A new pair of shoes, a personal best and a state championship: Fairfield’s Meri Jackson stands at the top of the podium 

COLUMBUS — Sometimes a girl just needs a new pair of shoes … to become a state champion. 

Fairfield junior Meri Jackson was down to her final throw, sitting in sixth place at the 2026 Division V State Track and Field Championships shot put event on Thursday just outside Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium on the campus of The Ohio State University. 

Having her first five throws of the day help move her into the finals, none of the five throws surpassed the 40-foot mark, and Jackson knew her final throw had to be her best. 

Wearing red-and-white Adidas that ripped on her, Jackson changed into a new pair of throwing shoes, bright yellow Nikes, before making her final throw. Fairfield’s Jackson, on her sixth — and final attempt — of the day not only surpassed the 40-foot mark, not only threw her career best, not only set a new school record, but she took over the first-place position with what became a state championship throw of 42-07.25 in what was also her state debut for her high school career. 

“I am beyond proud of Meri, she has worked tirelessly, putting in extra time, working through her progressions and preparing herself and making sure she is ready for her moment," Fairfield girls track and field head coach Cohen Frost said. "I am so thankful for Jessica Fite as she has worked with Meri all season and has really made an impact in her training. I could not be more proud of the way Meri has represented our school and our community.”

Jackson's throwing coach Jessica Fite also commented about Jackson and her winning a state championship. 

"We talked about being a state champion all season, from day one of practice," Fite said. "We talked about it every day, we envisioned it, and she made it happen. Definitely, hard work pays off. I told her to go all out on her last throw, and see what happens, and that's what she did."

When Jackson made her final throw and found out the distance once it was announced, she put her hands on the top of her head in shock, shed some tears, and a few minutes later, learned she was the newest OHSAA state champion. 

Maybe it was the shoes after all. 

“I was kind of freaking out. I changed my shoes right before the meet because my other pair, they ripped out the bottom,” Jackson said. “I went last night to a store, and I got brand-new shoes, so I decided to just put those on. I put them on, and threw with them, and got me pretty far, 42-something, I don't even remember how far, 42-07. The red ones (the shoes that ripped) that I threw in before were Adidas. They were from my coach that went to UC, and I got brand-new yellow Nikes.”

Jackson’s day didn’t begin how she wanted, as the 80-plus-degree day full of sunshine and blue skies at OSU wasn’t near as bright as Jackson wanted it to be with her first throw being 39-03.75. 

Jackson’s second throw of the day was a foul, and the third went a distance of 38-00.25. Her first throw of the day (39-03.75) was good enough to qualify her into the finals with a fifth-place spot at prelims. 

In the finals — the Top 8 from prelims — Jackson fell to sixth place with throws of 38-06 and 38-11.25. Still, she had one throw remaining, and that’s all that mattered. 

As the old cliché goes, Jackson “saved her best for last.” That final throw of 42-07.25 sailed into the air and landed with force, causing a divot in the sand with its landing spot well past the 40-foot mark (42-07.25) and into the record books for her school, and to the top of the podium at the state meet.

“Well, it started off pretty rough. The first few throws, well the first five throws, they weren't really what I was anticipating me throwing,” she said. “Then toward the end, I just prayed about it and that got me where I need to be today.”

Jackson spoke about the moment she knew she was a state champion. 

“It was a bunch of emotions, I started crying. It was amazing. I'm so grateful for this,” Jackson said. “When I turned around, it was pretty far, and everyone was yelling, so I knew it must have been something good.”

Jackson entered the state meet in shot put with the second-best throw from regionals, with a regional championship distance of 40-08.75, which was also her personal-best throw in her three-year high school career before Thursday. 

At the Southeast District meet, Jackson was first place with a throw of 39-8, and before that in the Southern Hills Athletic Conference Championships (SHAC), the Fairfield junior won that event with a throw of 33-8.5. 

The first-ever girls track and field state champion from Fairfield had many thanks to give, and even looked a little toward the future. 

“I'd like to thank God, for sure. I want to thank my family for being such great supporters. My coach Jessica Fite, for sure, she really pulled through this year. I'm happy she's here. Just my coaches in general,” she said. “It's going to be great [my senior year]. Next year's going to be amazing. I have a big family, but also a bunch of people from Leesburg came today and were really great supporters. It felt really nice to get that throw, that 42-07.”

On Friday, Jackson competed in the state discus throw in Division V with her top throw being 112-00.

"I was very excited to be here and happy I had the opportunity," Jackson said of throwing in the discus event as well. It was windy, but that didn't really affect me. It is what it is. This isn't my strong suit, but next year I'm hoping to progress better at this.

I’m really grateful I had the opportunity to be here for both my events I've done this season. I know what I need to work on, so I'll be better next season. I’ll work on it in the offseason and get better for next year."