CHRIS MANNING/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Canton's Alexis McRoberts competes in the discus on Friday at the PIAA Track and Field Championships in Shippensburg.

MILTON — This past Saturday at Milton High School, Canton senior Alexis McRoberts was hoping to have success in the shot put in Class AA competition at districts.

To win district gold while also breaking a district record in the process? That’s not a bad competition at all.

“It means so much to me to be able to come out and throw my best,” McRoberts said. “At the end of the day, I came out with a win, but I was just hoping to do my best.”

She definitely did her best. She won the shot put competition with a throw of 40 feet, 11 1/4 inches, winning by more than two feet against Mount Carmel’s Nevaeh Katalinas (39-4 /4) and Lewisburg’s Gwynn Rowe (37-6), as all three qualified for the state meet in Shippensburg.

Those three District 4 athletes will compete on Saturday morning at 9 a.m. in the shot put competition for Class AA.

McRoberts’ senior year was a special district performance, as she broke the mark of her current training partner — Liv Koptisky, a former Mount Carmel standout.

“She pushed me to do that and I’m so happy to be able to continue working and it all paid off,” McRoberts said.

McRoberts won gold on her fifth throw. She noted that her first three throws weren’t the best, but it got her into the finals.

“I just knew I had to attack it more and give it my all,” McRoberts said. “I really went in there with the mentality of I have to give it my all and it ended up being a far throw. I knew I had it, I just wanted it to finally show.”

Now comes the state meet at Shippensburg among Pennsylvania’s top throwers.

McRoberts has the second-best throw from all district competitions and is seeded as such. Her throw of 40-11 1/4 is behind only Shenango senior Zoe Bupp’s District 7 winning throw of 42-5 1/2. And, if McRoberts keeps throwing the way she did at districts, she has a chance to reach the podium.

McRoberts is one of five throws who threw 40-0 or better at districts as she is joined by Laurel’s Alexis Gewitz (40-9 1/2), Sharon’s Victorya Byler (40-6) and Jalyssa Wicker of North East (40-0).

“My expectations are just to go in there with my head held high and just know I can attack every single throw and, at the end of the day, just PR and that’s all I can ask for.”