When any standout athlete looks at a collegiate choice, they tend to seek out that balance between a competitive athletic program and a strong academic program.
Orono High School track and field standout Jake Koffman will certainly get the best of both worlds in the coming years.
The Red Riots senior, who holds the state Class C outdoor record in the discus, has verbally committed to attend Stanford University on a track scholarship, according to Orono coach Chris Libby.
Libby said Koffman also had considered Harvard, Penn and Princeton.
“He only wanted to go to a school where academics were top-notch,” Libby said Wednesday morning. “He wanted a top-notch Division I school to go throw.”
“I really liked the team and the coach,” Koffman said.
Koffman plans to major in product design at the Palo Alto, California, school, and recently visited the school and attended a football game.
“I really love the atmosphere at Stanford,” Koffman said. “It didn’t feel preppy, it kind of fits the West Coast stereotype. It’s chill and down-to-earth there.”
Koffman, whose state record in the discus of 189 feet, 9 inches was set at last spring’s Class C state championship meet, also plays basketball at Orono.
But his career started on the track. As a freshman, he ran the 200 and 400 meters, but he picked up throwing events during a summer program.
“He became an expert on technique,” Libby said, noting the many aspects it takes to throw a shot put and discus well. “He’s built like a Division I athlete.”
Libby said Koffman trains five to six days per week and has worked hard on his flexibility in the discus and shot put circles.
Koffman also is a talented javelin thrower. He was second in the shot put and sixth in the javelin in the state meet last year in leading the Red Riots to a team championship.
Libby said Koffman is a great role model for the younger athletes.
“There were ninth-graders last year who were just in awe of him,” Libby said. “He takes it upon himself to instruct others.”
In addition to putting in work in the weight room, Koffman, who previously played soccer at Orono, has taken advantage of the warm fall to train in the discus and shot put circles.
Koffman said his main goal before he heads west is to add about 10 pounds of muscle to his 235-pound frame, and to increase his load by 45 pounds in the squat, deadlift and bench press in the weight room.
Libby said Koffman and Brewer throwing standout Austin Lufkin are great friends and train together occasionally.
“Usually when we do it turns into a competition to see who can throw the furthest,” Koffman said.
Koffman joins former Ellsworth High School distance runner Louie Luchini as Maine track standouts who committed to Stanford.
Koffman’s participation there is contingent upon being accepted into the school and meeting NCAA eligibility requirements.
Follow Ryan McLaughlin on Twitter at @rmclaughlin23.
