Butler's Jena Reinheimer throws discus during the Butler Invitational in April. Reinheimer capped her high school career with a second-place finish in the discus at the New Balance Nationals Outdoor meet in Greensboro, N.C., over the weekend. Reinheimer will throw at Lehigh University next year.

BUTLER TWP — Jena Reinheimer wanted to make her final high school track and field meet a good one.

And pressure free.

So Reinheimer, a recent Butler graduate, went to the New Balance Nationals Outdoor championships in Greensboro, N.C., over the weekend with a simple goal.

“Honestly,” she said. “I just wanted to have fun.”

Reinheimer did just that.

It's fun to throw 132 feet, 2 inches on the national stage. It's even more fun to place second in the country in the Emerging Elite division.

Reinheimer went to the national meet with the Long & Strong West Throwers Club, whose members also include Seneca Valley's Zach Gehm and South Fayette's Sam Mastro.

“We were all emotional at the end of the meet,” Reinheimer said, “Our coach (Mike Hambrick) called the team over and told us how proud he was of us. That meant a lot. We're family. We're close, and it was the end of four years together. We're all going our separate ways.”

Reinheimer is going to Lehigh University in Bethlehem. Gehm is going to Youngstown State University, and Mastro to Liberty University.

Even Hambrick is moving on to Reno, Nev.

That made the New Balance meet even more special to Reinheimer.

“It's a lot of fun, and I was a lot more relaxed than I was last year,” she said.

Reinheimer also threw the hammer at the meet and finished 11th with a throw of 123 feet, 6 inches. It was her personal best.

Not bad for an event in which Reinheimer has only dabbled.

“All I wanted to do was throw over 120 feet,” Reinheimer said. “Most of the other girls in the event were from Rhode Island where they throw it in high school meets and they're doing two, three, four turns and here I am doing one turn and trying to chuck it out as far as I can.”

Reinheimer will compete in the hammer throw at Lehigh.

She's already made a couple of friends there.

At the New Balance meet, she met her roommate for the first time. She's also stayed in touch with her host on her visit to Lehigh.

Then again, throwers rarely have trouble making friends.

It's a close-knit group that tosses implements.

“Just the love and support I've received has been amazing,” Reinheimer said. “It's crazy how you get to know people and then you cheer each other on. Throwers are a huge family.”