BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Gustavus men’s track & field team was represented well at the 2018 NCAA Division III Indoor Championships this weekend from the Birmingham CrossPlex on the campus of Birmingham Southern College, as Michael Hensch (Jr., North Branch, Minn.) and Taylor Rooney (Fy., Andover, Minn.) were both honored as All-Americans.
Hensch received All-America status in the shot put, finishing sixth with a throw of 53-05.50. The USTFCCCA All-Region honoree was the shot put champion at the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Indoor Championships with a career-best toss of 56 feet.
“Mike is 100 percent a product of hard work,” said Head Coach Dale Bahr. “He has dedicated himself eating right, sleeping right. He is very scheduled and particular with the things he does with his body and it is paying off. We’ll look forward to see what he can do outdoors and his continuation up the ladder.”
Rooney qualified for the 60-meter hurdle finals with a preliminary time of 8.20 on Friday. On Saturday afternoon, Rooney turned in a time of 8.21 to finish seventh and be named All-American. A USTFCCCA All-Region honoree, Rooney previously received ‘Outstanding Performance of the Meet’ in the 60-meter hurdles at the conference championships, setting a MIAC Indoor record time of 8.15.
“Taylor is young and has some great talent. Now we want to see what he can do with some great instruction and continue to get better. Seventh place in his first indoor season is pretty impressive. He is definitely looking to improve and is learning. Anytime you have a talented individual who is willing to listen and learn, I only see his future going up,” Bahr commented.