Rutgers thrower saved his arm with invention

Steve Coponi feared his college track & field career might be over after suffering a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow – the dreaded “Tommy John injury” commonly associated with baseball pitchers. He no longer could throw the javelin without experiencing pain and numbness.

This was in the spring of 2024, and the Rutgers senior from Hazlet was about to earn a degree in mechanical engineering. He’d lined up a full-time job with a construction engineering firm, and if he opted to undergo surgery, the recovery period could last a full year. Taking a medical redshirt did not make much sense.

That was before a series of unforeseen events.

First, Coponi was awarded a postgraduate scholarship by the Big Ten, which bestows two to senior athletes at each member institution. That prompted him to take the redshirt in the hope of figuring out a comeback plan.

Then a potential solution came to him in a midsummer night’s dream – fishing line. Use fishing line to create a de facto external UCL that would take pressure off his damaged ligament.

“I woke up in the middle of the night thinking, I can figure this out,” he said. “I approached it like an engineer would approach any mechanical problem, because that’s what it is – biomechanics.”

Thus began an eight-month tinkering process that yielded a homemade brace. This spring, not only did Coponi resume launching the javelin without pain – he qualified for the NCAA Championships for the first time. He’s headed to Eugene, Oregon as one of 24 entrants in Wednesday’s men’s javelin competition with an eye on finishing out his track career as an All-American.

The brace, for which Coponi has a provisional U.S. patent, is going with him.

“It’s a ridiculous story.” Rutgers throws coach Rod Cocci said.

‘He’s onto something’

Even before the brace development, Coponi’s story was impressive. A two-year quarterback for Raritan High School’s football team, he became sectional champ in the javelin as a junior and threw 178 feet – a quality heave, but not quite Division 1 scholarship material. When his senior season got canceled by the pandemic, Rutgers coaches offered him a partial scholarship on a hunch.

It worked out. As a Rutgers junior Coponi hit a mark of 231 feet – a national-class collegiate effort. All the while, he was acing his engineering coursework and doing high-level internships.

“He’s as much a star in the engineering school, probably more so, than he is throwing the javelin,” Cocci said.

That came in handy after the injury.

“He shows up one day, and he’s got a sprint band and some fishing line and he’s got it wrapped around him,” Cocci said. “I’m like, What the heck is this thing?’”

An external UCL, Coponi explained.

“I’m thinking, ‘That’s pretty smart, actually,’” Cocci said.

Cocci, a Donovan Catholic High School grad and former thrower who suffers from an old elbow injury, tried it out himself.

“We ran it by the (athletic) trainers and they’re going, ‘the UCL doesn’t work like that; it’s in his head,’” Cocci said. “I’m like, ‘I just used this thing, and I haven’t been able to throw a tennis ball without pain. I think he’s onto something.’”

The tinkering continued. In search of material that wouldn’t stretch out over time, Coponi upgraded to shark-fishing line. Then the old quarterback in him switched to the type of nylon used for helmet chin straps. He anchored it with some Velcro and washers from Ace Hardware, and voila.

“It’s basically a super long football chin strap that coils around the arm from his chest all the way to his wrist,” Cocci said.

“It’s a chinstrap that takes that tension out of your elbow,” Coponi explained. “The whole issue with a UCL when it tears is, it opens up space in your elbow when it’s in that 90-degree position. So how can I stop that from opening up and do what that ligament is meant to do without completely restricting my motion? This (brace) holds that tension on the front side of your elbow. It really provides the support right where you need it at that instant in time.”

Coponi and Cocci consulted the NCAA track & field rulebook to make sure the brace was allowable, and back into action he went. It all came together in late May at the NCAA East regional, when Coponi threw the javelin 229 feet to place eighth and make the NCAA Championships for the first time.

“It’s been quite a journey to try to save my career with my engineering background,” he said.

An important reminder

Coponi is one of eight Rutgers track & field athletes to qualify for the NCAAs. He’ll be joined in Oregon by defending women’s pole vault champion Chloe Timberg, Pennsauken’s Bryce Tucker (men’s 400 hurdles), Charlee Crawford (women’s 400), East Brunswick’s Chris Serrao (men’s 110 hurdles), Paige Floriea (women’s long jump), Franklinville’s Nico Morales (men’s pole vault) and Hillsborough’s Kevin O’Sullivan (men’s pole vault).

The NCAA Championships take place June 11-14 in Eugene, Oregon. The men’s javelin is Wednesday at 8:15 p.m. Easten time. Coponi is seeded 16^th out of 24 entrants. The top eight finishers earn first-team All-America honors and the next eight are second-team All-America.

“There’s nobody in this field that believes in impossible things happening more than me,” Coponi said. “That’s my biggest advantage going into this place: I’m in a good spot mentally, I’m very thankful for where I am, and I think there’s a lot to put on display.”

One of those things is a salient reminder that, at a time when the professionalization of college football and basketball clouds the future of NCAA Olympic sports, there are plenty of real student-athletes in those sports thriving under the traditional college model.

After earning dual master’s degrees in mechanical and aerospace engineering this school year, Coponi has landed a job as a mechanical engineer in Florida with the multinational aerospace and defense company Northrop Grumman. He’ll be working on stealth aircraft technology.

His innovative elbow brace is a preview of his potential.

“I feel ready to go off into the real world,” he said. “I feel like I’ve squeezed everything I can out of Rutgers. All the support I’ve received along the way is what led me to be able to do these things.”

Here are four more NCAA track & field championship qualifiers with Shore-area ties.

Josh Huisman

The former St. Rose High School star will compete in the men’s shot put as a freshman at the University of Michigan. He’s seeded 19^th out of 24 qualifiers with a mark of 18.95 meters (62 feet, 2 inches).

After placing fifth at the Big Ten Championships with an 18.88 (62-2), Huisman punched his ticket by placing 10^th at the NCAA’s East Regional meet with a personal-best 62-2.

The event takes place Wednesday at 9:10 p.m. Eastern time.

Liam Murphy

The Allentown High School grad and Villanova postgrad will take one more shot at winning an NCAA title after twice earning first-team All-America honors on the track and placing as high as fourth (in the indoor 3000).

He’s competing in the men’s 1500, an event in which he set the NCAA record of 3:33.02 in March, but comes in seeded 18^th of 24 competitors after clocking 3:44.83 at the NCAA East regional meet.

The semifinal heats take place Wednesday at 7:21 p.m. Eastern time.

Alex Sadikov

The former Ocean Township High School standout will compete in the men’s 400 hurdles as a sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania. He’s seeded 23^rd out of 24 qualifiers with a time of 50.21.

After placing third at the Ivy League championship meet (51.63), Sadikov punched his ticket by placing 12^th at the NCAA East regional in a personal-best 50.21.

The semifinal heats take place Wednesday at 9:14 p.m. Eastern time.

Yasmeen Tinsley

The Monmouth University senior, a Virginia native, will compete in the women’s 400 hurdles after lowering the program record in the event to 56.97 while placing 11^th at the NCAA East regional.

Tinsley, who won the Colonial Athletic Association gold medal in the 400 hurdles and has broken program records in five different events this spring, is seeded 22^nd out of 24 competitors.

The semifinal heats take place Thursday at 9:14 p.m. Eastern time.

Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com