Allen said that he decided to go with javelin in college because it was his main event in high school, and he likes being a part of a team.
“I didn’t have other stuff going on in terms of extracurriculars and I always really enjoyed track and being a part of the track team because it is always a fun group to be around,” Allen said. “It is kind of like a family, so it was something to keep doing for me.”
Head track and field coach Nick Jones said the team decided to recruit Allen because he would get the most attention and be able to progress easier here then he would at other schools.
“I think someone coming from Vermont and being from a little bit smaller school this would be a little bit smaller transition for him,” Jones said.
After being recruited by Jones and the Plattsburgh State team, Allen decided he wanted to come here.
He said he didn’t want to move too far away, but he also didn’t want to stay to close to home.
“Plattsburgh seemed like a good fit because it was out of state, but it was kind of close to home,” Allen said.
As a friend, senior sprinter/hurdler Bryanna Mustapich said that she absolutely loves Allen becuse he knows how to make her happy, and he is a great friend.
She said he is always there to support others and cheer people on during the meets.
Jones said he has seen him work hard to succeed, even though he has been the lone javelin thrower for the past two seasons.
“I have seen him work very hard, and it is tough sometimes because, the past couple years, he has been really the only pure javelin thrower, and he has worked very hard with what he has done,” Jones said.
“I have seen him work the past couple of weeks working really hard, so I’m excited to see what he can do in outdoors.”
This season, the team added another thrower in freshman Johnny Guercio.
Allen said he likes being able to work with Guercio because it helps him improve thorugh feedback from another thrower.
“It has been fun to have someone else around to kind of push me,” Allen said. “He is younger, so I have been teaching him as well, so that has been helping with my technique as well, just point stuff out to him. It has been cool having someone else around.”
Allen holds the school record in the javelin throw at 58.53 meters. Guercio said being able to have the record holder as a mentor has helped the start of his college career.
“Everyone who has a mentor wants to eventually beat their mentor, so it is kind of a fun goal for me to approach,” Guercio said. “So, since we compete in practice, it really helps you get better and that is a big part of how we practice, so it is very helpful to me.”
Guercio said that during practice, Allen and he compete to see who can make the better throws. It helps both of them strive to be better than the other.
Guercio also said Allen is working back from injury, and this could be one of his best seasons.
“He is coming back, and his main motivation is to come back to where he was throwing and it is kind of his rebound for him,” Guercio said. “It will be a good season for him, my first season with him, so it will be exciting to see him throw.”
With the determination that Allen has, it can be seen in different aspects of life. Senior sprinter John Hamilton said Allen has a determination to win.
Hamilton said he and Allen started competing in racquetball, and Hamilton was better at it than him at first.
“As time progressed and as we kept playing, he recently beat me for the first time,” Hamilton said. “I was proud to see his determination be his success, even at my downfall.”
Hamilton said Allen is a great friend, and he encourages others to follow his example by leadership and determination.
Jones said he shows determination in every meet he competes in. He competed at a meet at Rochester Polytechnic Institute and came back to get the win.
“He had thrown his first or second throw at pretty decent distances in competition, and then other athletes, I think a Union guy who was a football player, a quarterback, was throwing pretty far,” Jones said. “He threw a really good throw in his last throw, putting him ahead of Seth in the competition and Seth came back in the clutch and threw a big throw to win the competition.”
Jones said he can think of one word to describe Allen: determined.
“If he is focused, it is exciting to see what he can achieve,” Jones said.
Email Nick Topping at sports@cardinalpointsonline.com
