PHILADELPHIA— Peter Donini finally got to live out his dream on Thursday.
The Delbarton senior outlasted a large contingent of N.J. shot putters at the 2025 Penn Relays, launching a throw of 63-11.50 on his fifth attempt to earn top American honors.
Donini finished the meet fourth overall behind three Jamaican throwers. Kingston College’s Despiro Wray posted a winning toss of 68-5.75, which he achieved on his last attempt.
“I always dreamed that I could do this,” Donini said. “But it’s finally nice to have actually accomplished it. It’s definitely very exciting to be in this position. Obviously, I was looking to win the whole thing, but I think being a top American in this event is definitely a great spot for me to be in.”
Donini series picked up quickly after his first two throws, which were 59-4 and 59-5.25, respectively.
On his last prelims throw, the Delbarton senior went from seventh to second place (63-4¾), securing a spot in finals.
The first (throw) slipped out of my hand, but I wasn’t going to let myself get in my own head over one throw," Donini said. “(In) the second throw, I just kind of rushed it with my upper body. But going into my third throw, I knew I was safely in finals. I can just go for it and throw.”
That throw unleashed the confidence he needed to maintain his advantage over the rest of the American throwers. The coveted gold watch was within his reach.
“I was trying not think about my place throughout the meet, but it’s kind of impossible not to,” Donini said. “But honestly, the place doesn’t really matter to me as much. It’s obviously a huge meet, but I was happy with the numbers I had today.”
His last three throws in the finals were 63-8¼, 63-11½ and 60-2½.
“The last couple of meets that we’ve had have been smaller, dual meet competitions and stuff like that, and he wasn’t happy with how he did,” Delbarton throwing coach Sean Rose said. “But getting to Penn Relays, finally having warmer weather and being able to respond to the competition, rather than having to get ahead of it, that was huge.”
“He’s had throws in the past where he gets frustrated and down on himself,” Rose said. “But his ability to kind of shake off the bad throws and just move on to what’s coming next is one of his best abilities.”
Earning top American honors is an incredible feat for the Michigan commit, who has rapidly emerged as one of the nation’s best throwers in just a matter of months.
After tossing 59 feet as a junior, Donini’s breakthrough moment came at the Non-Public A indoor state meet in February, winning the state title with a four foot PR (64-2.5).
Since that moment, Donini’s career has taken off.
After winning his first Meet of Champions title in March, Donini followed that up with a gold medal at the Nike Indoor Nationals, hitting a PR of 65-10.25. His indoor season culminated with a second place finish at New Balance Nationals (65-9).
“It’s honestly come down to him not being afraid to attack (his throws),” Rose said about his massive improvement from last year. “Coming out the front of the circle, he’ll have good throws, then he might hold back sometimes. But if you saw his warmup (today), he had a couple of 65 foot throws, which was great because he was attacking out the front of the circle.
“We aren’t worrying about him fouling (at warmups), because we trust that he’s going to be able to hold himself in there, reach out, and using his height, getting above the circle as far as he can,” Rose added. “His release is getting more consistent and his technique is just solid. It’s phenomenal to have a guy like him. I’m definitely gonna miss him next year as he graduates and moves on to Michigan.”
Donini becomes the fourth straight N.J. thrower to earn top American honors in the shot put. Gill St. Bernard’s Joe Licata started the streak in 2022, tossing 61-6.25. Former St. Rose standout Joshua Huisman earned Top American honors in 2023 and 2024.
Joe Seib, St. Rose shot put during the Penn Relays Qualifier 2025 at Christian Brothers Academy in Lincroft, NJ, on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. Ed Murray| For NJ Advance Media
St. Rose senior Joe Seib earned a medal thanks to a huge toss in the finals, improving from seventh place to fifth place with a PR of 63-5 on his fifth attempt.
Seib, who finished second among U.S. throwers, had the most consistent series of any N.J. competitor. Seib never went under 60 feet for all six of his throws.
“I was very confident going in finals that I could launch a big one,“ Seib said. ”My first throw at finals was 60-3, so I knew I had to get myself really excited and hyped up if I wanted to get a big throw in."
“I knew right then that I was going to make it into the top five,” Seib said about the 63-5 foot throw. “It’s just awesome to get invited to a meet like this, make it to finals, and then win a medal. I wasn’t expecting that at all.”
Corey Annan can be reached at cannan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him or send him a message on Twitter/X @coreyannan360.
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