The Day's All-Area Boys' Track & Field Athlete of the Year: Norwich Free Academy's J'Von Brown

June 26, 2016 12:00 am • Last Updated: June 27, 2016 7:29 pm

By ALEC TURNER, Special to The Day

J'Von Brown, a senior at Norwich Free Academy, finished first in the shot put at the ECC and Class LL championships and was second in the State Open with a throw of 49 feet, 11.5 inches, propelling him into the New England meet. Brown was named The Day's 2016 All-Area Boys' Track & Field Athlete of the Year. (Dana Jensen/The Day)
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For Norwich Free Academy’s J’Von Brown, track and field has always been his secondary sport.

Brown considered competing in the shot put as more of a hobby compared to football, where he was a two-way lineman for the Wildcats and one of the region’s most accomplished players.

“To be honest, I looked at it as a joke. It was always something to do with my football teammates,” Brown said.

This season, however, Brown became more passionate about track and field — and particularly the shot — once he recognized the level of talent he possessed while filling into his 6-foot-3, 325-pound frame.

“I realized that I wanted to continue to get better at (shot put) and work harder than anyone else,” Brown said. “It is now a second love that I have."

And like one of his throws sailing through the air, his senior season just took off. He won the Eastern Connecticut Conference and Class LL state championships in his specialty event, placed second in the State Open and went on to finish 15th in the New England meet.

For his efforts, Brown was selected as The Day’s 2016 All-Area Boys’ Track & Field Athlete of the Year.

Brown was a three-year varsity performer in the shot for NFA, but things fell into place as a senior, especially during the postseason where he continued to improve from the ECC meet all the way through the State Open.

He helped the Wildcats win the conference title by coming in first place with a 48-foot throw. He qualified for the Class LL championships and it was there, according to Brown, where he enjoyed the highlight of the season.

Despite being seeded third heading into the meet, Brown outperformed the top two seeds in Class LL, Newtown’s Jack Godfrey and Amity’s Cameron Greifenberger, to capture the gold medal.

For Brown, coming in as the underdog was the most satisfying part.

“No one there even knew who I was,” he said, “and the fact that I went in there and won was surprising to everyone.”

Brown went on to the State Open a week later where he unleashed his best throw of the season — 49-11.5 — to finish second. He was pleased with his strong performance, but couldn’t help but hide his disappointment at falling just a half-inch short of 50 feet.

“I was pretty upset that I didn’t reach 50 feet.” Brown said. “I always threw (over 50 feet) in practice, but I don’t know what happens because when I’m at a meet it’s different. “I’m still happy I did well, though.”

It’s safe to say Brown had a successful school year. He earned All-Area, All-ECC and all-state honors in both track and football. He also played in the O-D All-American football game in Atlanta. Along the way, Brown believes he reached every goal that was on his senior checklist.

“I accomplished a lot this past year, basically everything that I wanted to do. And I had fun doing it,” he said.

Brown begins the next phase of his career in the fall when he'll attend Central Connecticut State University. He was recruited by the football program and received a scholarship from the Blue Devils to play on the offensive line. He will study biology in hopes of entering CCSU’s nursing program to realize his dream of becoming a nurse practitioner.

He also hopes to parlay his success in the shot into becoming a two-sport athlete in college, too, joining the track team in the spring.

a.turner@theday.com

NFA's J'von Brown is a football standout, signing to play next season at Central Connecticut State University, but he grew more serious in his study of the shot put, as well. Brown helped lift the Wildcats to a first-place finish at the ECC championship meet and continued his success all the way to the New England meet. (Photo courtesy of J'Von Brown)

The Day's 2016 All-Area Boys' Track & Field Team

Player of the Year - J'Von Brown (NFA)

100 meters, 200 - Herman Winston (Ledyard)

400 - Will DeMott (Old Lyme)

800 - Nick Fitch (NFA)

1,600 - Connor Gralton (NFA)

3,200 - Vann Moffett (East Lyme)

110 hurdles - Cam Whalen (Stonington)

300 hurdles - Lincoln Robinson (Stonington)

4x100 relay - Ledyard (Herman Winston, Eric McCracken, Manny Deshields-Sanabria, James Smith)

4x400 relay - Montville (Greg Clark, Nick Donnell, Nik Strickland, Van Heller)

4x800 relay - Fitch (Daelon Morgan, Matt Kerst, Owen Stanfield, Tom Readett)