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HARRISONBURG — It was the first throw of the day for Sarah Piner, and the Riverheads sophomore let it fly.
Coming into the meet, Piner was seeded second in Virginia High School League Class 1 discus, just about a foot behind Auburn's Allyson Harris, the defending state champion. Piner's top throw this year had been 119-5 1/2, a school record.
On Friday afternoon, June 5, Piner broke that record — the third time she's done that this season — with a distance of 125-3 1/2. It was her first throw of the meet and stood until the end, giving Piner the Class 1 state championship. She beat Harris, who's top throw was 114-9 1/2.
"It feels pretty good," Piner said. "I'm very thankful and blessed. I'm thankful for all my coaches, my teammates and everyone who's pushed me through and supported me."
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Piner stepped in to throw for the first time Friday, saying she knew she just had to relax and trust the work she's put in. As soon as she let it go, she knew it was probably a personal best.
She didn't think it'd be a personal best by almost six feet, though.
"I was pleasantly surprised," Piner said.
Piner just started throwing as a freshman, deciding she wanted to do a second sport in the spring to go along with softball. Her first throws were around 75 feet. Her throwing coach, Jeremy Heizer, said she was lacking in technique, but he saw something there with which he could work.
By the time regionals rolled around — Riverheads was in Class 2 a year ago — Piner threw 101-6, good enough for third. She couldn't break 100-feet in the state meet, finishing ninth.
This season, though, Piner found her groove.
Piner began this spring as a dual-sport athlete, but gave up softball early in the season to focus on throwing.
Heizer believes that's a big reason she was successful this year. Trying to manage two sports in one season is a lot for any athlete. Piner was able to work on just throwing and it paid off.
Heizer wasn't shocked after that first throw Friday, saying the "sky's the limit" on her potential.
"She put the pressure on everyone else, right off the bat," Heizer said.
The coach said he has seen that backfire, with the competition stepping up and responding to that pressure. It didn't happen Friday. No one was even close to Piner's first throw.
As far as next year, and the year after that, the coach doesn't see any reason Piner can't continue just getting better.
"She has a good shot at three (state championships) in a row," Heizer said.
Piner wasn't ready to go that far, but she has thought about the next two years.
"That goal is to just keep improving and help my team as much as possible in the future," Piner said. "And hopefully have a repeat."
Patrick Hite is a reporter at The News Leader. Story ideas and tips are always welcome. Connect with Patrick (he/him/his) at [email protected] and on Instagram @hitepatrick. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Riverheads' Sarah Piner wins Virginia High School League discus title
Continue reading...
Coming into the meet, Piner was seeded second in Virginia High School League Class 1 discus, just about a foot behind Auburn's Allyson Harris, the defending state champion. Piner's top throw this year had been 119-5 1/2, a school record.
On Friday afternoon, June 5, Piner broke that record — the third time she's done that this season — with a distance of 125-3 1/2. It was her first throw of the meet and stood until the end, giving Piner the Class 1 state championship. She beat Harris, who's top throw was 114-9 1/2.
"It feels pretty good," Piner said. "I'm very thankful and blessed. I'm thankful for all my coaches, my teammates and everyone who's pushed me through and supported me."
More: Monthlong Staunton street test reshapes traffic, invites feedback
More: Fort Defiance easily advances to girls tennis state semifinals
Piner stepped in to throw for the first time Friday, saying she knew she just had to relax and trust the work she's put in. As soon as she let it go, she knew it was probably a personal best.
She didn't think it'd be a personal best by almost six feet, though.
"I was pleasantly surprised," Piner said.
Piner just started throwing as a freshman, deciding she wanted to do a second sport in the spring to go along with softball. Her first throws were around 75 feet. Her throwing coach, Jeremy Heizer, said she was lacking in technique, but he saw something there with which he could work.
By the time regionals rolled around — Riverheads was in Class 2 a year ago — Piner threw 101-6, good enough for third. She couldn't break 100-feet in the state meet, finishing ninth.
This season, though, Piner found her groove.
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Piner began this spring as a dual-sport athlete, but gave up softball early in the season to focus on throwing.
Heizer believes that's a big reason she was successful this year. Trying to manage two sports in one season is a lot for any athlete. Piner was able to work on just throwing and it paid off.
Heizer wasn't shocked after that first throw Friday, saying the "sky's the limit" on her potential.
"She put the pressure on everyone else, right off the bat," Heizer said.
The coach said he has seen that backfire, with the competition stepping up and responding to that pressure. It didn't happen Friday. No one was even close to Piner's first throw.
As far as next year, and the year after that, the coach doesn't see any reason Piner can't continue just getting better.
"She has a good shot at three (state championships) in a row," Heizer said.
Piner wasn't ready to go that far, but she has thought about the next two years.
"That goal is to just keep improving and help my team as much as possible in the future," Piner said. "And hopefully have a repeat."
Patrick Hite is a reporter at The News Leader. Story ideas and tips are always welcome. Connect with Patrick (he/him/his) at [email protected] and on Instagram @hitepatrick. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Riverheads' Sarah Piner wins Virginia High School League discus title
Continue reading...
