Headed to Ohio St.
Lincoln High track standout Garrett Doyle, left, is taking his talents to Division I Ohio State.
bmcgair@pawtuckettimes.com
LINCOLN – Like a lot of kids, Lincoln High senior Garrett Doyle grew up playing team sports before encountering an epiphany inside the throwing oval.
“As a freshman, I just started throwing because I didn’t want to play baseball even though I had been for 10 years. I didn’t want to spend the money on lacrosse equipment,” Doyle said. “Going in, I said that I would try track. Around my junior year, I realized I was good and found out that it could help lead me to get into a big school that could lead to me having a good future.”
The world of throwing the hammer and the weight very far is one that paid off handsomely for Doyle, an All-American who along the way established all kinds of school throwing records. Flanked by Lincoln administrators and his throwing teammates inside the LHS library on Thursday afternoon, the 18-year-old signed his National Letter of Intent to join the track & field program at Ohio State beginning this fall.
The 6-foot-4 Doyle marked the special occasion by wearing a red and gray Ohio State sweatshirt with a Nike logo located just below the left sleeve. He narrowed his college choice down to two Big Ten schools as the University of Maryland was also in the running to land the services of someone who owns the Lincoln High record in the hammer (207 feet, eight inches) and the shot put (54-7).
The first school that Doyle took an official visit at was Ohio State. He allowed some time to go by be- fore heading to Maryland, a move that he says was purposely done so he could evaluate all the pros and cons of Ohio State in an effort to set foot on the Maryland campus with an open mind.
Doyle spent close to a week debating the merits of both schools before arriving at a final decision in late March – the Buckeyes represented the perfect fit.
“I liked Maryland, but Ohio State was more my style. At Ohio State, I was able to connect with all the athletes and I just liked school itself. They’re getting all new facilities and I really liked how they offer lots of academic support,” he said. “It was a relief to decide on a good college where I’ll have a good future at.”
Told that he couldn’t go wrong color-wise considering Lincoln, Ohio State, and Maryland all have shades red in their respective color schemes, Doyle smiled.
“I’m looking forward to representing that college even before I’m there,” said Doyle, words that suggest he has his sights on a big showing as the interscholastic outdoor season shifts into postseason mode.
Doyle has already been accepted into the engineering program at Ohio State. If that doesn’t work out, he plans to pursue criminal justice. He definitely plans to throw the hammer and the weight for the Buckeyes with the shot put and dis- cus also on the table.
Sitting at a table with an important piece of paper in close proximity, Doyle thanked Lincoln throwing coach Brian Grant and his teammates.
“He taught me things that I probably wouldn’t have known if I didn’t do track,” said Doyle about the special bond he has with Grant.
“He probably wanted to see whether it would turn before putting in the extra work that’s needed. By the end of his sophomore year, he started to see that he could get something good out of it,” Grant said.
Doyle wasn’t the only Lincoln thrower to be acknowledged on Thursday. Evan Grivers signed with Division II Assumption College, choosing the Greyhounds over D-I Central Connecticut. Grivers is looking to repeat as a state champ in the javelin after capturing last year’s event with a throw of 163 feet, seven inches.
Lincoln seniors Matt Thibaudeau and Mike Balestra plan to continue their throwing careers at Rhode Island College and Suffolk University, respectively.
“It wasn’t anything magical. Just hard work paying off and helping these kids get into college,” Grant said.