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Related: NCAA selection release (May 14)

Tholis named USTFCCCA Atlantic Region Men's Field Athlete of the Year

EAST STROUDSBURG - Five East Stroudsburg University athletes will pursue All-America status, including a pair of seniors who will look for their second citations in the men's javelin, when the Warriors compete in the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships, which begin Thursday at Colorado State-Pueblo.

Senior Matt Tholis, ranked No. 3 in the javelin with an automatic mark and a 2012 All-American, and redshirt senior Josh Hontz, ranked No. 9 and the national runner-up in 2011, lead the Warriors' five participants.

Senior Corinne Fitzgerald will make her third straight NCAA appearance in the 3000m steeplechase and two Warriors will make their first trip to the NCAA's in sophomore Travis Toth in the hammer, and freshman Seth Bailey in the high jump. The top eight finishers in each event will earn All-America honors.

ESU will have at least one athlete in action on all three days, beginning Thursday with Toth in the hammer and Fitzgerald in the prelims of the 3000m steeplechase. On Friday, Bailey competes in the high jump and Fitzgerald will hope to be included in the steeplechase final. Tholis and Hontz finish the weekend in the javelin on Saturday.

Complete notes on ESU's five entrants are below.

Travis Toth (Newfoundland/Western Wayne), Hammer, sophomore
[Thursday, 12:30 p.m. MT]

Provisional mark of 192-8 (13th in DII) at Millersville Metrics on April 6 … PSAC runner-up at 184-10 … has six marks exceeding the NCAA provisional qualifier of 177-10 this season … will look to become ESU's 2nd All-American in men's hammer, following 2-time All-American and current GA Paul Wagner (6th in 2009, 7th in 2010) … one of three PSAC athletes, along with Lock Haven's Mark Manno and Tyler Thomas … was NCAA provisional qualifier in weight throw indoors at 59-1 1/2 (was first athlete left out of NCAA field) … set ESU freshman records in hammer (172-3) and weight throw (51-2 3/4) in 2012.


Corinne Fitzgerald (Rockaway, N.J./Morris Hills), 3000m Steeplechase, senior
[Thursday, 6:40 p.m. MT, prelims - Friday, 7:15 p.m. MT, finals]

Provisional time of 10:37.95 (7th in DII) at Penn Relays on April 25 to lower her own school record … PSAC runner-up at 10:44.34 … finished 10th in DII as a junior and 15th as a sophomore … was also an NCAA provisional qualifier in the 5000m (17:16.06) and 10,000m (36:43.36) this spring … 4th total trip to NCAA Championships (qualified in cross country as a junior in 2011) … ESU Female Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year, along with teammate Rose Mascoli … 2012 Academic All-America 2nd team selection and 2-time Academic All-District (2013 to be announced later this spring) … on ESU's all-time top 10, ranks 2nd indoors in 3K (9:59.72), 3rd in mile (5:07.42) and 3rd in 5K (17:30.03), and ranks 1st outdoors in steeplechase (10:37.95), 2nd in 5K (17:16.06), 6th in 3K (10:06.58) and 6th in 10K (36:43.36) … can become ESU's first All-American in women's steeplechase (Pete Heesen, Jim Lauck were 3-time All-Americans in men's steeplechase) … one of six PSAC athletes, along with Bloomsburg's Victoria Davis, Edinboro's Kasey Jones, IUP's Alyssa Taddie, Bloomsburg's Katie Filemyr and Clarion's Megan Toddy.


Seth Bailey (Palmyra, N.Y./Palmyra-Macedon), High Jump, freshman
[Friday, 4:30 p.m. MT]

Provisional mark of 6-10 1/4 (t-13th in DII) to win PSAC championship on May 11 … mark was PR of 3.5 inches (had PR of 6-6 3/4 at Lock Haven in final meet of regular season to enter PSAC's as No. 3 seed) … first ESU men's high jumper to qualify for NCAA outdoor championships since Mike Newhard in 2001 … ESU has not had a men's high jumper earn outdoor All-America status (Newhard was All-American indoors in 2002 and 2003) … Warriors have had five All-Americans in women's high jump, including sophomore Christina O'Connor indoors this year … ESU high jump coach Karen (Way) Gaita '91 was school's first high jump All-American in 1989 and was NCAA DII outdoor champion in 1991.


Men's Javelin
[Saturday, 12:15 p.m. MT]

Matt Tholis and Josh Hontz are the 6th set of ESU teammates to qualify in the men's javelin (also 1988, 1992, 2003, 2004, 2009) … they give ESU at least one entry in the men's javelin for the 8th straight year, and 13th time in 14 years … will aim to become the 4th and 5th multiple-time All-Americans in men's javelin, joining Ed Long (1971-72), Mike Revenis (1981-82) and Barry Krammes (2002-03) … ESU has had multiple All-Americans in the same event just once - 1992, when Lance Branyan was 4th and Al Yackenchick was 6th in the men's javelin.


Matt Tholis (Belle Mead, N.J./Montgomery), Javelin, senior

Automatic mark of 226-5 (3rd in DII) at Lafayette on March 30 to set school record … one of 5 automatic qualifiers in the field … PSAC champion at 223-11 on May 11 … has hit mark of at least 210-0 in 6 straight meets … All-American (7th in DII)  at 213-7 last year at Colorado-Pueblo … transfer from Rowan, where he was a DIII national qualifier in 2010 … Tholis and Hontz are joined by 3 other athletes from PSAC in Shippensburg's Derek Northstein and Andrew Korrubin, and Slippery Rock's David Reinhardt.


Josh Hontz (Jim Thorpe/Jim Thorpe), Javelin, redshirt senior

Provisional mark of 209-5 (9th in DII) to finish 3rd at PSAC Championships on May 11 … had previous provisional mark of 207-8 … NCAA DII runner-up as a junior in 2011 with mark of 225-4 (was school record) … NCAA qualifier as a sophomore in 2010, finishing 13th … was 2011 PSAC champion at 222-8.