It’s an event New York state has yet to recognize by including it in its extensive state track and field championships.
Gatorade doesn’t care.
Recognizing both Charlie Sullivan’s outstanding spring in hammer throwing and his outstanding winter in weight throwing, Gatorade has named Sullivan its Gatorade New York Boys Track and Field Player of the Year.
Sullivan, who graduated Wednesday from Somers High School, will compete next year for a traditional throwing power in Div. I Wisconsin. He recently finished second in both the men’s U20 hammer throw and boys high school hammer throw at Nike Outdoor Nationals in Oregon, the latter giving him All-American status. He qualified there for the U20 World Championships, which will be held in early August in Oregon.
Sullivan’s top hammer throw of 238-3 was No. 3 in the country this year and No. 19 all-time among high school throwers. It’s the No. 5 all-time top high school throw in New York, the top being just 16-and-a-half feet farther. That record belongs to Rudy Winkler, who has competed in three Olympic Games.
Sullivan also finished sixth to gain All-American status at Nike Indoor Nationals in the weight throw. His throw of 76-5 was No. 2 in New York this year and No. 6 all-time in New York for a high schooler. While there is no state hammer throw championship, Sullivan won both the state public and state Federation (all schools) weight throw championships.
While he probably couldn’t have predicted exactly how far he would throw before graduating from high school, Somers coach Mike Lacko knew virtually from day one Sullivan was a special athlete.
“I think his drive and determination (are what stood out), even from his freshman year,” said Lacko, who noted Sullivan saw that then star Somers thrower Brian Luciano was running cross-country, so he did the same that year.
“He wanted to be the next great thrower for Somers,” Lacko said.
And it didn’t take Sullivan long to become just that.
He threw the hammer 60-plus feet a few times as a freshman, topped 70 and then unleashed a better than 100-foot throw to end his season. As a sophomore, he started in the high 130s, got into t150s several times.
“You could tell this kid was something special,” Lacko said, noting Sullivan has never shied from doing the work to bring him to the next level, including spending three days a week at a throwing center in Ulster County.
“You’ve got to make sacrifices (to excel) and that’s something he does and understands,” Lacko said of Sullivan, who was also an A student at Somers.
“His footwork and speed are something I’ve never seen and I’ve seen a lot of great throwers,” Lacko said, noting multiple coaches from other teams have said the same thing.
Sullivan’s private coach in the NY Hammer Throw Academy, Kevin Sullivan, a former All-American hammer and weight thrower who’s not related to him, said Sullivan never misses a practice, even though they’re outdoors and year-round.
In winter, when there’s snow on the ground — which was the norm last winter — the coach and throwers use a snowblower to clear an 80-meter field.
“We froze our toes off,” Kevin Sullivan said of last winter, noting throwers tried to stay warmer by putting their feet in a fire that was made each session.
“It was a real tough winter but it paid off,” Kevin Sullivan said, referring to Charlie Sullivan’s growth.
He calls his student a “dark horse,” noting the 18-year-old, who Kevin Sullivan jokes may get his “Samson strength” from his thick beard, has exceeded expectations by having a big breakthrough between his sophomore and junior years and then by qualifying for the U20 championships.
A significant turning point came when Kevin Sullivan retooled Charlie Sullivan’s “orbit,” having him drop the ball lower on his right side while swinging it to stop his tendency to throw out of bounds to the left.
Sullivan thinks Wisconsin will get him stronger and further develop him as a thrower.
But before he gets there, he’ll continue working in Wallkill, concentrating in part on throwing the U20 hammer, which is 13 pounds, as opposed to the high school hammer, which is 12 pounds.
Despite not throwing the heavier hammer often, Charlie Sullivan is currently ranked 36th in the world in U20 hammer. But Kevin Sullivan thinks he can move up quickly.
“We have four weeks to train,” he said, noting if he adds just two or three meters to his throw, he would move up a lot in the rankings.
Moreover, if he can throw that far at U20 Worlds, he’ll have a chance to make the 12-man finals, a big honor for an 18-year-old.
“You get an athlete like him once in your lifetime. He’s just such a classy kid and so dedicated,” Kevin Sullivan said.
And unflappable.
While the world stage might seem daunting, Charlie Sullivan has been known to thrive in the biggest competitions.
“He’s the type of guy who is just deadly the day of competition. He can strike. He’s laser-focused,” said Kevin Sullivan, who said he’s “100% locked in.”
“You’ve got to have hope and faith and no one gives me more hope and faith as Charlie,” Kevin Sullivan added. … “There is no cap to what this kid can do.”
“I won’t be surprised if I hear great things (in the years ahead),” he said.
Lacko predicts Sullivan will be an immediate contributor at Wisconsin, making the Big Ten Championships and NCAAs. He foresees with the training that school will provide, Sullivan eventually landing on the podium at NCAAs as a top-three performer and foresees Sullivan throwing the hammer in the Olympics.
“You can tell when someone has the ‘it’ factor and he has it,” Lacko said.
Nancy Haggerty covers sports for The Journal News/lohud.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Somers’ Charlie Sullivan named Gatorade’s top NY track & field athlete
Reporting by Nancy Haggerty, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Nancy Haggerty, Rockland/Westchester Journal News | USA TODAY Network
