SHIPPENSBURG - Jason McMullen was the first of only two Shippensburg student athletes to finish their careers as three-time NCAA All-Americans in the javelin - not a bad ending for a walk-on to the program, who was recruited for wrestling.
The Port Royal native was honored this fall for his athletic past as an inductee into Shippensburg University's Hall of Fame.
At the NCAA Division II national championships, McMullen finished fourth as a sophomore in 1995, seventh in 1996 then had his best ending as bronze medalist in his senior year. The sophomore performance stands as the best, though - his throw of 226 feet is the best performance-for-place effort in the division, and remains the school record despite 16 All-American throws - and a national title - following in his footsteps.
MscMullen also was a two-time PSAC tournament champion, as a sophomore and a senior. He also placed sixth as a freshman.
McMullen also earned a varsity letter with the wrestling team.
As a post-collegiate athlete from 1997 to 2002, McMullen recorded a personal best throw of 230 feet and was a competitor at the 2001 United States Track & Field Championships. He was also ranked five times on the Track and Field News Top 50 list.
He continues to compete in the javelin occasionally at the annual Paul Kaiser Classic at Shippensburg University, with his most recent showing coming in 2011 where he finished in second place.
McMullen was the second in his family to attend and compete at Shippensburg. His grandfather, John McMullen, was a 1934 Shippensburg State Teachers College graduate and was a member of the baseball team.
