KSC throwers ready for anything
Michelle Berthiaume
Social Media Director
The Keene State College track and field throwing team is underrated when it comes to athleticism.
The team may be overlooked, but that doesn’t stop it from performing its best at each of its meets.
This month, many of these athletes will be heading to the LEC championships at Westfield State.
Others will head to Troy, N.Y. to compete in the ECAC Championships on May 17 and 18.
And so far, one KSC junior is planning a trip to Nationals in Claremont, Calif.
Head throwing coach John Napolitano attributes his team’s successes to the work ethic during the beginning of the season.
“The beginning of the year is tough. Nobody does great. There’s only a few and I don’t even know how they do it to be honest,” Napolitano said.
He added, “As we get into the championship season, they get better, they get stronger, they practice more often, the weather gets better. That’s just the nature of the beast.”
One of the names you will see in the program for the upcoming championship season is sophomore Kristen Huckins.
Coach Napolitano said that Huckins had only thrown the javelin for one year in high school before coming to KSC, but her raw talent hasn’t been hard to shape.
“In New England, when you’re a girl and you are throwing the javelin 120 to 125 feet, that’s going to put you in the top three or four at every meet you go to,” Napolitano added.
Another name that will find its way onto a few championship programs this season is sophomore Angus Fisher.
“Beef,” as his teammates call him, also made a lot of progress this season.
According to Coach Napolitano, “The sky is the limit for him.”
“There is a lot more coming, but this season has been very good so far,” Fisher said.
“He is a lefty, so that’s different. It’s a little harder to coach. But he already qualified for regionals and that’s a good step for him as a sophomore, but there’s still more in the tank for him,” Napolitano added.
One KSC thrower has national expectations for himself, junior Glenn Guilmette.
Guilmette’s hard work has gotten him ranked number five in the nation for Division III men’s javelin.
“We are outside throwing four days a week. And if it’s raining we are in the throwing room in the gym. Or we are in the gym lifting. So there’s a lot of practice going into it,” junior Glenn Guilmette said.
Guilmette continues to improve every year. But Coach Napolitano stressed that there is always room for more improvement.
“He is so gifted that he can get away with winning track meets even when he has a bad day. If he wants to take that step to the next level, he is going to have to refine his technique and get better,” Coach Napolitano said.
Napolitano added that Guilmette has improved every year since he first began throwing at KSC.
The natural athletic ability of all the KSC throwers heading into the championship season will give them a leg-up on their competition.
Michelle Berthiaume can be contacted at
mberthiaume@keene-equinox.com
