North Jersey Male Athlete of the Week is on the right track after setting personal best
One of Sean Coll's favorite Christmas gifts did not fit too well under the tree.
Having his own javelin has served him well on the track, though.
The Bergen Catholic senior put down the longest throw in the state this year, tossing a personal-best 175-9 in the Penn Relays qualifiers last Thursday at Hasbrouck Heights. It was more than five feet better than his previous high and came as a big surprise to the Crusaders captain.
His first meet this year didn't go so well.
"I threw absolutely terrible," Coll said. "You start second-guessing yourself. So when that happened, I couldn't tell you how excited I was. I can't even express in words to see all the hard work pay off at once."
Coll is a bit of a late bloomer on the track, as he planned to play baseball his freshman year before the season was wiped out due to COVID. He credits his parents for getting him a blue, Nordic Sport javelin in the winter before last season. He'll take it to the Penn Relays this year after officially making the cut for the first time Tuesday.
"Sean has a great understanding of the javelin throw and he trusts us," Bergen Catholic coach Mike Begen said. "He's very coachable. So he doesn't question this or that. He just goes out there and does it."
Coll is meticulous in his craft – valuing the little details like the brand of his cleats and the feel of his javelin. Before a meet, he warms up with a back stretch and three deep breaths. He prepared for his senior year by putting on about 20 pounds of muscle through training at the Parisi Speed School in Fair Lawn.
One of the turning points in his career last season after placing seventh at the State Meet of Champions. Coll remembers a conversation with his head coach about reaching the college level.
Begen told him he needed to go all-in to maximize his potential.
"We did that and we worked for eight months straight, trying to be as ready as possible this year," Coll said. "After I got big enough, it was all focused on explosiveness, plyometrics, getting bouncy, staying in shape. It was focused on technique too."
That technique has certainly come a long way for the Oradell native.
Coll admits that he threw the spear more like a baseball or a football when he dabbled in CYO track in middle school.
The pieces started to fall into place when he met Begen during his freshman year. Something strange happened after a senior talked him into indoor track as a way to stay in shape for baseball.
"I had so much fun with it," Coll said. "I got so much stronger. I got so much more athletic. After losing my freshman season of baseball, I had to ask myself do I want to play baseball or do I want to do track? After being with that group, I went right to track."
And the rest was history for Coll, who praises his coach for getting him on the cusp of a school record.
Coll wants to cap his high school career with a state title, but he isn't letting his recent success get to his head. The competition will be tough, and Coll mentions Don Bosco's Dan Parisi and Mahwah's George Kalkanis in this area alone.
"I've been really lucky to be able to compete with some unbelievable athletes as a javelin thrower," Coll said. "I'm excited to be No. 1 at any point in the year, but I know I have to keep working."
Sean Coll
Sport: Track and field
School: Bergen Catholic
Class: Senior. Age: 18
Accomplishment: Coll earned a bid to the Penn Relays by throwing a state-leading 175-9 in the javelin last Thursday in the qualifiers.
Also nominated: Derek Engle of Park Ridge, Jason Amalbert of DePaul, Sean Busanic of Pascack Hills, Michael Rizzo of Lyndhurst, Michael Steinhauser of Bergen Tech, Jonny Gilligan of Passaic Tech, Alex Bulger of Hackensack, and Josh Friendman of Saddle Brook for baseball; Finn Kristan of River Dell for lacrosse; Christian Mercado of Wayne Valley for track and field; and Alejandro Melo-Rosado of Waldwick for tennis.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Bergen Record Athlete of the Week: Sean Coll, Bergen Catholic
