Gem of a year for Gehm SV grad turns in stellar freshman season in throws
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — So much for a freshman learning curve. Zach Gehm threw it out, much like one of his impressive heaves in the discus.
The 2018 Seneca Valley graduate, in his first year at Youngstown State University, has already had a major impact on the Penguins' track and field team.
He recently placed second in both the men's discus and shot put at the Horizon League Championships with throws of 50.3 meters and 16.87, respectively, and was named the league's Freshman Field Athlete of the Year.
On Friday, he will compete in the discus at the NCAA Division I East Regional in Florida with 47 other throwers. If he places in the top 12 there, he will earn a trip to the national championship meet the first week of June at the University of Texas in Austin.
“I'm thinking 57 or 58 meters will be good enough to get there,” said Gehm, “but I usually don't try to think of a number like that entering an event because I don't seem to do as well.”
Gehm won a state title in the discus in his last high school meet a year ago, but he soon realized that decorated high school athletes are everywhere in the college ranks.
“The competition in Division I is ridiculous,” he said. “When I went to high school meets, the other team might have had one or two good throwers. Every meet in college feels like a national meet and I know I have to throw my best to win.
“I'm blessed to have a really quick finish and that's why I did so well in high school,” he added, “but I didn't have the best technique. I used to crunch my body too much and am learning to generate speed throughout the entire throw.”
Gehm wasted no time proving that, despite being a freshman, he was a force to be reckoned with. Following a strong indoor season over the winter, he traveled with the Penguins to his first outdoor meet, the North Carolina State Relays, in March.
“There were schools from all over the east coast,” he said. “I came into the spring wanting to throw over 50 meters (in the discus) in every meet. Then I go out and do it in North Carolina and place fourth. That's when I realized that it could be done.”
Gehm has not let himself or his team down, surpassing 50 meters in every event in which he's competed. Included was his effort at last month's Ashland University Alumni Open when he broke an 18-year old school record with a heave of 54.17. That distance also qualified him for the USA Track and Field U20 Championships, scheduled in late June, also in Florida.
YSU senior Dom Westbay, a Shenango High School graduate who also competes in the discus, has been a mentor to Gehm.
“He puts the work in,” he said. “He's a role model and I really look up to him.”
If Gehm places in the top two at the U20 event, he will represent the United States at the Pan-Am U20 Games in Costa Rica in July.
“It's been a dream of mine to wear the U.S. colors,” said Gehm. “Hopefully, I can use what I've learned to get there.”
