Manhattan University Athletics

Gainesville, Fla. (May 26, 2007)? Milan Jotanovic guaranteed himself a third consecutive trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships by winning Saturday's men's shot put competition at the NCAA East Regional Championships hosted by the University of Florida at James G. Pressly Stadium.  Triple jumper Dexter Jules made certain that Jotanovic will have some company when he makes his way out to Sacramento, Calif. in less than two weeks.

Jules, a junior, finished fourth overall in the region by triple jumping 15.82m (51' 11”) to set a new personal record and earn his first ever berth into the NCAA Championships.  His performance comes only two weeks after Jules captured his first IC4A title with a then outdoor personal best of 15.71m.

By eclipsing his own school record with Saturday's top throw of 19.72m (64' 8.50”), Jotanovic continues to add to his legacy as the greatest shot putter to ever don the Kelly Green and White.  The two-time NCAA Indoor All-American finished 26 centimeters better than N.C. State's Mitchell Pope to capture the regional crown.

“It feels great to have achieved this,” Jotanovic said of his title.  “I felt a responsibility to make it back to nationals and I've worked really hard this season to do it.”

When Jotanovic returns to nationals he will be hoping to add NCAA Outdoor All-American honors to his resume.  He qualified for the final round at nationals in 2005 and 2006, but was unable to finish higher than 10^th overall.

With 20 team points the Manhattan men finished 14^th overall in a region that is home to 137 Division I programs.  Florida State University capture the regional team title.

On the women's side, senior Tiina Magi kept alive the possibility of her joining Jules and Jotanovic in Sacramento by finishing eighth overall in the women's triple jump.  The two-time ECAC Champion jumped a seasonal best of 12.94m and is eligible for an at-large berth into June's national championships.