In The News: Wyoming may be a perfect fit for Frketich

Written by: Seth Gordon, Newberg Graphic

The recent Newberg High School graduate will throw the javelin and hammer for the Cowboys

Ever since he picked up track and field and began training with legendary Newberg javelin coach Joe Boutin, Hap Frketich has been motivated by some pretty lofty goals.

That included reaching the 200-foot mark and winning a state championship, both of which Frketich accomplished as a senior this spring.

As Frketich made progress toward those benchmarks, the possibility that he might one day compete in college became more and more realistic.

As much success as the recent Newberg High School graduate has had in his signature event, it wasn’t until he showed potential in the hammer and weight throws as well that college coaches really began to pursue him.

After a string of strong performances during the indoor season, including winning the 25-pound weight throw at the Simplot Games in February, coaches from Washington, Washington State, Arizona, Wyoming, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma emerged hoping to secure his signature.

Frketich ultimately signed with Wyoming May 25 at a ceremony held at the high school, picking the Cowboys because they checked off pretty much everything on his wish list, from the school’s agriculture program and small-town campus to their coaching staff and nearly full-ride scholarship offer.

“It just solidified when we went for the visit that Laramie is just the perfect place for him,” Hap’s father, Len Frketich said. “Everything fell into place like we had hoped it would.”

After Len Frketich took Hap and his younger siblings, Branko and Lala, to an all-comers youth track meet in the summer of 2010, the family took up throwing as a way to spend time together.

After Hap finished seventh grade, he and his siblings won youth state titles in the javelin at the same time in 2011, setting the table for what Boutin describes as a textbook progression for a top-level thrower over the next several years.

After maxing out at 120 feet in the javelin in eighth grade, Hap Frketich asked Boutin about what it would take to become a 200-foot thrower like so many of his pupils, including 2012 Olympian Cyrus Hostetler, had done before.

Boutin told him that every thrower who had hit 142 feet by the end of their freshman year and stayed in the program for four years had done it, so he just had to stick with it and improve 20 feet each year.

What Boutin didn’t tell his young charge was that his rule of thumb had applied to the old-style javelin, which flew further before the implement was changed to limit distance, but Frketich followed that progression almost exactly, topping out at 143-8 as a freshman and 164-4 as a sophomore.

Frketich stayed on schedule as a junior, throwing a personal best of 183-6 at the 6A state meet. The surprise was that he placed second after entering the meet as the No. 7 seed.

“His second place finish at state was one of the bigger thrills I’ve had since being here,” Boutin said. “The goal for him was kind of to get on the podium and all of a sudden he got second place.”

That also put a target on his back entering his senior season, but Frketich went unbeaten in high school competition, finally breaking the 200-foot barrier with a throw of 200-11 at the Jesuit Relays and hitting 198-9 to win the 6A state meet.

Boutin said he was quite confident Frketich would reach the 200-foot mark, so what impressed him most about the season was his ability to handle the pressure of being the favorite.

“There was a lot more pressure on me this year,” Frketich said. “I’ve never been nervous for a track meet until the state meet this year. I got the butterflies. Last year I didn’t get that because I had nothing to lose.”

In addition to learning from Boutin, Frketich has been blessed to receive guidance from two other big figures in Oregon track and field.

Len Frketich has been longtime friends with throwing patriarch Mitch Crouser, who was the one who suggested that Hap pick up another throwing event to increase his exposure and attractiveness to college programs.

As a junior, Frketich not only resumed throwing the discus in high school competitions, but followed Crouser’s second piece of advice to give the hammer a try during the club season.

He connected with coach Scott Skipper, who had started the Super Thrower Track Club with Crouser when their children were growing up. Skipper’s son, Greg, finished his career at the University of Oregon in 2015 as a three-time All-American in the hammer.

“It’s pretty lucky to have it where you’re friends of the Crousers and you’re in the community where the best javelin coach in the nation is at my high school and one of the best hammer coaches is right down the road,” Frketich said. “It’s lucky to have them all right here in this area of Oregon.”

Wyoming associate head coach and throws coach Paul Barrett said he is excited about Frketich’s 6-5 frame, strength and natural throwing talent.

He also signed a top hammer recruit from Spokane and the prospect of having a training partner of that caliber was another draw for Frketich.

“He won the Simplot Games, which is one of the top meets in high school in the nation and I know he’s had very little time on the hammer, so for him to do what he did with so little time is very impressive,” Barrett said. “You can see that he’s just feeling his way through it right now, but his athletic ability really shows huge potential.”

Frketich has qualified to throw the javelin next week at the USATF Junior Outdoor Nationals in Clovis, Calif., but is also hoping to gain a wildcard entry into the hammer competition.

That will give him one more chance to reach the only goal that has eluded him this season, breaking NHS grad Alex Wolf’s 2005 school record of 213 feet.

Based on a few throws late in the season that he judged would have cleared 200 by a wide margin, Boutin said he believes Frketich has a big throw in the tank right now.

Frketich will likely be the favorite in the javelin in the Mountain West Conference as a freshman after 202 feet won the league this year, so that will be his first goal for 2017.

“I think he’s going to have a tremendous progression in college,” Boutin said. “So I’m really excited for him. I think his potential for the first year of college is unlimited.”