DC's Postema Wins Hammer for First Male National Champion

LA CROSSE, Wis. – For the first time in Defiance College men's track and field history, an individual has been crowned national champion as senior Tom Postema continued his unbelievable 2013 campaign with a first-place finish in the hammer throw on Friday, May 24. [Results]

Coming into the event, the Tinora High product had been ranked number one through basically the entire season and held true for one last competition. Postema hurled an amazing mark of 64.67 meters to win the National Collegiate Athletic Association Div. III Outdoor National Championship title. He recorded the distance on his fourth attempt of the afternoon and won the event by a large margin of 3.21m. The distance was his second best of the season and only three other athletes have recorded a longer mark in Div. III history.

This amazing accomplishment comes on the eve of Postema's outstanding performance in the discus Thursday, May 23. The Defiance, Ohio, native earned second in the event and with today's victory gives the Purple and Gold men's track and field team 18 points that currently sits them in third place at the championships.

Postema will wrap up his nationals outing tomorrow, Saturday, May 25, when he competes in the shot put. He is ranked 10th in the nation (17.04m) heading into the competition. The Defiance senior thrower will take to the field at 5:05 p.m.