National Champion: Reider Wins Javelin at NCAA Track and Field Championships

Results | Championship Web Site

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Shippensburg men's track and field senior Nate Reider (York/Dallastown) became the fifth national champion in team history and first since 1992 after winning the javelin on Saturday at the NCAA Division II Track and Field Championships being held at the Irwin Belk Complex on the campus of Johnson C. Smith University.

Reider, who earned his second consecutive All-American honor after finishing sixth in the javelin at last year's national championships, is the second athlete from Shippensburg to win an individual title in the javelin. Matt Opilo captured the program's first national championship in the javelin in 1978.

Seeded third at 64.34 meters in his third-straight NCAA championship appearance in the javelin, Reider qualified for the finals in eighth-place with a throw of 59.71 meters. However, on the first of his three throws in the finals, he established a new career-best with a throw of 66.19 meters which was just over 217-feet to edge out Tyson Allen of Emporia State who placed second at 66.12 meters.

In winning the national championship, Reider edged out defending national champion and top-seeded Andrew Vogelsberg of Emporia State. Vogelsberg, who had nation's top mark of 70.96 meters entering the competition, placed fourth with a throw of 64.02 meters. Meanwhile, Garret Edgard of Fort Hayes State, who was seeded second at 64.65 meters, finished 18th.

The Red Raiders have earned All-America status in the javelin 17 times, including at least once every year since 2003. Since 1996, a total of eight athletes have earned 14 All-America honors in the javelin for Shippensburg, including current throws coach Kurt Dunkel '98 who finished second in both 1997 and 1998.

In nine years as an assistant coach with the Red Raiders, Dunkel has coached 103 conference placewinners, 16 conference champions, 37 NCAA qualifiers, nine All-Americans, 10 school record holders, three conference championship record holders and one Academic All-American.

Reider finishes his career with sixth individual championships to his credit, including four this year, and as a four-time national qualifier.

In addition to his national championship this year, Reider won three conference championships, capturing first-place in both the hammer throw and javelin at the PSAC outdoor championships hosted at Shippensburg earlier this month after winning an individual title in the weight throw at the conference's indoor championships in February. In 2006, he also won PSAC championships in the javelin and weight throw.

On the national level, Reider qualified for the NCAA outdoor championships in the javelin three times in 2005, 2006 and 2007 while also qualifying in the weight throw for the 2007 NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships where he placed fifth after setting a new PSAC indoor meet and school record for the second-straight season with a mark of 18.76 meters (61' 6 3/4").

Notes
• Senior Bernie Richards (York Haven/Northeastern York) made his first appearance at the NCAA championships after qualifying in both the 110-meter hurdles and the 400-meter hurdles. He finished fifth in his heat at 15th overall in the 400 hurdles on Thursday with a time of 52.56 seconds before placing sixth in his heat and 17th overall in the 110 hurdles on Friday with a time of 14.95 seconds.

Richards won the 400-meter hurdle title at the PSAC outdoor championships, his first career individual championship, and finished sixth in the 110-meter hurdles.

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