2012 NCAA Track and Field Shot Put All-American Dennis Aliotta begins his first season with the Lions. He will assist the throwers.
A native of Staten Island, N.Y., Aliotta is a five-time Conference USA shot put champion and the 2012 Conference USA Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year.
Son of George and Esther Aliotta, he graduated from Monsignor Farrell High School in Staten Island in 2007. During his four years at Monsignor Farrell, he was an Indoor All-American in shot put, earned the US Marine Corps Distinguished Athlete award, and set the school record in discus.
He then attended Moorpark College in California, where he became the No. 1 ranked junior college athlete in the nation for shot put and Moorpark College Track and Field MVP in 2009. Not only was he the California state champion for shot put and hammer throw, he won the 2009 national title and All-America honors in shot put. After being named Moorpark College’s Athlete-of-the-Year, the Ventura County Sports Hall of Fame Male Athlete of the Year, and Moorpark College Scholar Athlete, he was inducted into the Moorpark College Hall of Fame. He graduated in 2009 with an associate’s degree in science.
Aliotta then moved to Greenville, N.C. to attend East Carolina University. In 2010, he captured the Conference USA title in shot put at both indoor and outdoor championships. He set the school record for both the indoor and outdoor shot put event at 17.42 and 17.85 meters, respectively.
In 2011, he captured five event titles during the season in combined shot put, discus, and hammer efforts, including his third career Conference USA shot put title.
But Aliotta’s senior season proved to be the best one yet, when he set not only school, but meet records in indoor and outdoor shot put throws. With 19.39 outdoor and 18.34 indoor distances, he earned the 2012 Indoor and Outdoor Conference USA Championship titles. The 2012 ECU Track and Field captain and MVP also posted one of the Top 25 shot put performances in the U.S.
He also excelled in the classroom, becoming a member of the Conference USA All-Academic team and United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Division I All-Academic team. He was also named the USTFCCCA Academic All-American and posted a 3.4 GPA. He graduated in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in sports studies.
