Scholar Athletes Shotputter becomes four-time national qualifier By MITCH GOLDICH, Lehigh ’09, Communications Manager
Most collegiate athletes would be proud to graduate with a conference championship, a defining moment to symbolize four years of hard work and dedication. James Hulley, Carnegie Mellon ’10, set his sights a little higher than that. The thrower virtually wrote his own chapter in the record book, completing his career with a dozen conference championships in the indoor and outdoor shotput and discus. He also leaves behind his undergraduate days as A list of SigEp the reigning school record-holder in all varsity athletes is three events, and as one of the National now online for your Strength and Conditioning Association’s review. This listing selections as All-American Strength and is shared through Conditioning Athlete of the Year. a new e-newsletter Those accolades are impressive, but to undergraduates only part of what makes him such an called the Sound Bite exemplary balanced man. Hulley also (see page 15). Check worked hard academically, graduatout the varsity ing from a prestigious engineering athletes at chapters program with a 3.01 GPA. While at across the nation at Carnegie Mellon, Hulley earned a B.S. in www.sigep.org/ mechanical engineering, with a minor varsityathletes. in engineering design. And when the Pennsylvania Theta Chapter needed somebody to step up as chapter president last spring, he volunteered to fill the role as a second semester senior. “It was pretty intense,” Hulley said of his schedule. “There were a lot of long nights and early mornings.” Despite his time-consuming workout regimen, which normally had him in the gym before 7 a.m. and back to the gym every afternoon
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when he was finished with his classes, he budgeted his time well and made his term as president a priority. “I’m very passionate about SigEp,” he explained. “You don’t run for president for your resume, or for popularity. For me, it was an opportunity to give back.” The Northampton, Mass. native also picked up events like the hammer and weight throws over the course of his career, but the shotput served as his specialty. Hulley was a four-time Division-III National Championship qualifier in the shotput. With all his success on the playing field and in the classroom, Hulley looks back at his decision to join SigEp as one of the highlights of his undergraduate experience. “It was an easy decision for me,” he said. “They seemed like a good group of guys, and I liked the way they presented themselves— not as a frat but as a fraternity. The Balanced Man Program was different. It was about having a good time and personal development. Never once did I look back and regret that decision at all.”
Senior mechanical engineering major and thrower James Hulley, Carnegie Mellon ’10, was recently named a 2010 National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) Athlete of the Year.
Tennis standout wins NCAA singles championship By BRIAN SHAWN Nor th Dakota ‘02
John Watts, Washington in St. Louis ’10, won the 2010 NCAA Division III Singles National Championship in May and became the first national champion in Washington University men’s tennis history. “The first thing that went through my head following the match was a sigh of relief. It felt great to have accomplished what I did and to win a national champi-
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SIGEP JOURNAL Fall 2010
onship,” Watts said. He got a few other things done too, like finishing college with a 3.54 GPA and three majors: systems engineering, economics and finance. Watts also made his fourth overall NCAA appearance and concluded his career as the most decorated student-athlete in Washington University men’s tennis program history. He posted a school record 238-43 overall, with a 133-21 mark in singles and a 105-22 record in doubles.
“What a career John Watts has had as a student-athlete and as a member of the Washington University men’s tennis program,” said Head Coach Roger Follmer. “It is quite impressive to witness John mature the past four years, as he has consistently put the time and effort in improving all aspects of his game. He will no doubt be a success in his future endeavors as he understands there is ‘no off-season’ or lapse of integrity as one