John Rex ended his outstanding career at Bates on a high note on Saturday, finishing fifth in the hammer throw at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships and winning All-America honors.
Rex (Andover, Mass.) launched the hammer 189 feet and 9 inches (57.84 meters) on his first attempt -- enough to send him into the finals and eventually standing as his best mark of the day. Jude Misko of Rutgers-Camden won at 198'5". Rex finished over three feet ahead of sixth-place finisher Chris Puduski of Principia.
The mark is the fourth-best of the senior captain's career, and less than two feet shy of his career-best (191'6").
A now two-time All-American and six-time All-NESCAC honoree, Rex earned four team points as the Bobcats' lone representative at the meet. He also won his first All-America honor via competition -- his one earlier All-America plaudit was earned as a qualifier in the weight throw at the 2020 NCAA Indoor Championships, which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic the day before the meet was to begin.
Rex becomes the 15th athlete in Bates men's track and field history to win All-America honors in the hammer throw, and the first since Sean Enos in 2015.
