In his freshman year at Whitehall, Parker Ziegenfuss wanted to try a new sport and chose track. He did, and there was a more specific reason why he became one of the team’s throwers.

“I started track freshman year in high school,” recalled Ziegenfuss. “I started it originally to try out a new sport that I didn’t know a lot about. I got involved in throwing because I wasn’t the fastest kid as a freshman and wanted to do something that didn’t involve a lot of running.

“I really started to feel comfortable in my throwing my freshman year. It was because of the little family feeling with the other throwers, which we get just by spending so much time together.”

Now a senior, Ziegenfuss has his sights on making his mark in the upcoming league, district and state meets. Last season, his personal record in the discus was 102.8 and he missed leagues and districts by three feet. In the javelin, Ziegenfuss threw a personal best of 120.5, missing leagues by a few inches.

This season, Ziegenfuss’s personal bests are 110.8 in the discus and 138.2 in the javelin, and he appears on target for the postseason.

Ziegenfuss always has enjoyed the Zephyr Invitational that was recently canceled due to rain.

“A favorite story involving track would have to be the Zephyr Invitational,” said Ziegenfuss. “It’s an all-day track meet and always the most fun day of the year.”

Ziegenfuss plans to continue my track career in college. He has made contact with several Division II and Division III coaches regarding a possible career.

However, head coach Nicole Richards is confident Ziegenfuss can make an impact in the upcoming postseason. She also has watched him evolve over the years.

“Parker has remained, as he would say, consistent this year in each meet, and really over the last few seasons,” said Richards. “He’s put in a solid body of work and has shown growth and improvement in both javelin, discus, and as a leader on the team.

“He recently set a new personal best in javelin at Parkland and is hoping for one more big throw before the league meet in two weeks.”