University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota's Dynamic Hammer Duo
5/24/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
The weather and the event set-up in Iowa City during the Big Ten Track and Field Championships added some extra interest to the hammer throw competition. Minnesota's Quentin Mege stood by as his teammate Micah Hegerle tried to fish out a hammer from a small pond that had grown with that week's rainfall. Hegerle's throw would have been a great one had it stayed in play, but it landed underwater only about 20 feet outside the right sector. Finally, with encouragement from Mege and redshirt freshman Jon Lehman, and in front of on-looking fans, Hegerle was able to retrieve the hammer.
That was just about the only problem for the two sophomores in that event, as they scored big points for the Golden Gophers with a 1-2 finish. Mege claimed the Big Ten title with a personal-best throw of 207 feet 8 inches, while Hegerle took second at 207-1.
"That was, I guess, the main goal of the year, getting one-two at Big Ten," said Mege. "So it feels like something we accomplished. We set a goal at the beginning of the year and made it at the end of the year. That's pretty sweet."
Hegerle, the 2010 conference champion, was happy for his teammate.
"It was definitely nice to see Quentin win," he said. "It would have been nice to defend the crown, but it was really awesome to see him win, and it was enjoyable."
Mege and Hegerle stood right next to each other as they received their medals, but their paths to the podium started a long way apart--Mege's thousands of miles away in France, and Hegerle's in Dodge Center, Minn., a less-than-two-hour drive from the University. Looking for a school to attend and compete at, Mege posted a profile on a coaching forum. He said Minnesota throws coach Lynden Reder showed interest right away. Reder's interest, along with the Gophers' conference titles the years before, led Mege to choose Minnesota. Being a native of the state and the son of a former Gopher, Hegerle said considered other schools, but Minnesota was easily his top choice.
The differences between the two throwers don't end with their roads to the U of M. Even their appearances contrast: Mege has brown hair, sometimes wears running shorts, and tapes his hand instead of using a glove when he throws. Hegerle is blond and wears a glove and the longer shorts most throwers wear. Their personalities differ, as well.
"(Hegerle is) always speedy and going fast, and I'm like, 'I've got to take my time for everything,'" Mege said. "We try to find the middle way between that."
Being teammates has allowed the two to learn about each other's countries. Hegerle has helped Mege adjust to life in the United States. Mege has not been teaching Hegerle French like he has been doing for some of his other teammates, but Hegerle still says he has learned a lot from Mege and would like to go to Europe someday.
The throwers' different backgrounds have benefited them athletically as well as culturally. In terms of his own background, Mege found that the pressure and the rules applied in international and national competition have helped him get ready for collegiate competition in America. Hegerle gained confidence and motivation from his Big Ten title last year.
The two have capitalized on each other's strengths as well as their own strengths.
"I think it's really been a nice addition for Micah, especially, having Quentin come over, who's been throwing for a long, long time," Reder said. "In Europe, hammer's a lot more common. Micah has really picked up the event faster than any collegiate hammer guy in recent memory. He's throwing so far at such an early age. He's got a lot of talent, and having Quentin, who's more of a veteran of the event, to kind of guide him I think has been a perfect set-up for both of them. For Quentin, one of the big areas he could improve on is his strength. So the weight training and training with Micah has been perfect for him. They really complement each other quite well--Quentin helping Micah with his technique, and Micah helping Quentin with his training intensity and weight room training."
They also, of course, have a bit of intra-squad competition going on.
"The meets are fun, just because you have somebody like that to push you on the same team," Hegerle said. "So you don't feel bad if you lose to him or whatever. Either way it goes, it's not really any bitterness, so that's nice."
That is the typical attitude of the throwers, who Reder says are "such good guys and such good teammates, not only with each other, but with the whole program."
That formula of teamwork and friendly competition has worked so far, and the Gophers hope that it will bring continued success this week at the NCAA West Preliminary Round in Eugene, Ore. Hegerle and Mege are ranked 10th and 14th, respectively, in the region heading into the meet. They are two of an all-time best 24 Gopher men heading to the NCAA prelims. Depending on their performance in Eugene, they could advance to the NCAA Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, in June. Naturally, they want to stick together if they can.
"It would be awesome to have both of us go," Hegerle said. "We've been rooming together for the whole year on every trip. So it would be sweet to have us room together at nationals."
By Justine Buerkle, Athletic Communications Student Intern
Players Mentioned
