WILL TO WIN: Princeton High boys’ track throwing star Sean Wilton gathers his thoughts during the shot put competition in the Mercer County Indoor Championships at The Bubble – Bennett Indoor Athletic Complex in Toms River last Sunday. Junior Wilton went on to win the event, launching a personal record heave of 53’5.50 in placing first. Wilton’s heroics helped PHS place fourth in the team standings of the event won by WW/P-North.

By Justin Feil

Sean Wilton came into the indoor track and field season this winter looking to work on technique and improving his strength. He wanted to throw as far as possible, but personal records were not a focus.

“I wasn’t really worried about PRs,” said Princeton High junior Wilton. “And then I started throwing PRing.”

Wilton launched a personal record 53’5.50 to win the boys’ shot put at the Mercer County Indoor Championships at The Bubble – Bennett Indoor Athletic Complex in Toms River on Sunday.

“It felt great,” said Wilton. “I’ve only ever had one really big meet win before. I threw well and I was happy with how I did. It was a great win.”

Wilton’s throw not only won the meet by almost six feet, but it added another foot and a half to his previous best indoor throw set at the Princeton Invitational Series on January 4. To top things off, the new best enabled him to qualify for Indoor Nationals in Boston in March for the first time. PHS does not compete in the state’s sectional meet, and the indoor nationals will be Wilton’s big focus for the end of the season.

“I love throwing against really good throwers and pushing myself to get to where they are,” said Wilton. “I think that really helped me freshman year. Honestly, it’s another motivator to throw as far as I can this winter and throw as far as I can in the spring.”

Wilton’s win was part of a big day in the field events for PHS to propel the Tigers to fourth in the boys team standings with 47.50 points, just five points behind third-place Notre Dame. WW/P- North won the meet with a score of 68.

“I’m thrilled,” said PHS head coach Jim Smirk, reflecting on his squad’s performance.

“Considering where we are in our training cycle, how we approach the indoor season, what we were able to do today in this meet, I was really impressed. Our field events took a huge leap forward for indoor. I think it really sets us up for an exciting remainder of the season and into spring.”

Sawyer Quallen displayed his versatility, winning the boys’ triple jump with a 43’0 effort, taking fourth in the 55-meter dash in 6.71 seconds, and coming in fifth in the long jump with a leap of 19’5.50.

“Sawyer is an amazing athlete,” said Smirk. “He’s a passion guy. He catches fires and brings this incredible level of focus and drive to the work he does. He’s been jumping well. We actually thought he’d win the long jump before the triple, but he had a little off day in the long. He didn’t have the day he wanted, but he immediately came back and got his head right and reorganized and refocused and had a great triple jump to win it. He’s a guy that’s been on our radar for a long time. I think the most impressive thing about him is he continues to expand his competitive sphere, adding a PR in the 55 twice.”

PHS got some impressive performances from a number of performers at the county meet. Ben Gitai was second in the 200 meters in 23.24 seconds and fourth in the 400. Sullivan Spagnoli was fourth in the high jump with a 5’8 clearance, one spot ahead of Ishaq Inayat who also cleared 5’8. Felix Farrugia placed fifth in the 3,200 meters  while Josh Barzilai took seventh in the 800.

As for the PHS girls’ squad, Josephine Saraison was the top finisher, taking fourth in the shot put with a throw of 31’5. The Tiger girls scored nine points in finishing 13th overall in the meet won by WW/P-South.

Last year, Wilton’s sister, Macaela, threw for the PHS girls before she graduated. “I did throw with Micaela a lot,” said Wilton. “It was a bit distracting at times, but it was still fun.”

Wilton has continued to make strides each year since taking up the sport. He has been throwing since middle school.

“I was too slow to be a runner in sixth grade track so I became a thrower and stuck with it,” said Wilton. “In eighth grade I was throwing well and realized I was close to the middle school record. I went for it, and got it and ever since then I’ve succeeded.”

