Hudsonville, MI
New Paltz High
Political Science
Senior football and track standout, Justin Sievert, was awarded the William B. Jaffe Medal. The award is presented to the senior male athlete voted by the athletic department to be the outstanding athlete of the year, taking into account the character and motivation of the individual in addition to athletic excellence.
Sievert, who is Union's lone representative at this weekend's NCAA Track and Field Championships, which are being held at St. Lawrence, was a four-year standout at defensive tackle for the football team and has been a regular qualifier for the NCAA National Championship Meet in both the shot put and discus, for both the indoor and outdoor seasons, throughout his outstanding four-year career.
Originally from New Paltz, New York, and a graduate of New Paltz High, Sievert and his family now reside in Hudsonville, Michigan. A political science major and a member of the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association's All Academic team (where a minimum 3.2 grade point average is required), each of the last three years (freshmen are not eligible), Sievert, a four-year starter at defensive tackle for the Dutchmen,
finished his football career with 54 first hits, 97 assists and 131 total tackles. Captain during his senior season, the 6'2, 265-pounder was a member of the UCAA All-Conference team. Besides his tackles, Sievert contributed 10 quarterback stacks and five fumble recoveries.
As good as he was in football, Sievert was a star in track. A National All-American in the shot put during the outdoor season, he just missed attaining that status during the indoor season, settling for honorable mention All-American status.
Sievert won the William A. Pike Memorial Award in 2002 as Union's “Outstanding Junior Male Athlete of the Year.”