Indiana University of Pennsylvania Athletics

IUP has a rich history in the javelin, boasting several national champions, and Jeff Neral has played a huge role in that legacy. In fact, it was this history that brought Neral to IUP after being recruited by several Division I schools after a successful high school track and field career.

In his four years at IUP, Neral earned All-America honors each season, climbing from sixth place as a freshman in 1987 to fourth and third before claiming the national title in the javelin in his final try as a senior in 1990 with a throw of 227 feet, 11 inches. He is one of five national champions in school history.

Neral showed signs of what he was to accomplish at IUP during his high school career at Hollidaysburg High School. As a junior in 1985 he finished second at the state meet and set a Hollidaysburg school record that still stands.

Following his graduation from IUP in 1990 with a degree in criminology, Neral joined the Baltimore County Police Department and has been an office for the past 16 years. He has served as a Baltimore County Police Explorer advisor, teaching youths to become future police officers and arranging trips to The National Explorer Conference in Flagstaff, Ariz., and Atlanta, Ga.

Neral also works as a mentor for troubled and disadvantaged youths in the Baltimore area. He and his wife, Rachel, live in the suburbs of Baltimore.