Wilton isn’t sure if his Princeton Middle School mark of 37’4 still stands. His new focus is on the PHS school record of 57’6.75 held by Paul Brennan, currently competing at Princeton University. With a few indoor meets left and the entire outdoor season plus next year, it seems only a matter of time before his efforts bring him that achievement.

“Watching the evolution of Sean Wilton has been an absolute pleasure from a coaching perspective,” said Smirk. “He really has his head on right for what needs to happen for a top performance. He really isn’t a guy that talks a whole lot about the end results, he talks about the steps to get there including the importance of his teammates and coaching. He has a real consistent growth mindset. He’s really impressive to work with. I know Coach [Brandon] Williams has worked him a lot the last year and a half and has been an instrumental part of his development.”

Wilton continues to focus on the things that will help him improve, not on the actual distances he needs. He started adding the spin technique last year, and speeding up the spin and fine tuning it is a big part of his training. He understands well what it takes to get there after already making a big jump from last year’s top indoor mark of 47’6¼.

“The weight room always helps,” said Wilton. “I’ve really been getting my lifts in, getting a lot stronger, getting a lot more explosive with my weights. A big thing is knowing how to throw and watching pros do it and then just showing up on meet day and getting ready to go. I only practiced two times this week because of the snow and I just knew what I needed to do to throw well and I did it.”

Wilton’s long-term preparation and approach helped ensure that he wasn’t thrown off by a week disrupted by snow and ice. He has maintained a focus that looks at the big picture in developing for the spring, when he also adds discus. He’s also learning to throw hammer, which is contested in some spring meets outside of New Jersey, but the winter is solely for competing in shot put.

“A single discipline can be tough because if you hit a tough patch, there’s nothing to go to and you have to stay the course and keep doing that work,” said Smirk. “Any great thrower knows you’re going to hit those rough patches. If you’re doing it right, you’re going to find that next challenge. I think that’s one of the things that makes him most impressive is he’s not reacting to when those things are happening, he’s planning for them and building them into his training and he’s avoiding some of those pitfalls that happen when you’re singularly focused.”

Wilton keeps busy year-round. He is one of the top linemen for the PHS football team in the fall before he shifts gears for track in winter and spring.

“They really complement each other,” said Wilton. “Football is a big team sport and you need to win with your team. Once you learn how to help everybody and communicate, it really helps. Track is so different. It’s personal and it’s only you throwing out there so when you go from a big team to just yourself, it feels a lot easier. It feels a lot more calm to be competing and only have to worry about yourself.”

Wilton took care of his business while also supporting his teammates. That’s something that his track and field coaches appreciate.

“Sometimes there’s that gap between the track athletes and the field athletes,” said Smirk. “He bridges that. He brings that absolute passion for the sport, his caring for his teammates is amazing, without a question he is our top performer but he’s also one of our top leaders and a voice in the locker room that’s just amazing. He’s a pretty special kid especially when you put that implement in his hand.”

Wilton was focused through a strong series of throws Sunday. His first throw of 49’0 was good enough to win the meet, but he continued to improve with throws of 49’7 and 50’ to follow. After a foul at 53’0, he was able to throw a similar distance while staying in the circle for his new PR.

“It sets me up really well,” said Wilton. “It really reminds me what it takes to win a big meet and how to throw far and how to compete against other people. There were a lot of good throwers today. It gets me in the right mindset, and it gives me the confidence I need. I just know how to go from there.”

Wilton wasn’t expecting to be throwing this well this soon, but it has opened the door to some greater possibilities like nationals. His mark shows he belongs among the top throwers, and every chance to compete is an opportunity to develop further. He always sets lofty goals, but those are being reset as his personal records fall.

“I think I’m definitely ahead of schedule than where I thought I would be in the beginning of the year,” said Wilton. “But looking from right now, it was definitely a good throw and one of the better throws I’ve had all year in a meet. I think I could definitely throw a heck of lot farther this coming year.”