STATE COLLEGE — Recent State College Area High School graduate Nathan Haas just added another milestone to his long list of achievements as a Little Lion football player and track and field athlete.
Haas, who holds seven varsity letters from his career at SC in football and track and field, is presently the Mid-Penn Conference Javelin and Discus Champion and he is a three-time District 6 Discus Champion and two-time D6 Javelin Champion.
He is also a four-time PIAA Medalist, and he recently capped his track and field career by winning the 2025 PIAA State Javelin Championship.
Competing in the PIAA Meet at Shippensburg University, Haas and Whitehall High School’s Thomas Lloyd were neck-and-neck going into the final, sixth attempt when Haas unleashed his best effort of the day: 204 feet, 4 inches.
Lloyd, who actually went into the final attempt leading with a throw of 202 feet, 2 inches, still had to throw but his attempt was just under 190 feet and Haas took the Gold Medal.
Talon Romance was third with a mark of 198-7.
The State Championship, along with other parameters, qualified Haas for the New Balance Outdoor Nationals held on Thursday, June 19, through Sunday, June 22, at Franklin Field in Philadelphia.
Haas traveled to the New Balance Meet with his father, Steve, and was later joined by other members of his family. He was entered into both the javelin and discus competitions.
In the discus competition, there were 51 place winners and Haas finished 30th with a throw of 170-3.
First Place went to Benjamin Shue from Bergen Catholic HS in New Jersey with a throw of 199-1 and Second Place went to Max Martin of Tatnall HS in Delaware with a 196-11.
In javelin, Haas gained his All-America Medal with a sixth-place throw of 197-10. The top six finishers in every category were named to the All-American Teams.
Markos Hantsoulis from Highland Park in New Jersey was First Place with a 203-1 while Landen Cruz was Second Place with a 202-9.
This was Haas’ second trip to the New Balance Nationals. In 2024, he finished in ninth place in the javelin.
On the State College football team in his senior year, Haas was a starter at defensive end, and he was named to the First Team Mid Penn Conference Defense.
In discus, he was the top American finisher in the 2025 Penn Relays (third overall), and he finished seventh in the state as a sophomore and fifth as a junior.
He finished his college recruiting by committing to Liberty University in Virginia to continue in track and field.
“The State meet was definitely the meet that I had been training for all year,” Haas said, “and what honestly got me the result I wanted was just doing it for something bigger than myself and thinking about the team every single time I went up to the runway.
“And I definitely wouldn’t have been able to do it without my coaches who were right with me on the other side of the fence the whole time.
“Going to Nationals was really tough since it was about a month after states and training had died down with graduation and other senior activities. But I really felt good and made sure I stuck to my routines and got in some practice sessions when I could.
“Honestly, I did have a rough competition with the heat and other factors I couldn’t control getting to me and I struggled to get a big throw. But I was extremely grateful to have gotten All-American to end my senior season and boost me into my college career.”
