[2] While there, he set a New York State high school discus throw record in 1991, with a distance of 202 feet, 9 inches.

[6] He earned a master's degree in mathematics education from Wake Forest University in 1998.

[1] At Wake Forest, he earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors each year.

[1] As a senior, he won both the NCAA shot put (65–0.5; personal record) and discus (211–1) championships.

[2][5] He won the shot put at the USA Indoor Championships in 1999 and 2000, with a personal record throw of 70–10.5 in the latter.