Wake Forest Athletics
Ionata to Compete in IAAF World Junior Championships
7/23/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track and Field
July 23, 2014
By Josh Gresh, Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeTrack)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest rising sophomore Charlie Ionata will be representing the United States of America in the 6k implement hammer throw at the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Junior Championships this week after winning the USA Track & Field Junior National Championship for the hammer throw on July 7.
Ionata will begin preliminary group competition at the world meet Thursday at 1:15 p.m. (ET) with the hammer finals to follow on Friday, July 25. He will get three throws in the preliminary round and will qualify for the finals Friday if he places in the top-12 after day one. The top-12 get three more throws prior to the field being cut to eight where they get three additional throws to crown a champion.
The 2014 World Junior Championships will mark the first time the event has ever been held in the United States.
"Charlie has had a great freshman year at Wake Forest and to end it at the World Junior Championships while representing the United States of America is very special," said Wake Forest assistant coach Zeb Sion, who works directly with the Demon Deacon throwers.
The Demon Deacons have had a successful season with the throwers for both the men's and women's teams this season. Rising sophomore Casidy Callahan also competed in the USATF Junior National Championships in the hammer throw and sophomore Jessie Merckle was the ACC Champion in the javelin throw.
"For me personally and for our program as a whole, it is definitely rewarding to recruit and develop student-athletes like Charlie, Casidy Callahan, and Jessie Merckle," said Sion. "They have all performed at a high level throughout the season and at their respective 2014 US Championship meets. Charlie is the first athlete I will coach at an international competition, and I'm excited for him to wear the red, white, and blue this week against the world's best."
Ionata's national championship added to an already impressive start to his Demon Deacon career. The Barrington, R.I. native had a record-breaking season as a freshman, setting a school record in the hammer throw with a mark of 61.30m at the Coastal Carolina Invitational in March.
Ionata also competed in the hammer at the NCAA Regionals, finishing 27th overall with a mark of 198-11 (60.62m). He broke the 60-meter barrier four times this past spring.
Players Mentioned
