EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – East Stroudsburg University’s Jenn Grube gained All-America honors for the second straight year Saturday by placing sixth in the javelin throw at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships at SIU-Edwardsville.

Grube threw the javelin 140-6 and beat the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference champion Brianna Bair of Lock Haven, who was seventh at 138-4.

Kateema Riettie of Southern Connecticut won the event with a throw of 151-8 with Holly Conrad of Western Oregon second at 151-5 and Stephanie Huffman of Seattle Pacific third at 149-10. Kate Droz of Humboldt State was fourth at 146-5 with Shelley Brower of Cal State Stanislaus fifth, 142-1.

The top eight place-winners in a field of 16 throwers scored team points and were accorded All-America status. Grube had placed fifth in the nationals last season.

The senior from Easton’s Wilson High School uncorked her place-winning throw on her second attempt of the trials. She was fourth going into the finals, but dropped down two places.

Grube’s throw was just shy of her season best of 140-9 achieved in the Penn Relays, but better than her 139-1 runner-up toss in the PSAC championships. Her career best was a school-record 146-7 in the nationals last year. She also had qualified for the nationals as a freshman, but did not place.

"Jenn had been here before, was focused on what she had to do and then executed," said ESU Coach Joe Koch. "It was a great way for her to close her collegiate career."

Grube became the third ESU track and field performer to place in the outdoor nationals twice. The other were high jumper Karen Way, the national champion in 1991 and runner-up in 1990, and 1,500-meter runner Jan Blake, sixth in both 1995 and 1996.

It marked the seventh straight year and 17th time in 18 years that the Warriors produced an All-America in track and field.

ESU’s David Dean, a sophomore, also competed in the javelin Saturday, but failed to place with a throw of 180-1. He had been the conference runner-up with a throw of 200-10 two weeks ago.

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