Former NFA standout Cameron Belton looking for another All-America honor

New Haven — Cameron Belton has spent his Southern Connecticut State University track career in constant pursuit of excellence. A highly-accomplished shot putter, he's always searching for ways to improve. A tweak here, a change there, could propel him to greater heights. Or in his case, greater distances. "I just keep thinking that I have to do better," Belton said. His mentality comes from belonging to a successful Division II program. He feeds off his teammates' successes. "My whole time here, I've just seen so many people do great things, it pushes me to do well as well," Belton said. "I'm surrounded by people who are so great." A Norwich Free Academy graduate, Belton has done quite well during a stellar career. Starting Thursday in Pueblo, Colo., Belton will compete in the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field National Championship for the fourth time. Counting the indoor season, it is his eighth national selection overall. Belton, who checks in at 6-foot-2, 235 pounds, recently earned All-Region honors. At the Northeast-10 Championships earlier this month, Belton defended his shot put and discus titles, posting winning marks of 59 feet, 5 inches, and 155-7, respectively. He was named the most outstanding field performer while helping the Owls win their ninth straight conference outdoor championship. While happy with his first-place finishes, Belton called it an "off day" because he didn't feel like he did his best distance-wise. On May 10, Belton placed third in the shot put (57-00.25) at the New England Championships that featured over 30 teams from Division I, Division II and Division III. Belton also excelled during the indoor season, achieving All-America status for the first time. He placed third in the NCAA Division II Track and Field National Championship in the shot with a school-record indoor distance of 60-10. He also was selected as the Northeast-10 Indoor Field Athlete of the Year for the third time. He can thank his coaches at NFA for introducing him to the track world. He started out as a jumper and then became a sprinter. As he grew bigger and stronger, Belton, who also played football, transitioned to shot put. "They showed me the shot put and told me to throw it as far as I can," Belton said of his coaches. "I put everything that I had into it. After that, I went up from there." Now Belton is aiming to finish his collegiate track career in style at the NCAA Division II national championships. Belton is seeded eighth in the shot put. Last year, he finished 17th. "I feel like I want to place higher," Belton said. "Just getting in there is great. I'm thankful to be there." Another former NFA track standout will make the trip to the nationals with Belton. Senior Osaretin Osagie qualified for his first national event. He will race in the 110-meter hurdles. Sophomore Jordan Ribeiro, a former Wildcat, also competes in the shot put for SCSU, while current NFA standout Chris Amy will join the program next season. "It's a great stepping stone," Belton said of NFA. "But you're not just handed it at NFA. Even though you may start out not being the best, as long as you keep working and striving to be better, you'll always manage to make something out of it. "At NFA, they preached that a lot. They preached hard work and striving to be better, and it plays out for just about everybody that's willing to take that step." Belton, who also played defensive lineman on the SCSU football team for three years, will have used up his eligibility at the end of this season. An exercise science major, Belton will continue to take classes next school year. He's on track to graduate in May 2026. His goal is to become a strength and conditioning coach. As the final days of his track career approached, Belton looked forward to going to practice. "I enjoy going to practice every day because I'm still learning," Belton said. "There's still some things, like my throw isn't perfect. So I just enjoy having that time to better myself. I know where I could be. It's just a matter of when I could have that eureka moment and figure it out. "It's like a big puzzle and all I need is a few more pieces." g.keefe@theday.com