It has been a phenomenal final campaign for Michael Havkins ’18, a thrower on the men’s track & field team. However, the senior doesn’t consider his time launching discuses to end upon his graduation from Muhlenberg next month. He plans to continue perfecting his craft in a pursuit of qualifying for national competition. The 2-time Centennial Conference Player of the Week award winner will also take up a business job in sunny Florida, which gives him the perfect atmosphere to continue throwing.

“Upon graduation, I will be working for The Kraft Heinz Company in Florida where I will be doing Business Development  — something I’ve always been so excited about,” said Havkins. “Since I’ll be in a warm environment and the apartment that I will be living in has a 24/7 access fitness complex and weight room just steps away from my front door, I definitely plan on continuing to throw as an unattached athlete in as many meets as possible as I will continue to set bigger goals for myself.”

“Since I truly love the sport and have so much fun competing with my teammates, it has yet to hit me that in a few short weeks I will no longer be a collegiate athlete” – Michael Havkins ’18

Havkins also mentioned how he will continue to take advantage of a Muhlenberg resource which he became close with during his four years throwing in Allentown. “My throws coach, Andy Fahringer, will keep writing workouts for me as I have a long-term goal of qualifying for the United States National Championships in the years to come — a goal that is definitely achievable.”

“Additionally, I plan on volunteering as a throws coach at a local high school or college where I can train student-athletes and inspire them on and off the field just as much as my coaches have done for me,” said Havkins. “At the end of the day, track and field has provided me with so many wonderful opportunities throughout my life and I am not ready to give that up.”

His determination to continue in the track & field world does not come as a surprise. This season, Havkins tied the Muhlenberg school record for the longest discus throw at the mark of 164 feet and 2 inches. Always one to put in maximum effort, Havkins was ecstatic upon finally reaching this mark that he calls a “lifelong goal.”

“My biggest accomplishment of the season is something that hasn’t been done in 42 years- tying the Muhlenberg discus record of 164 feet and 2 inches,” the senior from Manalapan, NJ says. “As this number has been on a sheet of paper above my bed since the first week of my freshman year, I knew that there was a very good reason why it has been for 4 decades-because it required a thrower to commit hours and hours to working on technique and studying the art of throwing.”

Havkins explained that he felt the monstrous throw coming from within in the few throws prior to the record-tying heave. “When I threw 163 feet during my 4th round of throws last week at Moravian College, I knew that was the day. As I was preparing to throw, I noticed that a lot of my teammates on the team all came over to support me-that confidence allowed me to throw with everything I had in me. After I threw the disc, I heard the official read the mark of 164 feet and 2 inches.”

“I’ve come to the realization that as much as I enjoy throwing far, the sport itself is really just a metaphor for overcoming obstacles and achieving goals against great odds. And if that understanding is the only thing I take away from the sport after 10 years, then I’d call my career a great success.” – Havkins

Havkins’ reaction: priceless. “I ran towards my throws coach and gave him a huge hug as I had just tied one of the oldest school records in Muhlenberg track and field,” he said.

“That throw placed me at #6 in the United States for Division III this season, in which the top 20 best marks by the end of the regular season go to the National Championships in La Crosse, Wisconsin,” explained Havkins. “My next biggest goals that I plan on accomplishing are to shatter the school record, win the Centennial Conference Championship the second year in a row and finish as an All-American at the National Championships by finishing in the top eight — something I have dreamed about ever since I began throwing at the age of 12.”

The remarkable level of throwing success displayed by Havkins was rewarded with two Centennial Conference Player of the Week awards in the 2018 spring season.  Although this is technically an individual accomplishment for Havkins, he views the award as a trophy for the entire track & field program.

“I’ve been very fortunate over my career at Muhlenberg to earn Centennial Conference Athlete Of The Week 6 times-2 of which in the past 3 weeks,” says Havkins. “Even though it is a huge honor to be recognized for my continued success throughout the season, I think of it more as a reflection of the Muhlenberg Track and Field program. When looking at all of what goes into my performances, I think about the teammates that push me every day on the field and in the weight room, experienced coaching staff that critique my technique and further develop me character me and, of course, the Muhlenberg community at large that reaches out to me after my meets congratulating me on my performances, consequently encouraging me to work even harder. Muhlenberg says it best-22 sports, 1 team. The success of athletes and teams is a reflection of the program at large.”

Although Havkins is venturing into the next chapter of his life and athletic career, his presence will no doubt be missed on the team next season. However, he strongly believes that he has made the most of his time at Muhlenberg, both in the classroom, on the field, and on the track. Havkins is proud of not only his only achievements as a Mule student-athlete, but he is incredibly proud of his many teammates as well. Throughout this time at Muhlenberg, Havkins has truly enjoyed his  moments and is thankful for all who have helped him get to where he is at today.

My next biggest goals that I plan on accomplishing are to shatter the school record, win the Centennial Conference Championship the second year in a row and finish as an All-American at the National Championships by finishing in the top eight — something I have dreamed about ever since I began throwing at the age of 12.” – Havkins

“I’ve been competing in track and field for 10 years and have had a lot of ups and downs along the way. Even though I’ll definitely miss training with amazing athletes and coaches, I know that this is definitely not the end of the road,” says Havkins. “Since I truly love the sport and have so much fun competing with my teammates, it has yet to hit me that in a few short weeks I will no longer be a collegiate athlete. Until then, I will take advantage of every meet and give it everything I have. Along the way, I have and will continue to recognize that it will take sacrifice, perseverance and hard work to accomplish all that I plan on doing. The coaching staff, led by Head Coach Brad Hackett, has done a phenomenal job of helping transform me into confident, influential leader on the team in which I can help motivate others just as they have motivated me. I’ve come to the realization that as much as I enjoy throwing far, the sport itself is really just a metaphor for overcoming obstacles and achieving goals against great odds. And if that understanding is the only thing I take away from the sport after 10 years, then I’d call my career a great success.”

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