LEWISTON - If you want to know all about the contents of Noah Gauthier's track and field prize closet, it's much easier to do the research yourself than ask the Bates College senior to wax poetic about his exploits.

There's no offense intended to the seeker trying to engage Gauthier in that conversation. He simply believes that reaching around and patting himself between those broad shoulders would be disrespectful to the Ghosts of Championships Past that flutter above the field house in Merrill Gymnasium.

"When you look around at Bates, you don't really feel like you've accomplished anything until you've won an NCAA title," Gauthier said. "I'm a two-time All-American, and I don't really gloat on that. I've really done nothing."

By the weekend, Gauthier, a senior from Amherst, N.H., might have more superlatives to keep on the down low. Or perhaps he will have reached a place in the Bobcats' pantheon and a future of having his name spoken in those hushed, reverential tones.

Gauthier is seeded fourth in the 35-pound weight throw at the NCAA Division III indoor track and field championships, in progress Thursday and Friday at Ohio Northern University.

On the heels of an eighth-place weight throw at the 2007 indoor nationals and a fifth-place encore in hammer throw at the D3 outdoor showcase in the spring, Gauthier is a good bet to become an All-American in triplicate at the conclusion of his record-smashing final winter campaign.

His qualifying standard of 60 feet, 3¾ inches broke a record at the State of Maine Championship meet that had stood since 1976. It's less than two feet shy of top-ranked Zach Wilson from Monmouth (Ill.) College.

"It's seemed more consistent than in years past. My technique's been more consistent all the way through. That's definitely shown in my results," Gauthier said. "Last year I was more hit-or-miss. It showed when I got to the national level. I didn't compete as well as I would have liked.

"This year I didn't worry about getting a big throw every time. I was just worried about having good competition every single meet, so when I get out to the NCAA Championships I can just kind of let it ride and not have to think so much."

Gauthier is one of two Bates throwers with legitimate national title aspirations this week. Sophomore Vantiel Elizabeth Duncan is the second-ranked woman in the 20-pound weight throw.

Bates men have won 13 NCAA championships in that distinguished history, dating back to hammer thrower Anton Kishon in 1937.

Jaime Sawler (weight throw, 2002) and Justin Easter (steeplechase, 2002 and '03) reached that pinnacle in this decade. On the women's side, Liz Wanless and Keelin Godsey won a combined four national throwing titles between 2004 and '06.

Gauthier's older brother, Dustin, graduated in 2005 as an All-American in the weight throw and with the school record in shot put. The two competed together for one season at Bates.

A shot put champion in high school, Noah followed Dustin in gravitating to the event that has become a specialty at Bates under the tutelage of longtime assistant coach Joe Woodhead.

"Hammer and weight, he's probably one of the top few coaches in the nation. He does a good job explaining it in simple words," Gauthier said of Woodhead. "I think a lot of coaches like to talk. He's a doer, not a talker. That's kind of his motto."

Woodhead did give Gauthier a quick, convincing sales pitch as part of the recruiting process.

"He's a straight shooter," Gauthier recalled. "He was pretty much, 'You come to Bates, you can have a lot of success, you can be an All-American, and you can probably be an NCAA champion.' "

Gauthier won't compete in shot put at indoor nationals, although it's still an important part of his repertoire.

He swept weight and shot routinely throughout the regular season, most notably at the Feb. 9 state meet in Gorham, where Gauthier was named the Peter Goodrich Most Valuable Field Athlete for the third straight year. Goodrich, a six-time All-American thrower at Bates, was killed in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

"Shot was my main thing in high school, but it's pretty hard to be at a high level in both in college just because of the time constraints," Gauthier said. "Outdoor season when my classes kind of dwindle down, I'd like to focus on competing in two events (at nationals). It doesn't happen too often."

That would give the next wave of prospective champions at Bates yet another reason to stay humble.