BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced its Men’s and Women’s Track & Field Athletes of the Week on Tuesday and Gustavus earned three honors. Taylor Rooney (Jr., Andover) and Tierney Winter (Sr., Waterville) were named Men’s and Women’s Track Athletes of the Week, while Steven Orzolek (So., Darwin) was named Men’s Field Athlete of the Week.
Orzolek opened the indoor track and field season with a first-place finish in the shot put for Gustavus at Minnesota State-Mankato’s Chuck Petersen Open. His toss of 15.51 meters is a personal best, leads the MIAC, and ranks eighth in NCAA Division III this year.
Rooney started the season with a bang, posting the 22nd-fastest 60-meter hurdles time in NCAA Division III history at the Chuck Petersen Open. Rooney’s time of 8.03 set a new Gustavus program record. It is the top time in D-III this season and the second-fastest time ever in the month of December.
Winter set a new Gustavus record with a time of 5:06.10 to win the mile race at last weekend’s Chuck Petersen Open. Fresh off an All-America finish in cross country, Winter clocked the best mile time in Division III to begin the indoor track and field season.