MAE Master’s Degree Grad Steve Coponi Competes in NCAA Championships in Javelin 

With a recorded javelin throw of 229’ 2” at the May 2025 NCAA East First Round in the NCAA Championships, Steve Coponi capped off his Rutgers athletic career by earning his first trip to the June NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon.  

There, Coponi, who received his MEng degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering (MAE) in May, finished 20th with a throw of 206 feet. While disappointed in his showing, he is philosophical about his performance.  

“Sometimes it’s just how life goes,” he says. “But in terms of a career-wide perspective, this run at the end of the season has been a great example of what perseverance and determination can get you.” 

“The trip to nationals marks a major milestone achievement for me, as one of the big competitions that I used to dream about in high school,” he says. “To me, this meet gave me the pen to write the final chapter in my collegiate career.” 

The Thrill of Competition 

For Coponi, “it is always a thrill to step on the runway and feel your heart beat heavy, have a clear and focused mind, and everything else in the world no longer matters. There’s no greater feeling than allowing your training to take over as you experience competition.”  

According to Coponi, competing as an athlete while studying mechanical engineering has been “nothing short of a marathon. By nature, I excel in structured environments, which is what I believe allowed me to reach the heights I have in both theaters. 

“My edvice to others considering the same path is to make sure you really love athletics and academics equally. If not, one of them will move to the wayside because there’s not much breathing room.” 

Despite his dedication to both his sport and his studies, he felt that his athletic career might be over last spring in his senior year after he tore his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) – the Tommy John injury – in his right elbow. He could opt for surgery and a lengthy recuperation period, or take a medical redshirt, which would allow him an extra year of competition due to his injury. Neither option seemed right to Coponi, who was about to receive his undergraduate degree. 

Inventive solutions 

Coponi, who has always loved solving problems and figuring out how the world works, was determined to find a better solution. After receiving a prestigious Big Ten post-graduate scholarship towards his master’s degree, Coponi developed an elbow brace that has allowed him to continue to compete this season – and at the NCAA championships. By winding nylon used in helmet chin strap, he engineered an external UCL that provides the pain-free support needed for him to throw the javelin.  

“The provisional patent is owned solely by me,” he says. “I think it has great potential to solve the epidemic of Tommy John surgery in javelin and other sports like baseball. Only time will tell, but it has helped me and one of my teammates complete this season.” 

Coponi’s elbow brace isn’t his only provisionally patented invention. For his capstone senior design project, his team devised a mechanical propulsion device to help able-bodied and other surfers who struggle to propel themselves while swimming to catch waves.  

“It’s currently in the tech transfer department and is owned by Rutgers, but to my knowledge there has been some success in marketing to the public,” he explains. 

A Path for the Future 

In September, Coponi will move to Melbourne, Florida, to begin his professional career as a mechanical tools engineer with Northrop Grumman. His job, he reports, “involves integrating models-based systems engineering methods across all the programs which Northrop Grumman runs from this location, including the B-2 Spirit, B-21 Raider, and E-2 Hawkeye.”