Desert Vista senior Hayden Gorovitz, among nation's top javelin throwers, commits to Nebraska

When Hayden Gorovitz first arrived onto the campus of Phoenix Desert Vista as a freshman, track and field wasn’t even on his mind. Despite having thrown the javelin during his youth days, it had been years since he had picked up one.

Instead, he was focused on football and baseball.

But those sports were becoming too demanding, both physically and mentally. He was starting to wear down. In his sophomore season, he made the decision to channel his energy back into the javelin.

Now nearly two years later after making a switch back, Gorovitz has become one of the top-ranked javelin throwers in the nation. And on Monday afternoon, Gorovitz made the latest step in his journey.

Gorovitz, the state record-holder in the javelin who was invited to the Nike Elite Camp this past summer, announced his commitment to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to compete for the track and field team on scholarship.

The road to Nebraska been a long journey for the former quarterback and outfielder.

“It means a whole bunch,” Gorovitz said. “I’ve been so much through my high school years. Last year was my first whole year of high school without any issues or missing school. Going from football into baseball into javelin, I’ve been so lucky to have something behind every single step of the way in having a backup plan.

"It’s less stressful on my whole entire body, my mind," Gorovitz added. "It’s helped me tremendously compared to when I was playing baseball or football. And some of my friends don’t have a back-up plan. It’s just moving on. Whereas I had javelin, and that got me away from all the bad things that were going on in my life at the time.”

Last January, Gorovitz reached out to the school first and attended a throwing clinic there, which turned into an unofficial visit. That’s when he became enamored with the university.

He was able to meet Maggie Malone-Hardin, the collegiate record-holder in the javelin and former American record holder. Malone-Hardin is a volunteer coach with Nebraska.

“I instantly fell in love when I went out there in January for the clinic,” Gorovitz said. “It felt like home. I ended up hanging out with all the assistant coaches, went out to dinner. With Maggie, it felt like I had older sisters there for a change. It felt really comfortable there.”

At Nebraska, Gorovitz will be truly in an unique spot. While the Cornhuskers have morphed into one of the best throws program in the nation — they sent four javelin throwers to the NCAA meet last season — it is the coaching set-up that makes for a special situation.

Gorovitz will be coached by Justin St. Clair, who is not only the javelin coach, but also the head coach of the entire track and field team. That’s a rarity in the sport.

“I get most of the priority there,” Gorovitz said. “And then having the experience of other throwers who are big-time there as well, Maggie Malone, Coach St. Clair is, ‘Been there, done that.’ He has the experience to help me get to the next level.”

He still holds the same goals he did before the commitment – that is to hit the 250-feet mark this high school season for the short-term and making the Team USA roster for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics in the long-term.

Gorovitz’s commitment to Nebraska comes on the heels of another big commitment for a top Arizona track and field athlete, Goodyear Millennium distance runner Landen LeBlond’s commitment to the University of Oregon.

It’s even more special when you consider the trajectory of Gorovitz, who didn’t fully invest until late in his sophomore season.

For his dad, Jeff, it’s been like a dream to see his son morph into a prized recruit.

All of this has been unexpected for his father, but in the best way possible.

“It’s almost surreal how these last year and a half, two years, have gone with him,” Gorovitz said. “His javelin, how he has grown. The man he’s become. It’s been special to watch. As he made the decision to shut down football and baseball, he found something he really loves and has a passion for. Watching him make his own decisions, and make them for the right reasons, has been amazing."

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Desert Vista's Hayden Gorovitz commits to the University of Nebraska