Marc Minichello
University of Pennsylvania senior Marc Minichello captured the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships javelin title Wednesday night with a throw of 81.17 meters (266 feet, 3 inches) at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
The Wyoming Area graduate launched the winning throw on the third and final attempt of the opening round, moving him up from second place to first. That throw held up as the best in the competition as each of the finalists took three more attempts.
Minichello’s winning effort bettered his own Penn and Ivy League records in the event. He had set those records and two others during the NCAA East Preliminaries with a throw of 263-8.
Ethan Dabbs from Virginia was second, nearly five feet short of Minichello at 261-5. They were the only two to exceed 260 feet.
LSU’s Tzuriel Pedigo was third at 258-10, followed by Wichita State’s Taran Taylor with 258-5 and Baylor’s Chinecherem Prosper Nnamdi with 257-11.
Nnamdi’s throw briefly took the lead after Minichello’s first two attempts traveled 251-11 and 250-6, both of which were better than the eventual sixth-place finisher.
The meet record was set in 2018 by Mississippi State’s Anderson Peters with a throw of 284-2.
Minichello, who won a Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state Class 2A championships at Wyoming Area in 2018, was fourth at last year’s Olympic Trials at Hayward Field with a throw of 251-9. He became the ninth Penn men’s track and field athlete, and first since 2015, to win an NCAA title.
