With a toss of 81.17m (266 feet, 3 inches)—a new Ivy League record—May graduate Marc Minichello of the men’s track & field team won the national championship in the javelin throw on Wednesday at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon. Ethan Dabbs of the University of Virginia placed second with a throw of 79.68m (261 feet, 5 inches).
Minichello is the first Quaker to win an individual national championship since Sam Mattis in 2015, and the ninth Quaker overall.
Hailing from Exeter, Pennsylvania, Minichello has been on fire for the last few weeks. At the NCAA Outdoor East Region Preliminaries on May 25, his toss of 80.38m (263 feet, 8 inches) was the best of all competitors and broke the facility, Ivy League, school, and Division I East Preliminary records. He was the only thrower to crack 80m, and his 80.38m toss was the third-best in Division I this season.
He saved his best for last.
An Olympic-level talent, Minichello competed at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, (held last summer because of the pandemic) and finished fourth with a throw of 76.73m (251 feet, 9 inches).
