Furey's final throw of 263'0'' his best of the day sealed the deal for the former Big Green All-American, who barely missed his personal best of 263'11'', which he set in 2008.
Furey established himself as the early frontrunner in a competitive pool of athletes, which included NCAA javelin champion Craig Kinsley, a Brown University senior who came in third place at the meet with his career-best 256'3'' throw.
For Furey, physical and mental preparation have been key in dealing with pressure in the heat of competition.
"My competition throws are just an extension of what I practice during the year," Furey said in an e-mail to The Dartmouth. "I use visualization techniques to reinforce that in my mind. Outside of that I just trust what works; I have laid down a great plan of attack and I am as well prepared as I can possibly be."
Furey's first throw of the day was only two inches short of his tournament best and would have earned him the gold regardless of his subsequent throws.
"My goals are to execute my technique to the best of my ability every time I step on the runway, so for me the first throw is no different than any others just another opportunity for a great throw," Furey wrote. "I am focused on making my throws repeatable and consistent, not on going outside of myself to get a huge result on any particular throw."
A highly-decorated member of Dartmouth's track and field program, Furey currently holds the Big Green record for the javelin throw at 241'9", a mark that tops the next-closest record by almost 38 feet.
He was coached to success by Dartmouth legend Carl Wallin, who retired last spring after 40 years as the Big Green's field events coach.
Furey was just one of the 29 All-Americans that Wallin coached during his highly successful career in Hanover.
Off the field, Furey also found great success in the classroom and was named the Men's Scholar Athlete of the Year by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association in his senior year at Dartmouth.
Since his departure from collegiate competition, Furey has shown steady progress in his journey toward both national and international success.
Last June, Furey qualified for the International Association of Athletics Federations World Championships after placing third in the javelin at the U.S. Championships in Oregon.
This spring, Furey accrued even more international experience, competing in track events in French Guadaloupe and South Korea. He will look to continue his tour this summer with competitions in Vancouver and Europe.
"My biggest challenge to break through to the next level will be to elevate my trust in technique to produce big throws," Furey wrote. "Over this summer I will focus on executing the technique I have mastered in practice and translating my competition effort into a more efficient stroke."
Furey said in the e-mail that despite the differences outside the collegiate arena, his emotional and mental approach has never wavered.
"Things really haven't changed much since I started 12 years ago in high school," Furey said. "My throws are longer and the crowds are bigger, but it's still the same excitement for me and same focus on hitting that great throw."
Furey is already assessing the road ahead and preparing for a possible trip to the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
"As far as [the U.S. Outdoors] win goes, now that it's over, it doesn't mean much anymore to the outside world," he wrote. "It just gives me more confidence that my plan is working and I am on the right path to reach my goals."
If Furey does reach the Olympics, he will be the first Dartmouth javelin thrower to compete at that level since Malcolm Metcalf '32, who made it to the 1932 Los Angeles Games and the 1936 Berlin Games.
Furey's performance at the U.S. Outdoors capped off a stellar overall showing from the Ivy League, with four of its athletes capturing national titles in their respective events.
Princeton University showed off its young talent with rising sophomores Peter Callahan, who won the 1,500-meter run, and hammer throw champion Conor McCullough.
The Big Green was represented by Furey and Adam Nelson '97, who took third in shot put with a throw of 68' 4.5''.
