Marble Falls thrower Kylie Roberts is hitting her mark

CAPTION: Marble Falls senior discus thrower Kylie Roberts will compete at the Class 4A state meet for the first time. Courtesy photo

Marble Falls High School thrower Kylie Roberts is following family tradition when enters the circle to compete at 1 p.m. at the Class 4A Track and Field Championships Thursday, May 1.

She is the third generation of the Roberts family to make her way to Austin.

And she is the first female.

“That was my goal,” she said. “My goal is to get to state, and I’m glad that I had my dad and I had (Lady Mustangs head) coach (Brenda) Gonzalez. I even had (softball head) coach (Alex) Lozoya on my side to get me there, and it was always a dream that I wanted since freshman year. Discus has always been a big part of me, and I just wanted to give it this whole year.”

For Roberts, the journey to the state capital didn’t begin this season. It started much earlier, her mother Shannon said, way before Kylie and father Davy used to get up before dawn four years ago to go to the throwing pit at Marble Falls High School so she could get a practice in before her day began. That was the best way to ensure she could attend softball practice in the afternoons.

That schedule didn’t change much the last four years. Something else that didn’t change? Roberts’ commitment to the classroom and her numerous activities. She has played as many as four sports in a single school year and is the student body vice president.

Her athletic talent was evident at a young age, according to her mother.

Kylie’s older brother, Kaden, was learning how to become a thrower when his little sister, who was in the fifth grade at the time, picked up the disc and threw it, too.

Right after, Shannon said she and her husband exchanged glances but didn’t say a word. A year later it happened again and Kylie made a confession that has rang true for her time wearing purple and gold.

“This is cool,” Shannon recalled hearing.

Most of her family members would agree, which explains in part the legacy.

CAPTION: The Roberts family has several athletes who made their marks in the throwing events. They are Randy Roberts (left), Danny Roberts, Kylie Roberts, Jim Roberts, Davy Roberts and Kaden Roberts. Courtesy photo

It began with grandfather Ralph “Danny” Roberts, who was a thrower for Texas A&M University in 1962, 1963 and 1964. He won two Southwest Conference shotput and two SWC discus crowns. He was named the athlete of the year in 1963 and was the team’s most valuable athlete in 1962 and 1963. He was voted the team captain in 1964 and won the national indoor Masters titles in shootout and weight throw. He was inducted into the Texas A&M Hall of Fall in 1989.

Kylie’s “Papaw” was serious about throwing, even building a shot put and discus ring on the 25-acre family farm that his sons used.

Kylie’s uncle Randy Roberts finished fifth at the 1986 Class 3A state meet, marking 153 feet for Shepherd High. Randy is named after James Randel “Randy” Matson, who won the Olympic Gold medal in the shot put at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, silver at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and gold at the Pan American Games in Winnipeg in 1967. Danny recruited Matson to Texas A&M.

Davy was sixth at the 1988 Class 3A state meet with a toss of 155-0 for Shepherd High.

Uncle Jim Roberts is perhaps the most successful. In 1994, he was the state champion in the discus with a throw of 189-0, which ranks fourth on the Class 4A list of farthest throws, and finished fifth in the shot put with a heave of 54-5.75 for Shepherd High. In 1995 he won double gold: 60-10.25 in the shot put and 183-09 in the discus. By the 12th grade, he was the nation’s No. 1 discus thrower. Jim competed for BYU in the early 2000s and ranks No. 2 on school’s shot put all-time list with a mark of 65-11. He competed for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team and was No. 5 in the world.

As Kylie began throwing, she took private lessons and competed at the Junior Olympics. And her parents shot video and got them to Papaw.

“He definitely was a big impact on me,” she said. “He was just there for me, and he wanted me to give it my all. He was always just my biggest supporter. I don’t know the words to describe him because he’s just amazing. He is definitely somebody that I’ve looked up to ever since I wanted to throw a discus.”

Her practices are between 20-40 minutes a day and the focus is on her technique, not the number of throws. Her practices followed her Papaw’s advice – work on the hips, sit in the middle and most importantly, don’t overthink it.

“He would say you just throw,” she recalled. “You’re in a calm place and you just throw.”

CAPTION: Ralph “Danny” Roberts, also known as Papaw (left) to granddaughter Kylie. Courtesy photo

Kylie’s personal medal cabinet might be as full as the men in her family: three district titles, two area titles and a regional silver medal in the discus and two district championships in the shot put.

At the 2024 regional meet, she threw the discus 87-1.25 to finish 13th.

That’s when Lozoya texted her a question.

“I knew she was down, I knew she was very defeated,” he said. “Her confidence was out the window; she wasn’t feeling good about performance. So, I asked her, ‘What do you want for next year?’ She talked about how she needed to prove that she was one of the top female athletes to go to Marble Falls High School. I said, ‘You didn’t answer my question. What do you want? When you start to enjoy what you’re doing, you’ll starting getting what you want.'”

And he emphasized that he is proud of her regardless of her finishes in sports and the other activities she’s in and added that he believes her family and friends feel the same way.

That joy was evident in 2025 where Roberts won many medals in both throwing events. And she was a favorite to finish in the top two in the discus to qualify for the state meet.

Before Kylie could qualify for the state meet, she had to survive a competitive regional meet that featured 16 throwers. Each thrower gets three attempts. Then the event official takes the top eight marks, and those athletes receive three more attempts. The others are eliminated.

On April 18, Roberts had marks of 92-10 and 94-3 to begin the competition, well below her personal best of 121-8.

After she exited the circle, her parents spoke to her, emphasizing Papaw’s words. Then Gonzalez talked to her.

“it was definitely a high emotional moment for me,” the thrower said. “I probably wasn’t in the best state mentally and I’m still working on that, but Gonzalez came up to me and just asked me a simple question. It put me in a really good place and it just made me feel confident that I can still do this with one more throw.”

Gonzalez emphasized entering the ring with positive thoughts and self-confidence. So when Roberts unleashed a throw of 114-9 that moved her to second place and ensured she made the final, few were surprised.

Gonzalez called Kylie’s finish the comeback of the year.

Though she has never competed at Mike Myers Stadium, home of the Class 4A track and field championships, the athlete won’t be alone. Her coaches and parents will be there to cheer her on and she feels her grandfather’s presence, too. Kylie is proud to carry on the family tradition of competing at the state meet into the 21st century.

“It’s definitely something that makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something so big that I know (Papaw is) proud of me,” she said. “I know he’d be proud of me. I was one of the Roberts who went to state. I can tell my future kids, I can tell my daughter, I can tell anyone that I was one of a generation of Roberts to go to state.”

CAPTION: Kylie (center) with parents Shannon (left) and Davy Roberts after the athlete received the Class 4A Region III silver medal in discus. Courtesy photo