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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
29 May 2004
NCAA
results page
LHU'S SLOTTERBACK DEFENDS
NATIONAL JAVELIN TITLE
(Walnut,
Calif.) - Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania
track and field’s Nick
Slotterback (Lewisburg/Lewisburg) defended
his NCAA Division II javelin title by claiming his
second-straight gold medal at the 2004 NCAA Division
II Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Walnut,
Calif. He
is the first two-time national champion in the Lock
Haven program’s history.
Slotterback entered the competition as the third
seed with a throw of 218’4” during the regular
season. Despite turning his ankle on his first throw
today then having stitches in the thumb of his
throwing hand come loose, the senior did not waiver
from his goal. It
would be his fourth throw, the first of the finals
round, that would clinch him his second title. That
toss was good for a winning distance of 217’10”,
outdoing runner-up Kevin Dolecheck of
Fort
Hays
State
by just
over two feet.
Three other Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC)
student-athletes also finished as All-Americans in
the event including Shippensburg’s Dan Maha (5th;
207’6”) and John Pacovsky
(8th; 205’5”) as well as East
Stroudsburg’s Dan Gale (6th;
207’4”). Slippery Rock’s Karyn McCready made
it a PSAC sweep of the javelin at the national
championships, winning the women’s title with a
throw of 164’0”.
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Nick Slotterback won his
second-straight NCAA title in
the javelin.
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“It feels great (to win again) and I’m
just so glad to be here,” said Slotterback.
“I turned my ankle on the first throw and
then the stitches in my thumb opened up, but I put
that aside and decided to just go for it.”
“Nick really showed the caliber of athlete he is
by facing the pressures of being a defending
champion under less than ideal conditions -- last
year he was sick and this year with his ankle and
the stitches in his hand,” commented Haven
throws coach Lacy Johnson.
“He has been an absolute joy to work with
and it’s been an honor and a privilege to coach
him. His future is bright.”
His win today earns him his third successive
All-America honor, placing third as a sophomore before
claiming the title in both 2003 and 2004.
Slotterback also claimed the last two PSAC
crowns in the javelin.
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###LHU###
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