Kinnelon Trackster Signs Scholarship Deal with Monmouth University

Great things are on the horizon for Kinnelon High School senior Troy Andretta.

The 18-year-old, one of the best shot putters and discus throwers in Morris County, according to his KHS track coach, Anthony San Filippo, is seeing four years of hard work begin to pay off: Andretta, who also plays football, recently accepted a scholarship offer from Monmouth University to compete in weight throw. His signing ceremony took place Wednesday morning.

"To say that I am proud of my son, Troy, is an understatement," said his mother, Stacey Andretta. "He has worked hard throughout his athletic career."

That career, said the teen, was inspired by his dad.

"I would say that my father influenced me the most to compete in track and field," Andretta said. "He participated in track and field during high school at Butler, and from the way he was recounting his experiences he had with track, it really seemed like track would be something that I would enjoy."

The youngster spent time off the oval too, finding a spot—and success—on the KHS gridiron. One big accomplishment was Kinnelon's 2012-13 North 1, Group 2 state football championship.

"Troy was a four-year starter on the varsity football team at Kinnelon High School, and during his freshman year, the team ended the season with a 1-9 record," Stacey Andretta recalled. "For the team to come so far in such a short time is a testament to the hard work of each and every player, as well as the coaching staff. It was an incredible journey, and it made Kinnelon very proud."

His first love, however, was track and field. After football season came winter track season, and for the student-athlete, his senior year track experience was a game changer.

"Troy has always had the support of his coaches at Kinnelon," she said. "This year, Anthony San Filippo joined the track and field coaching staff.

"Troy was not a stranger to Coach Anthony, as he had seen him coaching other teams at track meets for the past three years," Stacey Andretta continued. "He would always find a minute to talk to Troy and find out how he did in the meet and give him advice on his throwing, even though he was not Troy’s coach."

San Filippo said Andretta's track and field numbers during his sophomore and junior years did not reflect fully the talent he'd shown in his freshman days. And those numbers came at a high price for the teenager.

"He had gotten an offer from the University of Massachusetts for track, but they pulled the money off the table," the coach said. 

The setback was crushing for the young athlete.

"When my top school UMASS took athletic scholarship money off the table, it devastated me," Andretta said. "I kind of moped around for a couple days wondering where I was going to go to college and if I was going get a scholarship anywhere else." 

"Coach Anthony" decided to get creative.

"With basically no time left to get him recruited, I suggested that he try the weight throw," he said.  

The weight throw is a track event in which athletes compete on the national and college levels, but not in New Jersey high schools. San Filippo suggested that Andretta try it anyway.  

Stacey Andretta said her son took to the new sport enthusiastically.

"Even though this was totally foreign to Troy, he was able to pick up the technique quickly and demonstrate his ability," she said. "He would practice as much as he could, and within a few weeks, he was throwing the weight in the 50-foot range. He was thrilled to learn something new, and he loved it."

She said Andretta began competing in weight throw events, including one at the New York Armory.

"After just three practices, Troy qualified for the New Balance National Championships in the weight throw," said Coach San Filippo. "After only a handful of practices in the event, he went on to throw 59 feet, 5 inches this winter, which ranked him in the top 50 weight throwers in the U.S."

That throw was the beginning of his relationship with the coaching staff at Monmouth University. The coach sent a video of Andretta’s throw to Abe Flores, MU's throwing coach.

"He was impressed," said Stacey Andretta. "Not only was he overwhelmed at the distance Troy threw, but he was amazed that he had only been exposed to this event for a few short weeks."

Andretta said that weight throw came naturally to him.

"As soon as I picked up the weight I knew that I would enjoy throwing it," he said. "I think the reason why performed well was because it was just something new to learn. Throwing shot put 10 months out of the year can get pretty boring after a while, so throwing the weight was a good change of pace."

He said pragmatism also played a role in his embrace of the new discipline, noting that if he excelled in weight throw, it would offer him another means to qualify for college scholarships.

After the teen visited the university and met its track team and coaches, Monmouth offered him a scholarship to compete on its track and field team in weight throw. He added that his academic major will be graphic design.

Despite the flirtation with UMASS, it appears Andretta found a college that suits him to a tee.

"Monmouth University...has everything I ever wanted in a school and is now affordable for my family because of the academic and athletic scholarships I received," the teen said. 

Stacey Andretta agreed that perhaps things turned out exactly as they should. 

"Ironically, this was the school that was the perfect fit for Troy, and everything has fallen into place," his mother said. "I am especially happy with his choice because it is only a little over an hour away, and I will be able to attend his meets much more easily than if he would have chosen any of the other schools he was considering."

The young athlete said his story can be educational for others like him. 

"My advice to any struggling athlete is to always persevere through any troubles, whether it’s in sports or personal troubles, with hard work and determination," he said. "Any situation can get better."

And he said that no matter how troubled or how successful one is at an endeavor, "never be satisfied, always strive to be better than what you already are."  

His college plans set, Andretta isn't finished with Kinnelon track. The spring season is underway and he is competing in javelin and discus. And his mother said he even takes part in the occasional running event.

"My future goals are to win the county championship in the discus, win the state sectional meet in the shot put and the discus, win the Group 1 state title in the discus, place top five in the state for discus and throw 200 feet in the hammer throw," he said, showing that his aspirations—like his achievements so far—are anything but small. 

"If all goes well, I hope to win a conference title in college, and I want to make it to the NCAA national championships. After college, I plan on coaching and hopefully am able to coach at Kinnelon High School."

Which, of course, makes Stacey Andretta wistful. 

"There are only a few weeks left in his senior year, and it is surely bittersweet," said the proud mom. "It has been such an amazing year for Troy, and now he gets to move onto bigger and better things at Monmouth. I have no doubt he will continue to grow and improve on the team as a Monmouth Hawk. I wish him all the luck in the world, even though he doesn’t need it. He’s going to shine all on his own."

Her son, however, is more focused on gratitude.

"Without all of the help from my coaches, my teammates and my family, nothing that I have accomplished would have been a reality," he said. "I cannot thank all of the people who have helped me enough.

"I am truly grateful."