Thomas College sophomre and Cony High School graduate Julia Reny recently won the NCAA Division III New England championship in the javelin with a toss of 38.73 meters. Photo courtesy of Thomas College Athletics
Julia Reny truly made the most out of a bad situation.
Reny, a Thomas College track and field sophomore, couldn’t sprint during this past spring outdoor season because of a lingering hamstring injury suffered during indoor season. It forced her to spend her time focusing on her field event, the javelin.
What came from it was a Division III New England title. Reny, a Cony High graduate, became the program’s first New England champ when she threw the javelin 38.73 meters (127 feet) at Springfield College in Massachusetts earlier this month.
“It’s very rewarding, for sure,” said Reny, who also won the North Atlantic Conference title in the event. “Just went meet by meet and saw some good results. I’m happy to perform well and have something to show for working hard this season.”
“We knew coming out of high school that she was a very talented track and field athlete,” Thomas head coach Ian Wilson added. “I was actually at the state meet (in high school) when she won the state championship on the very last throw. So I kind of knew she had the clutch gene in her. She knows how to be at her best when the odds are longest and at its toughest. I’m not terribly surprised she was able to do that and win New Englands on her last throw.”
Reny said being able to focus solely on the event throughout the season proved crucial.
“All outdoor (season) I just did the javelin, I didn’t run a single race,” Reny said. “I think putting all my time and effort into one event made it less stressful, which made me perform well in the one event, rather than spreading (myself) across several events.”
“We’ve seen it time and again, she doesn’t let obstacles get in her way,” Wilson added. “She was phenomenal about going into rehab with the trainers and doing exercises (for her hamstring) day after day after day, when she’d rather be out there sprinting and being with the team. She traveled with us to meets to support the team. She was an awesome role model and just reacted to adversity the way you really hope people do. Her ability to train and focus on javelin, to change her focus after her injury, is one of the reasons she was able to win at New Englands. She knows how to handle adversity.”
Reny also credited work on her form in helping with longer distance. It paid off when it mattered most, as Reny won the NAC title on April 29-30 at Colby College in Waterville — also on her final throw — a mark of 35.79 meters.
“It’s insane, (javelin) is so linear,” Reny said. “To try to critique one (mechanic) you think so much about, when you critique that one thing, you lose three other things with muscle memory. There’s a lot of technique, but I think that’s what’s so exciting about it. There’s a lot of room for growth.”
Thomas had a huge day at the conference meet, as the men’s team won its first NAC title, while the women finished fourth.
Julia Reny wasn’t the only one in her family to have success at the DIII New England meet. Her sister, Anna Reny, who competes for the University of Southern Maine, finished second in the 400-meter hurdles.
“It was like a little family reunion,” Julia Reny said. “It was nice to perform well with family there.”
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The Colby College baseball team has continued a strong regular season, and is now deep in the New England Small College Athletic Conference tournament.
The Mules (24-10) host Middlebury College on Friday, the first game of a best-of-three series in the semifinals. Colby swept Hamilton College in the quarterfinal round last weekend. The Mules are one win shy of surpassing their total from last season.
“It’s been fantastic,” Colby head coach Jesse Woods said. “Guys have just been playing at a really high level and playing against a really good schedule this year. It’s been really challenging, and these guys have met the challenge week after week.”
Colby has had success on offense and on the mound this season. The Mules own a .293 batting average and .378 on-base percentage. Junior infielder Brady O’Brien is hitting .262, with six home runs and a team-leading 33 RBI. Junior catcher/outfielder Cole Palmeri has been clubbing the ball, with a .319 batting average, seven home runs and 29 RBI. Four Colby hitters have 10 or more doubles this season.
Colby College’s Marcus Forrester (7) scores for the second run of the game against Plymouth State University on April 4 in Waterville. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel
The Colby pitching staff has been just as impressive. Joe Sylvester (3-2, 2.18 ERA, 31 strikeouts in 33 innings) and Ryan Grecco (3-1, 2.18 ERA, 23 strikeouts in 20 2/3 innings) have led the way. Nicholas Thompson is 4-1 with a 4.01 ERA and has 41 strikeouts in 49 innings.
“We’re very deep on the mound,” Woods said. “That’s been a focus area for us over the past couple of years. Our performance on the mound has been excellent all year long and really have taken a step forward there.”
If that wasn’t enough, the Mules have had tremendous success at home going 12-3.
Colby did not meet defending NESCAC champ Middlebury (25-9) during the regular season.
“They’re a team that can test you in a lot of different ways,” Woods said. “They like to hit, they like to run and they like to pitch. We’re going to have our hands full. They won the NESCAC last year, so they come in here confident in their experience. And they’ve had a good year this year, too. But at this time of the year, this is what you expect to face, and we feel we’re pretty good, too.”
The Bowdoin baseball team (18-14) edged Wesleyan in the quarterfinal round and will meet Tufts University (28-9) in the semifinal round this weekend in Waterville. Sophomore infielder Kevin Murray (.418 batting average, six home runs, 26 RBI) has been the top hitter for the Polar Bears, while junior Jack Mullen of Freeport (6-1, 3.12 ERA, 43 strikeouts in 52 innings) has been the top pitcher.
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The Colby softball team (23-13) will travel to Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts on Friday to play rival Bowdoin College in a NESCACquarterfinal game. The Mules are on a three-game win streak, with five of their regular starters hitting above .300 this season. Jackie Hill is hitting .330 with five home runs and 28 RBI while Chloe Wilcox is hitting .360 with two home runs, 22 RBI and 16 doubles this season.
Bowdoin (19-19) has lost two straight, but has a true slugger in senior third baseman/outfielder Angelina Mayers, who is hitting .424 with 14 home runs and 45 RBI.
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