East Brunswick’s Sam Mattis Makes U.S. Olympic Team In Discus

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ — The East Brunswick community will be cheering on one of their own during the Summer Olympics in July.

Sam Mattis, 27, a graduate of East Brunswick High School will represent Team USA in the discus at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

Mattis took third place in Men’s U.S. Track & Field Olympic discus trials held Friday. He won bronze with a throw of 205-1, making the Olympic team for the first time. Mason Finley (206-11) and Reggie Jagers (205-5) finished first and second respectively.

The East Brunswick resident graduated from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, where he was the 2015 NCAA national champion in the discus. Mattis turned down a lucrative job offer from Wall Street powerhouse JPMorgan Chase to pursue his Olympic dream, according to Team USA.

He was the 2019 national champion and a world championships finalist placed 11th before the pandemic halted his momentum.

“It was essentially two years of getting ready for a single meet,” Mattis told Team USA. “I’m ready for the stress of that to wash away.”

The 2020 Olympics were delayed by a year due to the coronavirus pandemic. The games will be held in Tokyo from July 23.

Thank you for reading. Have a correction or news tip? Email sarah.salvadore@patch.com

Get breaking news alerts on your phone with our app. Download here. Sign up to get Patch emails so you don't miss out on local and statewide news.