| DENNIS BLACK (Class of 1997) Dennis Black is being inducted into the Upper Iowa University Athletic Hall of Fame as an athlete. A transfer to Upper Iowa from Montana State University, he lettered in Track and Field in 1996 and 1997. Black was named as an NCAA All-American in Indoor and Outdoor field events five times. He earned four of the All-American recognitions for his efforts in the indoor and outdoor Shot Put in both 1996 and 1997, as well as the outdoor Discuss in 1996. He was selected for the Olympics Trials in 1992, 1996 and 2000. For the 1996 trials, Black registered under Upper Iowa University. Black still holds the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference's record for Shot Put with a throw of 62' 11.25". After his junior season in 1996, he was named the Iowa Conference M.V.P. His coach at Upper Iowa was Tom Raunig, who knew and recruited Black from his time in Montana. Born in Great Falls, Montana, Black was a heavily recruited athlete out of high school. He holds an array of records at the interscholastic level. His senior year he led the nation in the shot put, as his mark of 70'7 and 205'10" are still the greatest distances thrown in Montana high school history. In 1992, he earned a spot on the World Track and Field team which competed in Seoul, Korea. As a collegiate athlete, Black set a lifetime best of 68'10.5" at a meet in Bozema, Montana which earned him an automatic berth to the Olympic Trials in California. An avid weight lifter, he is returning to competitive track and field as a discus-thrower. Black commented, "My time at Upper Iowa University was definitely the finest of all my college years." Initially recruited by Arizona State, he said, "I am a small town boy at heart and the big city was too much to handle." Dennis graduated from Upper Iowa with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications. One of his fondest memories is a column he wrote for THE COLLEGIAN, "Hot Spots and What Nots," which covered hunting and fishing spots in Northeast Iowa. Black is a fine-art specialist with "Art from Montana and Leading Edge Digital Art Reproduction." He is a proud father of two sons, Maverick and Memphis. | 