TFRRS Page
COLLEGIATE PERSONAL BESTS: HT – 238-06 (72.70m), WT – 72-4.25 (22.05m), DT – 181-3 (55.26m), SP – 46-4.75 (14.14m)
CAREER RECORDS, AWARDS, AND NOTES
RECORDS: Hammer throw school record holder (73.67m, 241-8)…Third on Penn State’s all-time weight throw leaderboard (21.86m, 71-8.75)...Ninth on discus throw list (55.26m, 181-3).
AWARDS:
2x First Team All-American (’23 hammer, ’22 hammer)
1x Second Team All-American (’21 hammer)
1x Big Ten Outdoor Men’s Field Athlete of the Year (’22)
4x Second Team All-Big Ten (’23 hammer, ’22 hammer, ’22 weight, ’21 hammer)
1x Big Ten Bronze Medalist (’23 weight)
4x USTFCCCA All-Academic Team (’23, ’22, ’21, ‘20)
4x Academic All-Big Ten (’23, ’22, ’21, ‘20)
NOTES: Became the third Nittany Lion in program history to earn Big Ten Outdoor Men’s Field Athlete of the Year…Is the second Penn State hammer thrower to earn First Team All-America recognition in two consecutive seasons…Multiple-time competitor in the USATF Championships and Olympic Trials.
2023 Outdoor
Season: Earned First Team All-America honors for the second-straight season, becoming just the second Nittany Lion hammer thrower to accomplish that feat…Broke his own school record in the hammer throw and is the only hammer thrower in school history to eclipse 240 feet in the event…Finished in the top five in both the hammer and discus throws in all but one regular season meet.
Florida Relays (3/31-4/1): Collected a pair of top-five finishes in the hammer (234-8, 71.53m, 3rd) and discus (169-4, 51.62m, 5th) throws. LSU Lloyd Willis Invitational (4/8): Won the hammer throw with a 236-11 (72.21m) effort…Came in third place in the discus with a 169-4 (51.62m) throw. Penn Relays (4/27-29): Finished second in the hammer throw competition with the first 240-plus-foot throw ever by a Nittany Lion (241-6, 73.61m)…Set a season-best discus mark with a 175-6 (53.50m) effort. Jim Thorpe Invitational (5/5): Competed in the shot put for the first time in his collegiate career, throwing 46-4.75 (14.14m) to vault the Nittany Lion shot put group into a ninth-place ranking in the USTFCCCA #EventSquad poll. Big Ten Outdoor Championships (5/12-14): Collected his third-straight Big Ten silver medal in the hammer throw with another PR and a new school record (241-8, 73.67m) in the event…Threw 168-5 (51.33m) in the discus, finishing 18th in the conference. NCAA East Prelims (5/25-27): Advanced to the NCAA Championships for the third consecutive season as a Nittany Lion with a 231-0 (70.41m) hammer throw mark…Placed 30th in the region with a 174-9 (53.27m) discus throw effort. NCAA Outdoor Championships (6/7-10): Placed seventh in the NCAA in the deepest hammer competition in NCAA history…His mark of 237-6 (72.40m) placed him seventh in the country, his second-straight First Team All-America effort.
2023 Indoor
Season: Finished as the Big Ten Bronze Medalist in the weight throw with a PR in the event…Won four out of the five regular season weight throw competitions he entered in.
Nittany Lion Challenge (1/14): Started the season with a bang, going 71-11 (21.92m) in the weight throw to win his first competition of the campaign. Hokie Invitational (1/20-21): Won his second weight throw competition in a row with a 71-10.25 (21.90m) mark. Penn State National Open (1/27-28): Placed first in the weight throw in the third-straight meet, going 71-1.25 (21.67m) for the win. Penn State Tune-Up (2/17): Won his fourth weight throw competition of the regular season in the Nittany Lions’ final meet before the Big Ten Championships with a 71-8.75 (21.86m) throw. Big Ten Indoor Championships (2/24-25): In his final throw of the competition, set a PR (72-4.25, 22.05m) to claim third place in the conference and increase his claim on the third-best weight throw mark in school history.
2022 Outdoor
Season: Finished as the NCAA Runner-Up in the hammer throw, earning First Team All-America honors in the event…Earned Second Team All-Big Ten recognition in the hammer throw…Won the Penn Relays hammer throw competition…Passed Morgan Shigo for the school record in the hammer throw with his silver medal effort at the NCAA Championships…Won four regular season hammer throw competitions.
