Any thrower on the Salisbury track and field team can attest to the fact that the last two years haven’t been exactly smooth sailing.

It started with the previous Falcon throwing coach leaving the team mid-season a year ago. Enter Alene Shafnisky, Salisbury’s new face in charge of throwers.

There was a period when a number of Falcon athletes were training on their own in 2015, essentially teaching themselves along the way last spring.

But 2016 is a new start for the entire Salisbury track and field squad, particularly those throwers. This time, however, Shafnisky was able to get this season started on the right foot and on her terms. It seems as if that has paid dividends, as a number of throwers sit near the top of the Colonial League’s best performers as the postseason quickly approaches.

“We had a new coach that came in, and I’ve been working with a few different people,” said senior Sarah Galantini, who currently holds the league’s fifth-best javelin throw this season. “I just found my groove I guess. The past few years I’ve been trying a few different things, and I finally found the right technique.

“She [Shafnisky] kind of came in late last year. I think it helped her that she started from the beginning, so she could do it her way.”

Galantini, whose top mark last year was 94 feet in the javelin, has risen to a personal-record best 105-5. That mark was set in Salisbury’s latest meet with Catasauqua and Bangor over a week ago.

Of course, much of the credit can go to Galantini, who plans to continue track and field at York College, and the rest of the Falcon throwers that have honed their skills and made improvements from last season. Galantini has been focusing on her approach more with the javelin.

“My steps are in a different position,” said Galantini, who also throws shot put. “I’m using more of my body.”

Margaux Petruska also throws javelin for the Lady Falcons and sits in 10th place with a mark of 94-8. Kierra Burda is positioned 15th in discus at 82-3.

On the boys’ side, senior Tevon Wever leads the Colonial League with the highest mark in the javelin with a stunning throw of 185 feet. That mark set a new Falcon school record nearly two weeks ago at Palisades, breaking the previous best by five feet.

To put Weber’s improvement into perspective, he threw 176 feet at last year’s District 11 Track and Field Championships to earn gold and lead the Class 2A field. His top mark in 2016 is already nine feet further.

Weber is also in the top 10 league performers in the discus.

When this year’s Colonial League meet gets underway in two weeks at Whitehall High School, Galantini and Weber have high hopes once again. Galantini, in particular, is hoping her hard work results in some hardware on May 10 and 11.

“I finished seventh last year [at leagues], and I want to medal this year,” Galantini said. “I want to get in the top three. Districts is hard because there are a lot more schools. There is a girl from Tamaqua that throws like 135.”

Districts will be held the following week, on May 17 and 18, back at Whitehall High School.