Wyomissing throwers ready to take aim at prestigious field in Penn Relays (updated)

When he went down with a season-ending injury midway through Wyomissing’s football season the last thing Drew Forrey was thinking about was competing in the Penn Relays come spring.

He was hopeful to return in time to play basketball but the broken bone in his lower left leg kept him sidelined for all but one game.

He came into track season still not 100 percent but has progressed quickly; he has recorded personal bests in both the shot put and discus and launched his best javelin throw of the season last week at the Stephan Meet.

He’ll be overshadowed at the Penn Relays Carnival Friday by top throwers from all over country – and perhaps even by his Wyomissing teammate, Collin Niedrowski – but his presence in the Philadelphia meet is a significant one.

He’s part of a trio of Wyomissing javelin qualifiers, along with Niedrowski and Isaac Focht, a significant achievement for the Spartans’ track program. To have one athlete from your school make the grade to compete in the most famous track meet in the nation is an honor. To have three?

“(Wyomissing throws coach) Ty (Smith) reminds us five times a week of how unique it is for us (to be there together) and how special it is,” said Niedrowski, the reigning Berks and District 3 Class 2A champion in the event. “It’s not every day you have three people consistently do (this). It’s kind of cool, and fun to experience.”

The javelin has long been a signature event at Wyomissing. Niedrowski’s brothers, Hunter and Evan, were champions in the event (as was his father Jeff, at Wilson).

Last year Niedrowski, Forrey and Focht swept the event at both the county and district championship meets.

None of the three have equaled their best throws from last season; they qualified to compete at the Penn Relays based on last year’s marks.

Forrey wasn’t sure if he’d be able to eclipse his junior season, when he threw a personal best 177-6 at the Stephan Meet. He’s close to getting there; his best throw at last week’s Stephan Meet was 168-3.

“I was definitely struggling at the beginning of the season,” Forrey said, “but my last two meets have been good. . . 168 is less than 10 feet away (from my PR); in javelin, that’s like barely a difference. I definitely feel like I’ve gotten back to (where I was) last year.

“It’s nice that I could make a recovery. I’ve already PR’d in shot and discus, and I’m getting closer to my jav mark (from) last year. It’s nice that I can get back to where I was after missing so much time.”

Focht’s best throw a year ago was 173-9 at the Shaner Meet; that figure qualified him for Friday morning’s competition at Penn. His best throw this season is 162-4.

Collin Niedrowski battled through an arm injury last year but still managed three throws of 190 or better. He won the Shaner Meet at 190-3 and the Firing at 190-1. His 181-8 was good enough to win district gold but the UCL strain in his right elbow took its toll as the season progressed. At the PIAA Championships his best was 176-2, good for sixth place.

His strong junior season helped him earn college offers to compete at Bucknell, the University of Pittsburgh, the U.S. Naval Academy and Shippensburg, a top PSAC program.

Niedrowski’s elbow is fine now but he adopted a different throwing technique in the offseason and he still hasn’t clicked with it. His best throw of the season, 171-2, came last week at the Stephan Meet. That’s the second-best mark in the county this season; Twin Valley’s Harrison Springer currently holds the Berks Best at 181-4.

“I’m starting to get a little smoother (with it),” Niedrowski said. “(The mechanics of the release) is so technical, if one thing’s off it throws everything else off.”

“I’m not worried about him at all,” Smith said. “He’s gonna hit one, it’s just a matter of when he does it. Physically he’s stronger than ever.”

Wyomissing also had two relay teams qualify: The girls 4×100 team of Lily Paolini, Ayla Snyder, Emily Cassler and Alexis Hardy, and the boys 4×100 team of Justice Hardy, Jake Neff, JJ Lopez-Sanchez and Marcus Armistead.

The only other individual competitor from Berks to crack the Penn Relays field is Berks Catholic’s Brady Mider, the reigning PIAA Class 3A shot put champion who enters as the No. 4 seed. He is one of just three Pennsylvania high school shot putters in the event. The field includes athletes from eight states, including West Virginia and Tennessee, as well as competitors from Jamaica.

This will mark the first time this season that Mider will be pushed to be at his best. That helped last year when he threw a personal-best 58-11 ½ to finish fourth at the Penn Relays.

The competition will be heavy. Michael Lunsford of Cabell Midland High in West Virginia has a season-best of 64-10. Josh Huisman of St. Rose High in New Jersey qualified with a mark of 61-0.5. Alex Jackson of Massachusetts’ Peabody Veterans Memorial High has thrown 60-3.

Mider’s best this year in the outdoor season is 61-1, at the Bruce Dallas Invitational April 6 at Mechanicsburg. He won his second straight indoor championship in February with a 61-1.5 and topped it last month at the Nike Indoor Nationals with a personal best 63-1.25.