Sacramento, Calif. (June 9, 2007)-- Milan Jotanovic's first two trips to the men's shot final at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships yielded disappointing results, but there was no disappointment on Saturday. The two-time NCAA Indoor All-American came up bronze in his third attempt at outdoor All-America honors in Sacramento State's Hornet Stadium.
Jotanovic put the shot 19.65m (64' 5.75") to finish third overall in the national championship competition and become an NCAA Outdoor All-American for the first time in his remarkable collegiate career.
The only two throwers to best Jotanovic on Saturday morning were the University of Southern California's Noah Bryant (20.04m) and N.C. State's Mitchell Pope (19.75m). Bryant also claimed gold at the 2007 NCAA Indoor Championships, where Jotanovic finished fourth overall with a then-personal best of 19.56m.
With his result, Jotanovic was finally able to capture the NCAA Outdoor All-America honors that eluded him during his first two appearances at the national championship meet. Despite being named an NCAA Indoor All-American in each of his first two trips to the indoor championships, Jotanovic settled for 11th and 12th place finishes outdoors.
Throughout the season, however, Jotanovic repeatedly triumphed under pressure, hinting that he would be ready to reverse his previous fortunes once the outdoor championships commenced. The school's indoor and outdoor record holder posted strong performances at each of the year's championship competitions with his most impressive one coming two weeks ago in Gainesville, Fla. There, Jotanovic put the shot 19.72m to set a new personal record and win the NCAA East Regional Championship over the likes of Pope and Virginia Tech's Justin Clickett.
When the junior heads back to Serbia, the nation for whom he will compete at numerous international meets this summer, he may have trouble bringing all of his awards with him. Over the past five months, Jotanovic won two MAAC titles, two Metropolitan titles, two IC4A crowns, and two NCAA All-American rings.