WILLIAMS, WYO HAVE GOLDEN DAY
JVEN WILLIAMS SETS PIAA SHOT PUT RECORD, HELPS SPARTANS WIN CLASS 2A TEAM TITLE
SHIPPENSBURG » Wyomissing’s Jven Williams realized his goal of breaking the county and PIAA 2A shot put records when the junior threw a 667.75 to help lead the Spartans to the Class 2A team title at the PIAA Track and Field Championships Saturday at Shippensburg University.
“I’m ecstatic; very proud,” said Wyomissing coach Jim Delp, whose team finished with 32 points, six ahead of Southern Columbia. “I’m very proud of all the athletes this week. They exceeded expectations once again. We’re super happy. Amory led us on the track while Jven was taking care of business down in the circle. I’m super proud of what these athletes accomplished this weekend.”
Williams won gold — he also won discus gold Friday — and broke the 20-year county record of 62-6.25 set by Schuylkill Valley’s Dane Miller, now his trainer and the owner of Garage Strength in Fleetwood.
“It was amazing,” Williams said. “From the first meet to the last one, I really wanted to throw a 62 to beat my trainer, Dane Miller. That was a huge deal for me just because, you know, when I’m training, he talks his talk and I talk my talk and for me to be able to beat it by 4 feet, it’s a really big deal.”
So, too, is the PIAA record. Williams broke the mark of 64.10.75 set by Joe Kovacs of Bethlehem Catholic in 2007.
“Joe Kovacs is an Olympian right now and he actually went to Penn State,” said Williams, an offensive lineman who has committed to the Nittany Lions. “So it’s really cool to be able to also have that record and have that over him also.”
Williams expressed his gratitude for the guidance he’s received from Miller as well as his high school throwing coaches, Ty Smith and Trevor Stutzman.
“Coach Ty I feel like he gives me a little more of the (throwing) secrets,” Williams said. “Dane is more of my lifting coach and Trevor Stutzman does a lot more with the throws. So with that combination of Trevor and Coach Ty, they’re really like the best coaches in the state and really helped me get my technique. It’s a blessing to have them on my side.”
Smith marveled at Williams’ accomplishment.
“In my 26 years of coaching it was the most perfect throw I’ve ever seen,” Smith said. “He hit everything spot on.”
Williams has said he plans to enroll early at Penn State next year, thus making Saturday the end of his high school track career. After he won the discus gold medal Friday, he said he was hoping to cap it off on a high note. Winning a second gold as well as the team victory completed his vision.
“That (a team win) is what I really wanted,” Williams said. “It’s a huge day for the program and we’re a really good program. We have a new head coach this year, Jim Delp, and I was really doing it for him and all the seniors.”
Wyomissing senior Amory Thompson, who won three gold medals last week at the District 3 meet, also played a pivotal role in leading the Spartans to victory.
Thompson finished third in the triple jump in 45-3, earned a sixthplace medal in the 200 in 22.45 and was part of the 400 relay team, along with Andrew Delp, William Delp and Charlie McIntyre, that finished sixth in 43.63.
“I feel really good,” Thompson said after the triple jump. “That was the goal; to come in here and get on the podium, like our coach said. So the goal wasn’t even first, second or third, it was to get on the podium. The third place was just icing on the cake.”
Although the senior was disappointed he did not break the school record of 45-5.75 set by Nolan McCready in 2002, Thompson said reaching 45 feet was a goal he has been working toward all year.
“The goal was a school record and I was a little short of it, but ultimately, I wanted to get that 45-foot jump,” he said. “I’ve been waiting for that one all year. So I felt good, especially on the last jump. To get the crowd into it, to get my friends, my teammates all into the jump was a treat. It was nice.”
As a three-sport athlete who plays football, basketball and competes in track and field, Thompson has had a wealth of memorable experiences in high school. He said Saturday’s accomplishments rank up with the best.
“A lot of football memories are really high,” Thompson said. “But this memory, it’s also really high. In football we’ve been pushing for a state championship and we’ve gotten close, but haven’t brought it home. To bring this one home is the No. 1 moment.”
Williams is hopeful that the momentum from this state title will lead to a state championship win on the gridiron in the fall.
“It was a great, fun ride, the two years of throwing,” Williams said. “Now I’ll just keep on going and hopefully this travels into the football season and we can bring home state in that too.”