Cameron Feiler placed 12th with a throw of 56-3. Yodakis also placed 7th in the discus with a PR of 159-4. This is the deepest NJ has ever been in the boys shot put with 10 guys with PR's of over 60 feet, the most in NJ history.

With Shue, and national indoor champs Anthony Liakhnovich of Hammonton (PR of 66- 3.75), Peter Donini of Delbarton (65-10.75), and Jonathan Harris of Delsea (65-6) leading the charge in the circle, could we see just the third thrower state history to hit 70 feet!!!!?? Nick Vena of Morristown owns the state outdoor record with the 75-10.75 he launched in 2011 and Braheme Days of Bridgeton threw 70-8 indoors in 2012.

It could happen!!!

Also, checkout the interview with Ben by Youth Runner Magazine. Where they talk about Ben's success at Arcadia. Click the link for interview.

Benjamin Shue, a Texas-bound senior at Bergen Catholic High in New Jersey, won his third consecutive title in the boys invitational shot put with a fifth-round performance of 63 feet (19.20m) at the 57th Arcadia Invitational at Arcadia High in California. Shue, who captured four career titles at Arcadia, also took third in the invitational discus throw with a fifth-round effort of 200-1 (60.98m). Shue became the only male athlete in meet history to capture three consecutive invitational shot put titles.

Source Link: https://nj.milesplit.com/articles/358027/shue-completes-3-peat-in-shot-put-at-arcadia?utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=campaign_12649035

Athlete's Latest Article

Injured Shue repeats at Meet of Champions

Jun 05, 2025

Shue repeats as discus champion despite injury woesShue is undoubtedly the best thrower in New Jersey. A 43-year-old North Jersey discus record? In the bag. 2024 New Balance Nationals? Of course, he brought home the title. 2024 State Meet of Champions? It was a given. But a torn pectoral muscle has slowed down his trajectory. For the last four weeks, Shue has not practiced and his results, although still among New Jersey’s best, have significantly dropped. A 174-10 throw at the Gene “Red” Littler Bergen County Championships was still good for first place, but was over eight feet behind his throw at the league championship. Teaneck’s Everton Bills outhrew Shue by over 13 feet at the Bergen Meet of Champions. Shue’s throw of 173-4 at the Non-Public A group meet led to just his third second-place finish at a New Jersey track and field meet in four years. Shue called his injury a guessing game. One day it would be great. Another day it wouldn’t. To repeat at SMOC, he needed luck to be on his side and a fast start to break his funk. He got both. “I knew that if I was going to do something, I was going to have to put something out there first to set the tone. I feel like I did that today,” Shue said.A throw of 186-11 set the standard. But the job wasn’t finished as Petter Donini, Anthony Liakhnovich, Capp DeShelpo and Bills remained in contention. He paced back and forth between throws. His father, Bill, shouted instructions and guidance to him and Bills, who he helps train, to help with the process. Yet as the event continued, his chest pain got worse and worse, which resulted in shorter throws. Liaknovich went close. Donini went closer and came within two feet of the Texas signee. It seemed inevitable that someone would catch the stricken Shue. But his first throw was enough to hold off the six from each of his close competitors for a first title in just under a month. “I saw them bomb and I just got that feeling like when I’m about to wrestle or play a football game,” Shue said. “It wasn’t easy, but getting the first throw out of the way just took a lot of pressure off me.”

Meet of Champions: Ben Shue repeats as discus champ

Jun 04, 2025

Bergen Catholic’s Shue overcomes injury to defend discus title at 2025 Meet of ChampionsDespite battling a partially torn pectoral muscle that has hampered his performance in recent weeks, Bergen Catholic senior Ben Shue delivered when it mattered most. On Wednesday, Shue captured his second consecutive Meet of Champions discus title with a throw of 186-11—an emphatic statement of resilience and determination.Shue had finished second in both the Bergen County Meet of Champions and the Non-Public A Championships, falling 30 to 40 feet short of his personal best. Many in his position might have ended their season early. But Shue, driven by a champion’s mindset, chose to compete.With the crowd clapping in rhythm—a signature move that’s become synonymous with his throws—Shue stepped into the circle and launched the winning mark, securing his place atop the state once again.“It’s not sugarcoating it to say that this season was tough,” said Shue afterwards. “I was coming from football season where I had torn rotator cuff and the throwing didn’t hurt, so in in my head i’m fine, but I couldn’t lift at all. I had to stop lifting during football and wrestling seasons. I finally was able to go 100% and had my best chest workout the Saturday after Penn Relays. That Tuesday afterwards was when I tore my pec”.“This was the best I felt with my chest”, Shue added. “Can’t complain with having it on a day like this and it’s it is special because of how things went last year, being pissed off from shot put to coming over here to PR and have a top five mark all time in SMOC [State Meet of Champions] history with no technique involved, I was just pissed off”.“I didn’t know how far it was gonna be, I thought it would be around what I threw or a little bit farther, but I knew I could come up with something around there because I’ve done millions of times, but it was just it was getting it done and that feeling of relief. After that last one, I looked at my dad, he fist bumped me and I shed a little tear, I knew it was special”.His journey through the Meet of Champions has been anything but linear. As a freshman, he entered as the top seed but finished sixth. He placed second as a sophomore before breaking through last year with a 205-4 throw, the fourth-longest in New Jersey history“Through the years this meet has owed me,” said Shue with a smile. “From freshman year, me and Fabian [Gonzalez] being one and two in the state all year long to finishing sixth, I went from freshman year to sophomore, both me and Fabian, dueling it out to where we’re both injured by the end of the season, then last year, I just kind of put it all together and this year, I just had to rebuild myself to to make my chest as good and ready as possible and it was enough today”.This season, he closes out his high school career with a season-best of 200-1, once again finishing as the state’s top discus thrower.For Shue, it’s a fitting end to a remarkable high school career—one defined not just by distance, but by heart.

Interview With Boys Discus Champ Benji Shue

Jun 04, 2025

In today’s video, we’re diving into an exclusive interview with one of New Jersey's standout athletes of the season, Benji Shue. Fresh off his impressive victory in the boys’ discus event, Benji shares his journey, training insights, and what it takes to dominate in such a challenging sport. Whether you’re a track and field enthusiast or just curious about what goes into becoming a champion, you won’t want to miss this. Let’s hear from the champ himself!" Click link below for full interview.