Spyridon Jullien earns Athlete of the Year honor from USTCA

Jullien honored by USTCA for third time in his career

BLACKSBURG, Va. - The United States Track Coaches Association named Virginia Tech\'s Spyridon Jullien as the Mondo Outdoor Southeast District Athlete of the Year for NCAA Division I.

This outdoor season, Jullien (Jr., Athens, Greece) set the school and ACC overall hammer throw record with the current No. 1 mark in the nation (238\'5\'; 72.68m) at the Clemson Invitational. He has held the top spot on the NCAA Division I performance list all outdoor season. Jullien won the ACC men\'s hammer throw title with a new ACC meet and Florida State\'s Mike Long Track record of 233\'7\" (71.27m). He was named to the All-ACC outdoor track & field team and ACC Outdoor Track & Field Performer of the Week for his accomplishments during the season.

The two-time All-American athlete specifically in the hammer throw earned his third USTCA nod in his Hokie career. For the 2005 indoor season, the USTCA tabbed Jullien as the Southeast Region Indoor Athlete of the Year and the USTCA honored Jullien as the National Athlete of the Week for the indoor season of 2003.

Jullien along with 14 Hokies will compete in the NCAA East Region Track & Field Championships hosted by Manhattan College on Randall\'s Island, N.Y. this weekend, May 27-28.

The Athlete and Coach of the Year awards are sponsored by Mondo, USA, the world\'s largest supplier of track & field surfaces. Mondo is the official provider of all tracks and equipment for the Track and Field Competitions for the Athens Olympic Games.

2005 Mondo Outdoor District Athletes of the Year Great Lakes : Aarik Wilson, Indiana (men) and Cassie Hunt, Illinois (women) Mid-Atlantic : Sam Segond, Rutgers (men) and Shameka Marshall, Rutgers (women) Midwest : Sheldon Battle, Kansas (men) and Anne Shadle, Nebraska (women) Mountain : Jonathon Johnson, Texas Tech (men) and Loree Smith, Colorado State (women) Northeast : Mustafa Abdur-Rahim, Dartmouth (men) and Caroline Bierbaum, Columbia (women) South : Kerron Clement, Florida (men) and Chaunte Howard, Georgia Tech (women) Southeast : Spyridon Jullien, Virginia Tech (men) and Tiffany Ross-Williams, South Carolina (women) South Central : Peter Kosgei, Arkansas (men) and Marshevet Hooker, Texas (women) West : Robert Cheseret, Arizona (men) and Monique Henderson, UCLA (women) 2005 Mondo Outdoor District Coaches of the Year Great Lakes : Jim Knapp, Central Michigan (men) and Gary Winckler, Illinois (women) Mid-Atlantic : Michael Mulqueen, Rutgers (men) and Alonzo Webb, Pittsburgh (women) Midwest : Chris Bucknam, Northern Iowa (men) and Gary Peppin, Nebraska (women) Mountain : Wes Kittley, Texas Tech (men) and Craig Poole, BYU (women) Northeast : John Copeland, Rhode Island (men) and Lou Duesing, Cornell (women) South : Mike Holloway, Florida (men) and Amy Deem, Miami (women) Southeast : John Weaver, Appalachian State (men) and Curtis Frye, South Carolina (women) South Central : John McDonnell, Arkansas (men) and Lance Harter, Arkansas (women) West : Art Venegas, UCLA (men) and Edrick Floreal, Stanford (women)