University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Marc Minichello
May 22, 2023 | Track & Field, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Marc Minichello doesn't have anything left to prove as a collegiate javelin thrower. A year ago, as a senior at Penn, he won the ultimate prize, a national title at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Now, having transferred to Georgia as a graduate student, Minichello, a two-time Academic All-American who finished third at the 2022 USA Track and Field Championships, wants to help the Bulldogs win a team championship. And if along the way he were to repeat as NCAA javelin champion, that would be just fine too. He's heading in that direction after winning the SEC title earlier this month with a throw of 260 feet 10 inches.
Minichello, from West Pittston, Pa., a small town of about 5,000, loved the experience of going to college in Philadelphia — and he's thoroughly enjoying life in Athens during the second chapter of his collegiate career. He's also already entered his name near the top of Georgia's record book. His effort of 264 feet 6 inches at the Mt. SAC Relays last month ranks second all-time at Georgia, behind only Chris Hill's 275-2 in 2009. Minichello and 24 other Bulldogs are off to Jacksonville, Fla., this week for the NCAA East Prelims.
During a recent Quick Chat, he talked about his start in the javelin, his goals at Georgia, if this summer's World Championships and next year's Paris Olympics are on his mind, and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: What has the transition from Penn to Georgia been like?
Minichello: The difference between Penn and Georgia is night and day. There's really nothing similar. Athletics-wise, you've got everything you could possibly want and need at Georgia, so that's nice, and you're not really having to think twice about things. At Penn, you had to be a little bit more independent. ...
I think what's made the transition the easiest is how welcomed I was to the team when I first got here. I was worried about how I was going to be received, only because I was pretty accomplished coming in and I was coming from a high academic school, so I didn't know how that was going to go. As soon as I got here, people seemed to take an interest in me and a liking to me, and I found friends right away.
Frierson: How satisfying is it to win a national championship when you're competing for an Ivy League school like Penn?
Minichello: Penn actually has a little bit of history in the throws. The last three national champions we've had have been me, a discus thrower and another javelin thrower — all from 2004 or so. It's not something that's supposed to happen; you're supposed to go to the Ivy League, get an excellent education, and then do sports as a hobby.
When I got there, I was really lucky to have a coach who was super invested. He took me seriously enough to where he truly believed I could be the best at both worlds: best in the classroom and get the most out of track and field as possible.
Frierson: How did you get started in track and throwing the javelin in particular?
Minichello: It was kind of on accident or by circumstance. I played football and baseball growing up, and then I got injured my sophomore year of football. I couldn't play baseball that year, but the coaches were like, do something useful. All of my football friends on the track team were throwing the javelin and I'd hear story after story about how fun it was.
That's what the conversation was at the lunch table leading into the track season, so I made that transition to track. But I still played football and baseball until I graduated. Track was always the third sport, it was something that I never really focused on ... but once I got to college and I had the opportunity to be around people who took track super seriously, that was really contagious for me.
I learned about it and wanted to keep learning about it. It was fun to push my potential and see how good I could get, and do it at a place where you're not supposed to be good at track and field.
Frierson: When you're first starting out, how nervous are you about throwing what is essentially an ancient weapon?
Minichello: The javelin, I would say, the margin for error is about 180 degrees, where the hammer is 360, so at least you know you're not going to hit anyone behind you. When you're throwing it, especially in that early stage, the coaches are super elementary. Rule No. 1 was: look where you're throwing. And if there's anyone that could be even remotely close to it, just don't throw it. That was ingrained in us really early.
Frierson: You've obviously got the NCAA East Prelims and then the NCAA Championships coming up, but then there are the World Championships this summer and the 2024 Olympics in Paris next year. How much are those big international meets on your mind?
Minichello: I'd say they're kind of, sort of, not really. I came to Georgia to do my extra two years in pursuit of the Olympics, and I was weighing my decision, wherever I was going to go, based on that. But as I was finishing up my senior year at Penn and looking at the team when I got here, it became really obvious to me that the team was special. That was so unique coming from where I came from. I've never really be a part of a championship team.
To see the potential that the University of Georgia had, winning a team championship would be something really cool. I want to invest myself in that side of things as much as possible, and then I believe that as a result of a successful team, with people pushing each other and working together, the individual things will take care of themselves.
Right now, my No. 1 goal is to help the team win a national championship, or certainly place as high as we can. To try to play my role and also lead in some aspects, that's been a super valuable learning experience and something that I take a lot of pride in.
