Kiski Area thrower commits to Penn State

By: Doug Gulasy
Monday, February 25, 2019 | 1:29 AM

Jean Starr attended a track and field camp at Penn State last summer and knew she wanted to go there. And when the program’s coaches offered her an opportunity to join the team, that made it an even easier decision.

Starr, a senior at Kiski Area, committed Sunday to Penn State.

I am very excited to announce that I will be continuing my academic and athletic career at Penn State, University Park. A big thank you to my family, coaches, and teammates who have helped me along the way. #WeAre pic.twitter.com/hbV7JhEqbt

— Jean Starr (@jeanstarr21) February 24, 2019

“(I) loved the team and coaches, along with the campus, and knew that Penn State was the place I wanted to be,” Starr said. “Happy Valley has a way of making you feel right at home.

“So I had been emailing the coach and wanted to wait it out to see what other opportunities I’d get. When the Penn State coach offered me a spot, I knew there was no way I could say no.”

Starr applied to several schools, and she had an opportunity to compete at Carnegie Mellon and study engineering, which she said “made the choice much more difficult.” But a years-long interest in Penn State, plus her experience last summer, propelled her to Happy Valley.

A standout thrower, Starr competed at last season’s WPIAL championships in the discus, shot put and javelin. She competed in the shot put at Sunday’s indoor track and field championships, which happened to be at Penn State.

“I honestly just want to get better,” Starr said of her collegiate goals. “Penn State has a ton of talented athletes, and the Big Ten is extremely competitive, so right now my focus is not comparing myself to everyone else, but rather I’m just focused on working as hard as I possibly can to improve. I’ve made tremendous gains within the last year on my strength and technique, and I’m incredibly eager to see how much further Penn State can take me.

“At the end of the day, throwing is you against yourself. You can take last place in a meet but still get a personal best and leave the meet with a winning mentality, so I’m going in with that mindset and just eager to grow.”

Tags: Kiski School