Hazen’s Andrey Levkiv placed first in the shot put at 13 regular season meets this year, but it’s the one meet he placed second at that he’ll remember all off season.

Levkiv threw 56 feet-nine inches at the 3A state meet on May 23-24 and came in second to Bellevue’s David Decastro (58-9 3/4). It was the second year in a row that Levkiv came close, but couldn’t quite get the win. As a sophomore, he came within an inch and a half of the state title.

After that finish in 2007, Levkiv went into the offseason with a fervor to be Washington’s best.

“I was pretty mad at myself after I got so close,” Levkiv said. “It gave me a lot of motivation to do my best.”

Levkiv greatly improved this season. All 14 of his throws this season were better than his distance at state in 2007 (52-8) and he held the nation’s third-best distance (57-3) early in 2008. But, it wasn’t quite enough. Decastro was just a little better at the state meet in Pasco.

The top of the national standings was an exciting place for Levkiv to be. “I was really hoping to stay up there for a while,” he said. His ranking has dropped to 27th nationally at the end of the season.

When he enters the ring, Levkiv simply tries to clear his mind. “I’m just thinking about my steps, getting everything clear and not trying to do everything at once,” he said.

Between the 2007 and 2008 seasons Levkiv lifted weights, went to throwing camps and worked at the University of Washington to get an edge.

It looks as if it’s going to be another busy offseason for Levkiv as he labors to add distance to his toss. “It’s all about inches now,” he said.