June 28th, 2010
Hammer Time: Freeman Wins National Title
Former Manhattan standout captures USA Outdoor championship
from Manhattan College:
Former Manhattan College track & field star Jake Freeman won the hammer throw competition at the 2010 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Friday night at Drake University's Drake Stadium. It's the first national title for Freeman, who represented the United States in the event at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, Germany.
Representing the New York Athletic Club, Freeman won the competition with a second-round throw of 76.51 meters (251 feet), 20 centimeters (six inches) further than silver medalist Kibwe Johnson. It was his furthest throw of the season and less than a foot shy of his personal best. Freeman finished second at the 2009 National Championships after placing third in each of the previous three seasons. His victory snapped A.G. Kruger's streak of four successive national titles in the event.
With a second place finish at last season's National Championships, Freeman qualified for his first World Championships. He just missed the finals in Berlin, finishing 15th with a throw of 74.19 meters (243 feet, 5 inches). Because there are no Olympics or World Championships this year, no international team berths were on the line in Des Moines.
At Manhattan, Freeman was an eight-time All-American in both the hammer throw and weight throw. The school-record holder in the hammer throw, he won the NCAA title in 2004 and finished sixth at the U.S. Olympic Trials that year. Freeman also won the 2003 NCAA indoor crown in the weight throw.
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