Keene State College head throws coach JohnNapolitano is set to begin his fifth season as at thehelm in the 2013-14 season. In his tenure, Napolitano has guidedOwls to six All-America honors, including a fourth place finish atthe NCAA Championships for Glenn Guilmette 13'(Kensington, N.H.) with a new school record toss of66.38 meters (217′-9”) in the javelin at Claremont MuddScripps in Claremont, California in 2012.
In 2010-11 at the outdoor track and field championships, theOwls had their most successful trip to the NCAA Division IIIOutdoor Track and Field Championships at Ohio Wesleyan University,bringing home a second place and a fifth place finish for a teamtotal of 13 points with just two throwers.
Bryan Kolacz 11’ (Exeter,N.H.) finished 2nd in the hammer throw with a toss of63.85 meters (209’-5’’). Kolacz’s toss wasthe 5th farthest in NCAA Division III history. Kolacz completed hisKSC career as a five time All-American, winning the honor threetimes outdoors in the hammer, including the 2009 NationalChampionship, and twice indoors in the weight throw. Kolacz’stoss of 20.04 meters (65’-9’’) in the 35-lbweight at the Smith College Invitational in December of 2010 wasthe 2nd farthest throw by a competitor in NCAA DIII history.
Two days after Kolacz earned his hammer honors at the outdoorchampionships, Guilmette earned his first All-American honor byplacing fifth in the javelin with a toss of 62.78 meters(206’). Guilmette became the first men’s javelinthrower in school history to earn All-America honors in theevent.
Also making a statement on the regional level, in the 2012outdoor season, Keene State sent a school record 13 throwingcompetitors to New England Championships, more than doubling theprevious record of five student-athletes. In 2013, KSC sent aprogram-record nine throwers to ECAC Championships at SpringfieldCollege.
The Owl throwers have also thrown well at the conference level,amassing 51 all-LEC performances and 16 conference championsin just four years at the Little East Conference championshipmeets under Napolitano’s direction.
Napolitano, a 2008 graduate of Keene State College and formerAll-Little East Conference performer in the hammer, discus and35-lb weight, has been involved in Keene State throwing since 2004.As a student-athlete, Napolitano was named to the All-LEC Academicteam six times, and graduated with a dual major in CommunicationStudies and Journalism.
Napolitano currently lives in Keene, N.H.
