It’s unusual for a college student to pick up a new sport. It’s even more unusual for a newcomer to excel and set records at this level.
But, Elizabethtown College first-year Joey Walko is doing just that.
The track and field team at Etown is a growing program, and the throwing team is no exception. One of many new additions to the team, Walko has never competed in track & field before, but it didn’t take him much time to adjust. He immediately started to set personal and collegiate records.
Walko has always been a natural athlete. He played basketball and baseball and started playing football in 8th grade. He continued his football career at Marian Catholic High School in Tamaqua, Pa., just over an hour from
Elizabethtown. After his second season, he started taking things a little more seriously.
“I had a growth spurt, and when COVID hit, I would train for the majority of the day because I was devoted to getting better,” Walko said.
Because of that training, Walko was ranked statewide for his position and made a few first-team accomplishments in his local newspaper.
“I believe this all stemmed from the weight room because I loved lifting and I loved everything about aggression and the passion of sports,” Walko said. “I really think that it all stems from pride in your team and where you’re from. I don’t think that fire ever died out of me.”
At Etown, Walko realized he missed playing sports. Coach Lawrence Nawa — the throwing coach who was also a football coach for 35 years — convinced Walko to join track & field.
“You can tell he has a lot of power and he had something we could work with, so I figured ‘why not give it a shot,” Nawa said.
Walko immediately started to set shot put records, not just for himself, but also for the College.
During the 2023-2024 track and field indoor season, Walko made the top 10 all-time list at
Etown for indoor shot put and weight throw. He tied for fourth place in shot put, throwing 40′ 6″ and placed eighth for weight throw at 42′ 0″. Both of his records were set on Feb. 24 at the Landmark Indoor Championships at Susquehanna University.
“He kills it every time he goes out there,” first-year and fellow shot putter Brendan Arthur said. “For example, he had a big personal record at conferences before spring break, which was so much fun to watch, especially with the fact that he’s never even touched a throwing implement before.”
Walko dedicates his success in shot put to his high school lifting coach, JD Hackenberg.
“He really put a flame in me for lifting heavy and helped me to push myself to my
limits,” Walko said. “It is really all about being athletic as a shot putter and being
strong. Without the weight training that I continued to do during my first semester at college, I don’t think I would have been able to accomplish what I did.”
Walko doesn’t only bring good statistics to the track team, but he also brings the attitude that is necessary to be a good track & field competitor. “Joey comes to practice every day
with such a positive attitude, smiling and cracking jokes,” Arthur said. “For me, that is great to have around, especially at a meet because being around him brightens the mood. He is not only a great asset when it comes to the sport, but a great asset mentally and emotionally because he just picks you up.”
Nawa agrees.
“[Walko] is very dedicated,” he said. “He never misses [a track practice]. He works hard. You can obviously see that he’s used to doing that because he was brought up that way. He came from a good program, so he fits in really well with the work ethic that it’s going to take to be good.”
Walko is returning for the spring season.
“I was never a quitter and I have come to love the sport,” he said. “I would like to see how far I can go with this, because it is very new for me and I can only go up from here. Hopefully, the sky’s the limit!”
The Blue Jays track and field team will host conference championships this year on May 4.
