All-American
Justin Sievert concluded an outstanding career last week. On Wednesday, May 21, he was recipient of the “Director's Award” as Union's Outstanding Athlete for the 2002-03 academic year at the third annual senior banquet. Sievert, however, was not there to accept the honor as he was with head track coach Larry Cottrell at the NCAA Division III Track and Field Championships. On Saturday, May 26, Sievert's last shot put throw in a garnet uniform earned him All-American status.
The 6'2, 265-pound native of New Paltz, New York (he now resides with his family in Hudsonville, Michigan), took home eighth place with a throw of 53-4 1/2 (16.27m). It was Sievert's 37th outdoor honor.
No…that was not a misprint. Sievert's All-American accomplishment was his 37th outdoor honor in the last four years. Those 37 outdoor honors go along with the 21 (twenty-one) indoor honors he has won.
“To say that Justin has made an impact on our program is quite the under statement,” said Cottrell. “His athletic accomplishments speak for themselves. What is harder to measure is what he has meant to all of us as a person and as a leader, both athletically and academically. Besides his track and football accomplishments, Justin, who is a political science major, has been a member of the UCAA's All-Academic team for both sports the last three years (a student-athlete must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.2…freshmen are not eligible). He has risen the bar, not only for our track performers, not only for all of our student-athletes, but for all present and future Union students who walk this campus.”
Easily one of the most decorated student-athletes at Union in the last 23 years, Sievert was elected captain and “Most Valuable Performer” for both the indoor and outdoor teams the last two years, Surprisingly, he does not hold any Union records. That, surprising fact, however, does not in any way diminish Sievert's overall contributions to the Union Community. Editor's Note: (Rich Pulver, Class of 1995, holds Union's indoor record 54' 4″ (16.56 meters), and is also the outdoor record holder, winning a National Championship with a throw of 56' 6 3/4″ (17.21 meters).
“Justin is a great example of the ideal student athlete,” said assistant indoor track (and head men's soccer) coach Jeff Guin. “Not only is he a very successful football player, is an All-American track and field athlete and an honors student headed to law school. Until recently, he did this with little fan fare. He worked very hard to achieve the excellence which he did achieve.”
Like every other person in the world, Sievert's career has been filled with highs and lows. In track, he points to his fourth place finish in the 2002 NCAA outdoor championship and his 2002 New York State outdoor championships in the shot put and discus among the top finishers on his lengthy list of favorite memories In football, Sievert says that “beating Hobart the week after the passing of Mark Stokes,” (Sievert's friend and linemate who was killed in an auto accident the second weekend in September, 2000) ranks on top of a long list that includes making it to the NCAAs in 2000 and beating RPI in both 2000 and 2002. Among his disappointments are the 2002-03 indoor championships in which an official's error forced a re-throw that resulted in Sievert losing an opportunity to capture All-American status. He is also disappointed that he did not win a national track championship. A 2001 home loss to a sub-.500 Springfield in the regular-season finale, which knocked the Dutchmen out of consideration for an NCAA invitation and injuries suffered during his senior year lead the forgettable category.
Sievert, who has obviously worked very hard to achieve the high standards he set for himself, is very careful in talking about what his goals are for the future and whether or not he has reached or surpassed the goals he set for himself four years ago as a wide-eyed Union freshman who had experienced a very successful high school career.
“People always talk about goals they would like to meet in their athletic careers,” he
says. “It is fine to set goals for yourself and attempt to meet them, but goals just set limits to what you can achieve. When you are finished with whatever sport you participate in the important thing is not what honors or awards you receive, because that's not what athletics is about and it really is not all that important. The important thing is that through either victory or defeat you can honestly look back on your career and know that you did everything possible to better yourself. You should not have any regrets or excuses but rather should be able to just accept the results of your work whether they are positive or negative.”
In his final throw in a Garnet uniform
At the May 25th NCAA Championships
A political science major with a minor in history, Sivert spent the winter and spring of this year working as an intern in the office of New York State Assemblyman James Tedisco (Union, Class of 1972).
“Justin has served as my Legislative Intern since the beginning of the 2003 Legislative Session in January,” Tedisco explained. “From the beginning, he exhibited a level of maturity, responsibility and efficiency far beyond that of most interns. Within a short time of his arrival, I was able to assign Justin projects that had normally been reserved for more experienced staff. When he was assigned to my office, I knew that he was a gifted athlete, but I was unaware of just how those gifts extended beyond his abilities on the field. It was obvious from the start that Justin places the same dedication and work ethic to his responsibilities in my office as he does in football and track and field.”
Tedisco, who was the main speaker at the third annual senior awards banquet, challenged the 79 graduating student-athletes to go out into the world and always be ready to raise the bar higher and to never cheat themselves or their teammates by letting the fear of challenges. Tedisco also reminded the student-athletes that because of their insolvent with athletics and because they worked with coaches who genuinely care about them as people, first and foremost. Sievert, who was wearing his garnet uniform for the final time at the NCAA outdoor meet, was not at the banquet. Apparently he did not need to be there.
“Two things that have impressed me most about Justin Sievert,” said Tedisco, “are his ability to quickly develop an understanding of complex issues and his eagerness to apply the extra work necessary to complete difficult tasks. He pays close attention to detail and the quality of his work is excellent. Justin Sievert is a tremendous asset to this office and I have no doubt that he will excel in anything he does.”
Senior Standout Justin Sievert's Outstanding Career
Indoor Track (21 honors)
- NCAA Honorable Mention All American Shot Put
(twice) - NYS Champion Shot Shot
(twice) - NYS Field Event Athlete of the Year
- NYS Place-finisher Shot Put
(four times) - ECAC Place-finisher Shot Put
(three times) - UCAA Champion Shot Put
(twice) - UCAA Record Holder Shot Put
- UCAA Field Event Athlete of the Year
(twice) - UCAA Place-finisher Shot Put
(four times)
Facility Records
- Hamilton College Track Record (Outdoor) Shot Put
- St Lawrence College Track Record (Indoor) Shot Put
Football Acomplishments
- Four-year starter at defensive tackle
- 131 total tackles on 54 first hits and 97 assists
- 10 quarterback sacks and 5 fumble recoveries
- Captain during his senior season
- UCAA All-Conference team
Union College
Athletic Department Honors
- 2002-03 Director's Cup
Presented to the male or female student-athlete of the year who has demonstrated
“sustained competitive excellence” - 2003 William B. Jaffe Medal
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 - 2002 William A. Pike Memorial Award
The trophy is presented to a junior male athlete for attitude, ability, participation, and achievement in intercollegiate sports
Outdoor Track (37 honors)
- NCAA All-American Shot Put
(twice) - ECAC Champion Shot Put
(twice) - ECAC Record Holder Shot Put
- ECAC Place-finisher Shot Put
(three times) - ECAC Qualifier Discus
- ECAC Place-finisher Discus
- NYS Champion Shot Put
(three times) - NYS Champion Discus
- NYS Field Event Athlete of the Year
(twice) - NYS Place-finisher Shot Put
(four times) - NYS Place-finisher Discus
(three times) - UCAA Champion Shot Put
(twice) - UCAA Record Holder Shot Put
- UCAA Champion Discus
(twice) - UCAA Field Event Athlete of the Year
(twice) - UCAA Place-finisher Shot Put
(four times) - UCAA Place-finisher Discus
(three times) - 2003 United States Track Coaches Association
Regional Track Athlete of the Year
(Atlantic Region)