Barnett Wu knows he is not the biggest discus thrower around. But he also knows that the events depends on technique as much as heft.##M:[more]##
And the High School North senior’s technique is making all of the difference in his performance this season so far, most notably during the Knights’ defeat of rival South on April 8, 89-44.
“I rely mostly on my speed and technique, and weightlifting is a big part of it, too” says Wu. The Cornell-bound Ravens Crest resident won all three of his events — the discus, shot put, and javelin — and set a new personal record with his best throw of 171-1 in the discus, 13 feet better than his previous record during the meet. Hitting “170 was kind of a break-through,” Wu says. “I’ve been hitting around the 170 area for the past two meets now.”
Wu will be heading to the 114th Penn Relays on Thursday, April 24 ,through Saturday, April 26, where he has high hopes of winning the discus. Wu says there are some competitors right behind him or on the same level as he is that could provide a challenge, but right now he has one of the top marks in the state.
And with the Knights’ unblemished 4-0 record so far this year, coming off a win against Nottingham on April 16, “we’re going for an undefeated season,” he says. “All our throwers are really talented. Our distance team is very solid. The throws and the distance team is where we’re hitting all our points.” So, Wu says, he feels the team has a pretty good chance. Wu won the discus and shot put at the Nottingham meet.
Marcus Allen has also been a standout on the Knights, with his win in the 400-meter hurdles, and his performance in the 4×400 relay, to help his team to a 89-44 victory over South.
Missing from the North-South meet was South star distance runner Brian Leung, who was reported out with a leg injury. For South Keith Griffith won both the 200 and 400 dashes, and Alex Prieto won the long and triple jumps.
The girls’ track teams also faced each other on April 8, with the Pirates blowing past the Knights. Sammy Howell also set some records during the match — a new CVC-best 5-6 high jump and a CVC-best 17-0 long jump. Katie Kellner, Tia Williams, and Ashleigh Delemos also boasted big wins for South, winning their distance, throwing, and sprinting events. Basketball star Becky Peters, who joined the girls’ track team for the first time this spring, also took first in the javelin.
The South girls followed the meet with a strong showing at the Wrobo Invitational on April 13, with Howell taking first in the high jump, tying her own meet record with a 5-2, and Williams taking first in the shot put and discus events.
