(Note: This story first appeared in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette newspaper on January 15, 2019 in the popular College Notes column written by Jennifer Toland )
William Canty made his mark as a sprinter and hurdler for the Grafton High track and field teams, but he would watch with interest when his teammates practiced their specialties, like the high jump or shot put.
"I would see someone else doing a different event and think, 'Hey, I want to do that,'" said Canty, now a junior at Westfield State.
Canty had some success in the pentathlon in high school and really liked the multi-event challenge.
"From there, I just kept working at it and working at it," Canty said.
Last spring, Canty was the New England Division 3 decathlon champion. He won six of 10 events in at the New England Division 3 Outdoor Track & Field Championships hosted by MIT and set a school record in the decathlon with 6,356 points. He went on to compete at the NCAA Division 3 Championships in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
In his first meet of 2019, the Harvard Multi Meet last weekend, Canty set the Owls' school record in the heptathlon while finishing second behind UMass' Hunter Gray. Canty was the only Division 3 competitor of the meet.
With 4,582 points, Canty broke his own school record of 4,453 set last year at the same meet when he finished fourth.
This year, Canty placed second in the shot put, with a personal-best throw of 41 feet, 2½ inches, 60, pole vault and 1,000. He also had a collegiate-best mark of 5-10 in the high jump.
"It was a decent performance for me," said Canty, who was named MASCAC Indoor Field Athlete of the Week. "What really made the different was the work I did with the shot put over the summer. That made all the difference for me."
Canty worked with a throws coach once or twice a week and also on his own to improve his technique and form.
"Now I'm a much more proficient thrower," he said.
At the Harvard Multi Meet, Canty's shot put mark was more than six feet better than last year's throw (34 feet, 4¼ inches).
"That's what's so great about (multi-events)," Canty said. "I would have never known I can throw 41 feet in the shot put if I hadn't spent so much time on it. That really helped."
Canty also made an improvement in the high jump, up from 5 feet, 7¾ inches last year.
"The high jump has always been a struggle for me," he said, "but it's starting to come together now."
Canty, who is majoring in exercise science, is among a solid Central Mass. group, which also includes Sutton's Jessie Cardin, Westboro's Naloti Palma and Groton's Ashley Craig, that has starred for the Owls.
"It's a great program," Canty said, "and we have really good facilities."
The track inside the Woodward Center's 35,000-square-foot field house at Westfield State was resurfaced over the summer.
Next up for Canty will be the MASCAC Championship Feb. 16 at Plymouth State.
"To get ready I'll be running, sprinting, getting in better shape and hitting the weight room as well," Canty said.
Link to original story on the Telegram website: https://www.telegram.com/news/20190115/jennifer-tolands-college-notes-graftons-william-canty-rewriting-indoor-track-record-books-at-wesfield-state