I already did the individual thing to some extent, I got the individual thing last year, and it was fun. But now I want to take it to the next level and I think that would be a team championship.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Staff Writer
Marc Minichello doesn't have anything left to prove as a collegiate javelin thrower. A year ago, as a senior at Penn, he won the ultimate prize, a national title at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Now, having transferred to Georgia as a graduate student, Minichello, a two-time Academic All-American who finished third at the 2022 USA Track and Field Championships, wants to help the Bulldogs win a team championship. And if along the way he were to repeat as NCAA javelin champion, that would be just fine too. He's heading in that direction after winning the SEC title earlier this month with a throw of 260 feet 10 inches.
Minichello, from West Pittston, Pa., a small town of about 5,000, loved the experience of going to college in Philadelphia — and he's thoroughly enjoying life in Athens during the second chapter of his collegiate career. He's also already entered his name near the top of Georgia's record book. His effort of 264 feet 6 inches at the Mt. SAC Relays last month ranks second all-time at Georgia, behind only Chris Hill's 275-2 in 2009. Minichello and 24 other Bulldogs are off to Jacksonville, Fla., this week for the NCAA East Prelims.
During a recent Quick Chat, he talked about his start in the javelin, his goals at Georgia, if this summer's World Championships and next year's Paris Olympics are on his mind, and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: What has the transition from Penn to Georgia been like?
Minichello: The difference between Penn and Georgia is night and day. There's really nothing similar. Athletics-wise, you've got everything you could possibly want and need at Georgia, so that's nice, and you're not really having to think twice about things. At Penn, you had to be a little bit more independent. ...
I think what's made the transition the easiest is how welcomed I was to the team when I first got here. I was worried about how I was going to be received, only because I was pretty accomplished coming in and I was coming from a high academic school, so I didn't know how that was going to go. As soon as I got here, people seemed to take an interest in me and a liking to me, and I found friends right away.
Frierson: How satisfying is it to win a national championship when you're competing for an Ivy League school like Penn?
Minichello: Penn actually has a little bit of history in the throws. The last three national champions we've had have been me, a discus thrower and another javelin thrower — all from 2004 or so. It's not something that's supposed to happen; you're supposed to go to the Ivy League, get an excellent education, and then do sports as a hobby.
When I got there, I was really lucky to have a coach who was super invested. He took me seriously enough to where he truly believed I could be the best at both worlds: best in the classroom and get the most out of track and field as possible.
Frierson: How did you get started in track and throwing the javelin in particular?
Minichello: It was kind of on accident or by circumstance. I played football and baseball growing up, and then I got injured my sophomore year of football. I couldn't play baseball that year, but the coaches were like, do something useful. All of my football friends on the track team were throwing the javelin and I'd hear story after story about how fun it was.
That's what the conversation was at the lunch table leading into the track season, so I made that transition to track. But I still played football and baseball until I graduated. Track was always the third sport, it was something that I never really focused on ... but once I got to college and I had the opportunity to be around people who took track super seriously, that was really contagious for me.
I learned about it and wanted to keep learning about it. It was fun to push my potential and see how good I could get, and do it at a place where you're not supposed to be good at track and field.
Frierson: When you're first starting out, how nervous are you about throwing what is essentially an ancient weapon?
Minichello: The javelin, I would say, the margin for error is about 180 degrees, where the hammer is 360, so at least you know you're not going to hit anyone behind you. When you're throwing it, especially in that early stage, the coaches are super elementary. Rule No. 1 was: look where you're throwing. And if there's anyone that could be even remotely close to it, just don't throw it. That was ingrained in us really early.
Frierson: You've obviously got the NCAA East Prelims and then the NCAA Championships coming up, but then there are the World Championships this summer and the 2024 Olympics in Paris next year. How much are those big international meets on your mind?
Minichello: I'd say they're kind of, sort of, not really. I came to Georgia to do my extra two years in pursuit of the Olympics, and I was weighing my decision, wherever I was going to go, based on that. But as I was finishing up my senior year at Penn and looking at the team when I got here, it became really obvious to me that the team was special. That was so unique coming from where I came from. I've never really be a part of a championship team.
To see the potential that the University of Georgia had, winning a team championship would be something really cool. I want to invest myself in that side of things as much as possible, and then I believe that as a result of a successful team, with people pushing each other and working together, the individual things will take care of themselves.
Right now, my No. 1 goal is to help the team win a national championship, or certainly place as high as we can. To try to play my role and also lead in some aspects, that's been a super valuable learning experience and something that I take a lot of pride in.
I already did the individual thing to some extent, I got the individual thing last year, and it was fun. But now I want to take it to the next level and I think that would be a team championship.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
Players Mentioned
Javelin
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Monday, May 18
Monday, May 18
Monday, May 18