Jeff Chakouian is a 2000 graduate of Seekonk High School. Jeff’s accomplishments, as you will see, distinctly qualify him for this honor. While at Seekonk Jeff made an immediate impact on the track scene. I remember reading our local newspaper about this freshman kid from Seekonk putting the shot over 50 feet. I remember saying to myself, this must be a misprint. Fortunately for us, it wasn’t. His exploits just continued to grow every year. As a sophomore Jeff won and set the Freshman-Sophomore meet record with a toss of 56’00”. By the time his high school career was over he would set the Massachusetts and New England indoor and outdoor shot put records with a throw of 67’10. 75”. He would sling the discus an amazing 177’ and as a true sign of his great athleticism he asked his coach Frank Mooney, if he could compete in the Hammer throw at the National Track and Field Championships? As you know, Massachusetts does not compete in that event at the high school level. Yet, Jeff after a few weeks of practice went to the Nationals and placed 6th with a performance of 175’9”earning him all American status in two events that year as he also placed 2nd in the shot with a toss of 65’2. 75” In addition to all that, Jeff won the shot put titles at the Golden West Invitational and the USA Junior National Championships... Ranked first nationally outdoors in the 16-pound shot by Track & Field News with a top heave of 59-10.50 and second indoors and outdoors in the 12-pound shot..

He was named All-Conference seven times, conference champion on six occasions, qualified for the All-State meet seven times, won a state championship title five times; was All-America seven times in high school... and was named the Boston Globe Indoor Athlete of the Year in 2000...With all these accomplishments under his belt, Jeff earned a full scholarship to the University of Kentucky. Coach Kenneson from Kentucky said this of Jeff “"When I saw him at a high school meet, when I saw how he competed, I was totally sold right there on the spot, He was an eye-opener, man. Wow. That's a coach's dream when you get that type of person to work with."

If you thought that his High School career was impressive, let’s look at his resume at Kentucky. He was a six-time all-American in the shot put while a member of the track team. He was a five-time Southeastern Conference (SEC) champion, an eight-time all-SEC selection in the shot put and was a team captain for three seasons.

Jeff competed in several international competitions, finishing in 5th place at the Jr. World Championships (Santiago, Chile) in 2000, placing 1st at the Jr. Pan Am Games (Sante Fe, Argentina) in 2001, while being ranked no. 6 all-time on the Jr. World Shot Put List.

In 2001 Jeff was the junior national champion in both the shot put and discus as well as being elected team captain of the USA vs. Great Britain Junior World Tour. In 2006, Chakouian placed 5th at the USATF Outdoor Championships, with a throw that would be the 17 best in the world that year.

In 2002: He won his second consecutive SEC Championship in the shot put with a toss of 63-06.75...Took first-place honors in the shot put four times…with his best throw of the season coming at the Penn Relays where he took the title with a throw of 64-03.25…

In 2004 Jeff had the unique distinction of being the only collegiate athlete at the United States Olympic trials where he finished 7th with a throw of 64’9”.