Fort LeBoeuf's Audrey Friedman to throw javelin for Penn State University

Fort LeBoeuf senior Audrey Friedman will throw the javelin for Penn State University when she joins its women's track and field team during the next academic year.

In accepting an athletic scholarship offer from PSU, Friedman capped an eventful calendar year for the Bison thrower.

Friedman placed fourth in Class 2A javelin at the PIAA championships in May. She followed that with a gold medal at the USA Track and Field Youth Outdoor Championships in June and then a fourth-place finish at the USATF National Junior Olympic Championships in July.

Friedman said she was relieved to finally make her decision after being contacted by 16 NCAA Division I programs before narrowing the search to one.

"I had a lot of competitive offers and had to decide what school is best for me," Friedman said. "It was definitely a lot to consider, but what it came down to for me, was that the team was really welcoming and I feel connected to them."

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Friedman says she looks forward to working with throws coach Lucais MacKay at Penn State. MacKay, now in his sixth year, has guided the Nittany Lions to both NCAA and Big Ten championships.

"Coach MacKay is a very accomplished coach," Friedman said. "He has developed a lot of amazing throwers. I'm excited to compete in the Big Ten in amazing facilities and get to throw all year around against a lot of good competition. It's something that drives me to compete better and throw further."

Friedman follows in the footsteps of another Fort LeBoeuf star athlete who attended Penn State, Brian Milne. Milne won three state championships in discus and two in shot put for Fort LeBoeuf. While at PSU, he won an 1993 NCAA championship in the discus."

"He definitely did some amazing things in college, too," she said. "That feels like a good sign for me."

Right now, Friedman has her sights set on competing for a state title in the javelin for Fort LeBoeuf. She is also working on the shot put and says that may be a part of her arsenal at the collegiate level.

Friedman was able to learn from another Fort LeBoeuf alumnus over the summer when working on the shot. Brooke Freeburg, a three-time PIAA gold medalist who later starred for Providence, spent time with Friedman.

Friedman normally gets her coaching from Freeburg's father, Rick, who is an assistant with the Bison's team.

"Brooke was kind enough to come down and help me learn a little bit with shot put," Friedman said. "I've thrown with her a few times, because her dad is my coach. She was really patient with me. I was really lucky to be able to have that experience with her."

Friedman is not the only javelin thrower in her family. Her father, Erick, was an All-American thrower for IUP before winning a pair of USATF Masters national championships. Her younger brother Mason has also taken up the sport.

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Audrey Friedman also starred in volleyball for Fort LeBoeuf. She was named to the Erie Times-News District 10 Girls Volleyball All-Star Team last week.

Contact Josh Reilly at jreilly@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNreilly.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Fort LeBoeuf's Audrey Friedman to throw javelin for Penn State University