University of Minnesota Athletics
MTF: Gopher Senior Throwers; Engineering a Solid Finish
5/26/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
Three seniors on the Gopher men’s track and field team, however, completely shatter the negative stereotype of a “typical” college thrower. Curt Schoenfelder, Jason Swenson and Andy Tilstra, each a recent graduate with a degree in engineering, have exercised their muscles and minds throughout four years of track and field competition.
In fact, the lessons learned in engineering courses have transferred favorably from the classroom to the throwing circle. “We’re all engineers and moving something, even a javelin, is simply basic physics,” Swenson, an electrical engineer, explained. “I’ve learned that by moving a specific muscle at a certain time I will get a different outcome. So it actually takes a lot of thinking to throw effectively. You can’t just be a big brute to be successful.”
Schoenfelder, a civil engineer and three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, agrees that his academic background has helped him improve athletically. “Sometimes you have to break down your approach into smaller pieces and I think being analytical has helped me do that,” the Gophers co-captain concluded. “After finding and improving the weakness and then putting it all back together, after awhile everything just kind of clicks.”
Though Tilstra, a mechanical engineer, holds the same opinion as his teammates about being a thrower and an engineer, he also claims that at times he struggled to strike a balance between his natural athletic talent and learned skills. “I was always taking a ‘connect the dots’ approach, trying to do every move exactly how things should be done instead of just letting it happen.” the three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree admitted. “So sometimes being an engineer has actually been a detriment because I was probably thinking too much.”
By completing upper division math and science courses, however, thinking has continually been the primary method of problem-solving for this trio of throwers. Now the problem is how to extend their season and prolong their collegiate careers. All three travel to Norman, Okla. this weekend to compete at the NCAA Midwest Regional meet, knowing that it could possibly be their final competition. Yet each is taking a typically logical approach to Regionals, reminiscent of their chosen profession. Each of them realizes that they probably need to post a personal-best mark in order to place among the top-five in their respective events and thereby, advance to the NCAA Championships next month in Sacramento, Calif.
Swenson will compete in the javelin on Friday and is ranked fifth among the 18 competitors, having posted a mark of 215 feet, 2 inches in early April. Inflicted with various leg and back injuries throughout his career, a now healthy Swenson is focused on breaking the school record distance of 231-0 at Regionals. Yet most observers would assume the tall, sinewy Swenson is better suited for races than throws. The Billings, Mont. native explained how everyone repeatedly mistakes him for a distance runner. “That is until they see me run,” he said with a chuckle.
Schoenfelder and Tilstra, each of whom could easily be confused with power forwards on a basketball team, will both be competing in the discus and hammer throw during the weekend. Schoenfelder is listed ninth among discus throwers and 12th in the hammer throw, but doubts those rankings will be his final positioning. After scoring 11 points at the Big Ten Championships via a third-place finish in the discus and a fourth-place showing in the hammer throw, it’s obvious that Schoenfelder is peaking at the right time. “Having set PR’s at the Big Tens, I know I can step up when it really matter,” the South Dakota native said. “I expect some competitive juices to kick in again at Regionals.”
Tilstra, who enjoys a friendly rivalry with his teammate, has steadily improved throughout his career. This season he obliterated his previous personal-best marks in both the discus and hammer by more than 15 feet in each event. Though he enters Regionals as an underdog, ranking 13th in the discus and 25th in the hammer throw, it’s a position the former Luverne, Minn. resident is familiar with. “I’ve been in this situation before and have thrived on it in the past,” Tilstra explained. “I just need to remember to relax.”
No matter if their collegiate careers end at Regionals, Schoenfelder, Swenson and Tilstra have each already recorded a number of marks that rank among the school’s all-time best performances, establishing a sort of legacy in their respective events. Yet it’s likely the most impressive marks left by the three senior throwers on the men’s track and field program cannot be measured by distance. They’ll be considered more for their obvious intellect and character; traits for which they’ve set the standard. Generally collegiate throwers are assumed to be large in size and possess little but brute strength. Their abilities are often measured solely by the distance their implements travel during track meets. In other words, throwers characteristically fall victim to the label of “big, dumb jock.”
