NICK KOVALAKIDES
Princeton High School – Thrower
Nick Kovalakides helped lead PHS to two consecutive team state championships in 1955 & 1956. He also won 4 individual state titles and set a state record in his high school career.
In his sophomore season of 1955 Kovalakides won the Group III Javelin crown and PHS took home the team trophy. He defended his state javelin title the next year in ’56, and PHS again won the team title.
In his senior year of 1957 he completed a 3-peat by winning the state title in the javelin again, and in the process he set a state record of 211’ 7 ½”. In the same meet he also won a state championship in Discus with a toss of 146’ 8 5/8” as his PHS team finished runner-up.
In sectional competitions Kovalakides also dominated. He won the Central Jersey javelin title as a junior in 1956. As a senior in 1957 he was a double sectional winner by winning both the CJ discus and javelin titles. In the latter he set a new meet record by throwing 206’ 6”.
In county competition he was Mercer Champion in all three throws in 1957.
After graduating from PHS, Kovalakides attended The University of Maryland. While competing for the Terrapins, he was an All-American nationally, and at the conference level he won 5 ACC Championships—2 in Javelin, 2 in Shot Put, 1 in Discus. He also represented the United States T&F Team at the Pan Am Games in 1963, achieving a silver medal in the javelin.
After retiring from his athletic career, Kovalakides moved up to become a track coach at University of Maryland. He coached 10 ACC Championship teams during his tenure.
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