Indiana University of Pennsylvania Athletics

If the NCAA Division II champion in the decathlon can be called one of the best all-round athletes in the nation, then Bob Babiak held that honor in the spring of 1990.
Babiak, a native of Toms River, N.J., won the national championship in the demanding 1 0-event decathlon during his senior season, earning All-America status for the second time in three years.

Although he stood a modest 5-foot-6 and weighed 160 pounds, Babiak scored a school record 7,292 points in the decathlon at the 1990 NCAA meet to edge Antonio Green of Angelo State (Texas) by 20 points.

His record point total eclipsed the previous mark held by Jim Wooding, who finished seventh in the decathlon at the 1984 Summer Olympics. Babiak's 7,292 points also established a new PSAC record that still stands.

After the first day of competition, Babiak led with 3,848 points but found himself trailing Green by 77 points going into the last event. Fortunately, Babiak's rally helped make history for IUP.

Babiak earned a spot in the NCAA meet with his third place finish at the Florida Relays in April1990. Although somewhat overlooked for his stature and the size of IUP - the meet featured several Division I athletes - Babiak broke his own school record with 7,162 points.

After the Florida Relays, Babiak's coach, Ed Fry, said in the April 3 edition of The Indiana Gazette, "He's got to be the favorite heading into nationals."
Sure enough, Babiak held up his end of the bargain.

During his sophomore year at IUP in 1988, Babiak finished fifth in the decathlon at the NCAA Division II meet to earn All-America accolades. The following year, a hamstring injury sidelined him for the PSAC and NCAA meets.

Despite the setback in 1989, the injury fueled Babiak's quest for a national championship the next year.

In addition to his achievements at IUP, Babiak was a member of the 1986 USA Junior National Decathlon team and was a national place finisher at the 1997 American National Bodybuilding Conference Drug-Free-For-Life competition.

Babiak graduated from IUP in 1990. He was formerly an assistant track and field coach at Monmouth University and is currently an assistant coach for the Shore Athletic Club in New Jersey. He is also the owner of JB3 Painting.

Babiak and his wife, Lori, are the parents of a daughter, Jaiden (4) and a son, Brock (1). He is also stepfather to Trevor (11) and Cassidy (9).