BANGOR, Maine — Justin Martin of Husson University is off to a strong start to the 2018 outdoor track season.
With no more than a handful of throws as preparation, the junior from Winslow already has topped his previous school record in the javelin — which earned him Division III All-New England honors last spring.
Martin’s latest effort, a throw of 190 feet, 6 inches, on his second attempt during the Eagles’ recent trip to Los Angeles, for the Oxy Distance Carnival Spring Break Classic at Occidental College, led to him being named Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III North Field Athlete of the Week.
“That surprised me because I hadn’t thrown in a year,” said Martin, who is better known as an All-North Atlantic Conference basketball player at Husson. “I was a little thrown off by it, but I was happy.”
Martin’s best throw at Occidental, which topped the 186-6 throw he achieved while finishing seventh at last year’s New England meet, could be just the beginning for the former three-sport prep standout from Winslow High School.
“What we’ve worked on so far since the weather really wasn’t helping us here was a lot of footwork, we weren’t even taking throws with the javelin,” said Frank Fazzino, an assistant to Husson head track and field coach Kate Goupee who specializes in the throwing events. “He didn’t actually get hold of a jav until we got outside in California.
“It was impressive to see that he could handle it that well since he hadn’t actually thrown a jav in almost a year.”
Martin has been a part-time performer in track and field in his college career while focusing primarily on his favorite sport, basketball.
The 6-foot-5, 200-pound forward earned All-North Atlantic Conference second-team status for the second straight year this past winter after averaging 10.2 points and 8.4 rebounds and leading Husson in blocked shots.
Martin previously was named the NAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2017 as coach Warren Caruso’s Eagles captured the NAC championship and advanced to the NCAA Division III tournament.
Martin, who starred in football and basketball at Winslow, tried track and field for the first time as a junior primarily to stay busy during the spring season.
He played tight end and linebacker as a senior on the Black Raiders’ undefeated 2014 state championship football team and was named to the Bangor Daily News All-Maine second team as well as a Mr. Maine Basketball semifinalist as Winslow advanced to the Eastern Maine Class B. Martin then placed second in the javelin at the 2015 Class B outdoor track state championships.
“It was just coaching and getting stronger,” said Martin, who didn’t place at states as a junior. “I basically got my form down and I think my body type with long arms helped a lot, too. It was pretty interesting, a neat ride to get to states.”
Martin decided too late to try out for Husson’s first-year track team after his freshman year of basketball but joined the squad last spring. He improved in the javelin by 108 feet from the start of the 2017 track season to the New England championships.
“My first meet didn’t go very well but I kept progressing after that,” Martin recalled. “By the end of the year I was throwing pretty well.”
Martin, who didn’t begin training again until the conclusion of the basketball season, says some of his basketball-related training has aided his early javelin success this spring.
“The core strength and shoulder strength, you need a lot of that to throw the javelin well,” he said. “We do a lot of those type of workouts for basketball.”
Martin’s throw of 190-6 ranks him third in New England and 11th nationally among NCAA Division III throwers this spring, but Fazzino believes there is much more to come.
“We’ve worked a couple of weeks on some slight form and he’s quick to pick it up, which is a testament to the great athleticism he has,” Fazzino said. “I see a lot of potential in Justin. I think this is just the start for him.”
Martin’s personal ambition this spring is slightly more modest.
“My goal is to get above 60 meters (196 feet) by the end of the year,” said Martin. “I’m really trying to get better than seventh in New England and make it to nationals.”
Martin also planned to debut in the discus on Friday when the Husson track and field team competed at the Regis College Spring Classic in Weston, Massachusetts.
“I’m just going to see how well I do at that,” he said. “I don’t really expect too much out of myself but if I can place at the NACs that would be a pretty good goal for me this year.”
Again, his event coach is much more optimistic.
“With the wingspan he has I guarantee he’s probably going to be pretty solid in that, too,” said Fazzino.
“Will he be as good in the disc as he is in the jav? That’s hard to say right now but I think he has a lot of potential for it.”
Follow BDN Maine Sports on Facebook for the latest in Maine high school and college sports.
