By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
After a freshman season that put him among the top throwers in the state, Paul Brennan has big goals in mind for his sophomore season with the Princeton High boys track and field team., While many of those goals have to do with how he performs this spring, the Cranbury resident has gotten off to a nice start this winter on his way to a successful spring season., At last week’s Princeton Invitational at Jadwin Gym, Brennan recorded a 46-foot, 2-inch effort to win the shot put. It was the kind of performance he might expect later in the season rather than in an early-season meet., “I have been very happy,” Brennan said. “I wasn’t expecting to do this well, this early. I was ranked pretty high in the state last year. I have been pretty consistent with my distances, so I have been very happy.”, Brennan’s best event last year was the discus. That event is not offered in the winter, so he is spending his time working on the shot put as well as getting stronger for both events this spring., “For practice, right now is the time to get as strong as possible,” he said. “I am in the weight room a majority of the time and I am also doing some running to get more explosive to prepare for the spring. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I get over to Jadwin and get in some throws at practice. But I haven’t done much with technique., Brennan’s older brother, Tim, was a highly successful performer in the weights at PHS and is currently a senior captain at Dartmouth. The younger Brennan learned from his older brother, as well as his father, who was also a track standout., “He was No. 6 in the discus in the country last year, so we knew he would do something big,” Princeton coach Ben Samara said. “Shot was never his best event. For his brother, Tim, shot wasn’t his best event, discus was. But they both worked hard on the shot. Paul is off to a great start. He didn’t think he would be throwing as far as he is., “You always know what you are going to get with a Brennan, from dad down to son. They are proof that hard work pays off. Paul is a kid that has built himself from the ground up. His weight room ethic and dedication to just developing his strength and technique as a sophomore is an example for everyone else.”, The Little Tigers will compete in the state relays this weekend and then the Mercer County championship meet later this month. Beyond that are the sectional and state meets., “For the winter, I am usually preparing for spring and not expecting too much,” Brennan said. “I am working on trying to get in the best shape I can for the spring. As a team we are really excited about this year. Our cross country team was very solid and won the Meet of Champions and was ranked in the top 20 in the country. I am really happy to help support the team and the distance guys. It will be fun.”, Brennan has been enjoying himself on the track since he first got interested in the sport in middle school. He had tried a number of different sports when he was younger but eventually realized track was the sport for him., “I was doing a combination of sports between football, lacrosse, basketball and baseball,” said Brennan, who won the Mercer County title in discus last spring as a freshman. “I decided to try track in sixth grade since brother did it and I was fairly good at it. He went on to Dartmouth and eventually I noticed I was pretty good with it. My dad was in the sport for a while and he encouraged me to get into it. I think middle school set the passion and base for success in high school and I can’t wait to see what junior and senior year brings. As long as I stay healthy and keep working hard hopefully I can be in the running for a state championship and help the team win a state championship.”, During the winter season, shot put will be the focus for Brennan. But he’ll always have an eye on what can happen in the spring., “The shot put is all we get out of him in the winter, so he focuses on that,” Samara said. “He has already hit 50 feet as a sophomore right at the beginning of the winter season., As counties come along we’ll expect some big things from him. He has a lot of room to grow. He has a friendly competition with his brother. His brother threw 50 as senior and Paul threw 50 as a sophomore. He is talking 60 feet and 200 in the discus. He has ambitious goals and to meet those goals he will have to improve.”, For Brennan, a lot of his goals are long term., “I’ll see what I can do and continue on to college,” he said. “Right now I am taking it step by step. I am trying to get stronger and throw a little farther. Freshman year I was very surprised with my performance with discus. I made the Meet of Champions, which I did not expect and also got to nationals. I got a feel of what to expect and hopefully I can take a big step toward a state championship., “My shot put has gone well this season, so I want to see where take it me. Last year the focus was in discus. This year I will focus on both and spread it out more evenly. This year I’ll do half and half and also add in some javelin and see how I do with that.”, Brennan was one of several event winners for Princeton at last week’s meet. Will Hare won the 3,200 meters, Nick Delaney won the 800 meters, and Nils Wildberg won the triple jump. For West Windsor-Plainsboro South, A’Nan Bridgett won the 200 meters and the long jump, while Xavier Smith won the 55 hurdles, Tim Magoun won the 1,600 meters, On the girls side, Chloe Taylor won the 3,200 meters, Jackie Patterson won the 400 meters, and Princeton also won the 4×400 relay. WW-P South’s Edwina Gulama won the 55-meter dash and 200 meters, while Haley Rich won the 1,600 meters and Julia Mao won the 800 meters.
