Munson | NCAA Champion Mattis a sight to behold

Watching Sam Mattis throw a discus is perhaps the most exciting athletic event I have witnessed in my short time at Penn.

Perhaps men’s basketball will have a miraculous turnaround under coach Donahue. Maybe baseball will finally knock off Columbia. Perhaps Michelle Nwokedi will lead her team to an NCAA tournament win. But for now, Mattis is Penn’s must-watch athlete.

Let’s start by examining his accomplishment.

For the first time in 12 years, Penn track and field has a national champion.

With a throw of 205 feet 0 inches, Mattis broke his own school record in the event.

That throw was the second furthest in Ivy League history.

The junior is now only the second Ivy League man to win the NCAA title in discus and the first since 1949.

But never mind all that. Sports are about excitement. Where’s the thrill in watching a bunch of huge men tossing heavy Frisbees?

To answer that question and to do Mattis justice, you have to watch him in person. When I saw him at the Penn Relays, I was on the edge of my seat. It was breathtaking to witness his mammoth, arcing throws released with intense aggression.

There was very little time between throws and the up-tempo pace of the competition added to the excitement as athlete after athlete tried to outdo the previous. Though Mattis did not win at Relays, he certainly looked like a man on a mission.

At the NCAAs, Mattis reached his zenith. In so doing, he proved that even in a sport without a clock, there can be a last second victory.

It was on his sixth and final throw that he launched himself past the rest of the competition with his championship hurl. With his back against the wall, Mattis stepped up with a fury that Penn fans aren’t used to seeing from their athletes.

That throw was the equivalent of Tony Hicks hitting a buzzer-beating three pointer to beat Duke in March Madness or Austin Bossart hitting a walk off homerun to win the College World Series. It’s like Alek Torgersen throwing a game wining touchdown in the BCS championship, if Penn was eligible for the game.

In short, the throw was not an only an iconic Ivy League sports moment, it was an iconic NCAA moment and thus deserves celebration. Simple acknowledgement of the feat is not enough. To fully appreciate Mattis’ mastery, take some time next year to take the hike down to the Schuylkill and watch the NCAA’s top thrower go to work. It may be your last chance to witness one of your classmates do something amazing in a Penn uniform before you leave campus.

Watch him. Appreciate him.

Because after all, it’s not every day that Penn produces a national champion.

Editor’s note: Sam Mattis’ title in the discus was the highlight of the Penn’s showing at the NCAA Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon. For a full recap of last week’s events, visit thedp.com.

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