Three seniors on the Gopher men’s track and field team, however, completely shatter the negative stereotype of a “typical” college thrower. Curt Schoenfelder, Jason Swenson and Andy Tilstra, each a recent graduate with a degree in engineering, have exercised their muscles and minds throughout four years of track and field competition.
In fact, the lessons learned in engineering courses have transferred favorably from the classroom to the throwing circle. “We’re all engineers and moving something, even a javelin, is simply basic physics,” Swenson, an electrical engineer, explained. “I’ve learned that by moving a specific muscle at a certain time I will get a different outcome. So it actually takes a lot of thinking to throw effectively. You can’t just be a big brute to be successful.”
Schoenfelder, a civil engineer and three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, agrees that his academic background has helped him improve athletically. “Sometimes you have to break down your approach into smaller pieces and I think being analytical has helped me do that,” the Gophers co-captain concluded. “After finding and improving the weakness and then putting it all back together, after awhile everything just kind of clicks.”
Though Tilstra, a mechanical engineer, holds the same opinion as his teammates about being a thrower and an engineer, he also claims that at times he struggled to strike a balance between his natural athletic talent and learned skills. “I was always taking a ‘connect the dots’ approach, trying to do every move exactly how things should be done instead of just letting it happen.” the three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree admitted. “So sometimes being an engineer has actually been a detriment because I was probably thinking too much.”
By completing upper division math and science courses, however, thinking has continually been the primary method of problem-solving for this trio of throwers. Now the problem is how to extend their season and prolong their collegiate careers. All three travel to Norman, Okla. this weekend to compete at the NCAA Midwest Regional meet, knowing that it could possibly be their final competition. Yet each is taking a typically logical approach to Regionals, reminiscent of their chosen profession. Each of them realizes that they probably need to post a personal-best mark in order to place among the top-five in their respective events and thereby, advance to the NCAA Championships next month in Sacramento, Calif.
Swenson will compete in the javelin on Friday and is ranked fifth among the 18 competitors, having posted a mark of 215 feet, 2 inches in early April. Inflicted with various leg and back injuries throughout his career, a now healthy Swenson is focused on breaking the school record distance of 231-0 at Regionals. Yet most observers would assume the tall, sinewy Swenson is better suited for races than throws. The Billings, Mont. native explained how everyone repeatedly mistakes him for a distance runner. “That is until they see me run,” he said with a chuckle.
Schoenfelder and Tilstra, each of whom could easily be confused with power forwards on a basketball team, will both be competing in the discus and hammer throw during the weekend. Schoenfelder is listed ninth among discus throwers and 12th in the hammer throw, but doubts those rankings will be his final positioning. After scoring 11 points at the Big Ten Championships via a third-place finish in the discus and a fourth-place showing in the hammer throw, it’s obvious that Schoenfelder is peaking at the right time. “Having set PR’s at the Big Tens, I know I can step up when it really matter,” the South Dakota native said. “I expect some competitive juices to kick in again at Regionals.”
Tilstra, who enjoys a friendly rivalry with his teammate, has steadily improved throughout his career. This season he obliterated his previous personal-best marks in both the discus and hammer by more than 15 feet in each event. Though he enters Regionals as an underdog, ranking 13th in the discus and 25th in the hammer throw, it’s a position the former Luverne, Minn. resident is familiar with. “I’ve been in this situation before and have thrived on it in the past,” Tilstra explained. “I just need to remember to relax.”
No matter if their collegiate careers end at Regionals, Schoenfelder, Swenson and Tilstra have each already recorded a number of marks that rank among the school’s all-time best performances, establishing a sort of legacy in their respective events. Yet it’s likely the most impressive marks left by the three senior throwers on the men’s track and field program cannot be measured by distance. They’ll be considered more for their obvious intellect and character; traits for which they’ve set the standard.