UCF Knights Invite (3/25-26): Won both the hammer (227-1, 69.22m) and discus (170-11, 52.11m) throw competitions. Hurricane Alumni Invitational (4/8-9): Won his third-straight hammer competition with a 234-0 (71.33m) effort. Penn Relays (4/28-30): Won the hammer throw competition with a 226-10 (69.13m) effort…Threw 176-2 (53.69m) in the discus for a top-ten finish. Big Ten Championships (5/13-15): Earned his second-straight Big Ten silver medal in the hammer throw with a 229-11 (70.08m) effort…Set a personal best in the discus, finishing seventh in the conference with a 181-3 (55.26m) throw. NCAA East Prelims (5/13-15): Finished first in the region with a 232-3 (70.79m) hammer throw effort, advancing to the National Championships in the event once again. NCAA Championships (6/8-11): Finished second in the nation with a personal best, and Penn State program record, 238-6 (72.70m) hammer throw.
2022 Indoor
Season: Big Ten Silver Medalist in the weight throw.
Nittany Lion Challenge (1/15): Won his first weight throw competition of the 2022 season with a 69-5.5 (21.17m) throw. Music City Challenge (2/11-12): After a string of three consecutive second-place finishes in the weight throw, Merkley eclipsed 70 feet for the first time in 2022, going 70-1 (21.36m) for fourth place. Penn State Tune-Up (2/18): Ramped up his efforts at the right time, going 71-7.5 (21.83m) in his final regular season meet of the season. Big Ten Indoor Championships (2/25-26): Set a season-best mark and finished second in the conference with a 71-8.75 (21.86m) weight throw effort.
2021 Outdoor
Season: Finished as a Second Team All-American in the hammer throw at the National Championships…Placed top-two in every regular season hammer competition he entered.
Fighting Illini Big Ten Relays (4/23): Threw 218-4 (66.56m) for second place in the hammer throw. Ohio State Jesse Owens Invitational (4/30-5/1): Continued to improve in his primary event, throwing 219-1 (66.79m) for first place. Big Ten Outdoor Championships (5/14-16): Finished second in the Big Ten in the hammer throw with a 226-8 (69.10m) effort. NCAA East Prelims (5/26-29): Placed fifth in the region with a 221-4 (67.47m) mark in the hammer throw to advance to the NCAA Championships. NCAA Outdoor Championships (6/9-12): Finished ninth in the nation, earning Second Team All-America honors, with his first 230-plus-foot throw of his career, a 230-7 (70.28m) effort.
2021 Indoor
Season: Won the hammer throw in all three of his meets, posting a season-best 20.72m throw at the Penn State tri-meet.
Penn State Invitational (1/23): Earned his second-straight weight throw victory with a 66-7.75 (20.31m) effort. Penn State Tri (2/6): Won his third consecutive weight throw competition, going 67-11.75 (20.72m).
2020 Outdoor
Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic.
2020 Indoor
Season: Scored two points with a seventh-place finish in the weight throw at the Big Ten Championships…Won two weight throw events and registered five top-five performances.
Dr. Sander Columbia Challenge (1/23-25): Won first weight throw event as a Nittany Lion (68-1.5, 20.76m). Penn State Tune Up (2/21): Moved into fourth on Penn State’s all-time weight throw performance list (69-1.25, 21.06m). Big Ten Indoor Championships (2/28-29): Placed seventh in the weight throw with a 68-9.25 (20.96m) effort.
2019 Outdoor
Season: Competed in one meet, registering a second-place finish in the hammer throw and a 12th-place result in the discus throw.
Bison Outdoor Classic (4/13-14): Threw 208-8 (63.60m) in the hammer competition, earning second place…Went 154-8 (47.15m) in the discus for 12th place in his first competition as a member of the Nittany Lions.
2019 Indoor
Season: Did not compete.
BEFORE PENN STATE
KANSAS STATE 2015-16 & HIGH SCHOOL
Placed 21st at the NCAA Championships (62.09m, 203-08) at Kansas State...Finished in eighth place at NCAA West Preliminary...Took second at Big 12 Championships...Set Kansas State record in hammer throw (63.99m)...Took sixth place at Big 12 Championships in weight throw...Ranked ninth on Kansas State all-time record list in weight throw...Captured league championship three times in shot put and discus at Los Osos High School...Set the school record in shot put...Earned All-America honors in weight throw...Captured 2014 and 2015 state hammer championship...Was a member of 2014 USA Youth Olympic Team...Won 2015 Division 1 discus champion (southern section)...Was a scholar athlete.
PERSONAL
Son of Don and Cindy Merkley...Married to wife Hannah Merkley...Graduated with kinesiology degree in May 2022...Pursuing a Master’s Degree in Kinesiology...Born in California.
Graduate Student2022
THROWS
Junior2021
THROWS
Sophomore2020
Throws
Sophomore2019
Throws