Results
Naperville, IL - Messiah College sophomore
Fred Fulton finished second in the Shot Put at the NCAA Division III National Championships for Indoor Track & Field. He threw an outstanding 17.86 meters on his final throw to take second place while also setting a new College record.
"Fred is a true competitor," throwing coach
Andy Bartels said. "He's not that big for a thrower, but he knows he can compete with anyone. He threw farther than any of the other competitors during warm-up, so I knew he was going to throw well today."
Seeded No.5 in the event with a previous record-breaking toss of 17.52 meters, the sophomore out-performed all but one competitor to take his first-ever All-American finish.
The sole competitor who out-threw Fulton was David Pless of Bates College. His throw of 18.36 meters clinched the event for the senior for the third straight year.
Pless set the standard with a strong first throw of 17.57 meters, but Fulton responded to narrowly push ahead at 17.71 meters. In his second attempt, Pless separated himself from the field with a throw of 18.24 meters and never looked back. Fulton put all that he had into his next three throws, trying to surpass the leader, but back-to-back fouls and a throw of 17.26 meters didn't measure up. Pless's fourth throw of 18.36 meters set him even further ahead of his competitors, all but sealing the victory.
"After my second throw, I knew I was in a good spot," Fulton said, "but when Pless threw over 18 meters and pulled ahead, all I wanted to do was beat him."
Although Fulton was unable to surpass the reigning national champion, his final throw of 17.86 meters broke the facility record, the Messiah College record, and sealed the second place, All-American finish.
"I just wanted to do my best and improve on what I did last year," Fulton said. "You typically peak toward the end of the season and often times regress. I didn't want to regress and knew I had to stay focused in order to throw well at the Championships. This indoor season will be great motivation for me for the outdoor season."
Fulton, who
finished ninth last spring at the Outdoor Nationals in the Shot Put, will look to add to his growing list of accolades this spring and defend his title as the MAC Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year.
"This was another great indoor season for Fred," Bartels said. "He keeps getting better and is always pushing himself. His performance this weekend really sets the tone for us going into outdoor season."
