March 25, 2005
“Andy Banse is one of the really special young men to come through the University of Iowa,” said UI Head Coach Larry Wieczorek. Banse was added to the McLeodUSA StarHawks team this week.
Banse is a fifth year member on the UI men’s track and field team from Strawberry Point, Iowa. He specializes in throwing events.
“Andy is a terrific student and athlete,” Wieczorek continued.
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“He is a young man of sterling character, which was quite evident when he suffered through both a fractured foot and a fractured wrist early in his career here. After the wrist injury he was told he’d never compete in throwing events again and yet he persevered through rigorous rehabilitation and has improved to the point where he has earned the number three spot on our all-time best performance list.”
UI Coach Larry Wieczorek on Andy Banse
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“He is a young man of sterling character, which was quite evident when he suffered through both a fractured foot and a fractured wrist early in his career here. After the wrist injury he was told he’d never compete in throwing events again and yet he persevered through rigorous rehabilitation and has improved to the point where he has earned the number three spot on our all-time best performance list.”
Banse has increased his throw in the shot put by five feet since his injury and is an NCAA qualifier in that event. His throws of over 60 feet put him in an exclusive club in that event. “60 feet is the bench mark for competitors in shot put,” Wieczorek said.
Although Banse was redshirted in 2001 and did not compete during the 2002 indoor season, he began to make his mark when he won both the shot put and discus at the Jim Duncan Invitation during the outdoor season.
During the 2003 outdoor season, he placed seventh in the hammer throw with a collegiate-best 165-6, which ranks ninth in school history, at the Western Michigan Invitational. He continued to improve during the 2004 season, placing 10th in shot at the Big Ten Championships during the indoor season, and then earning a trip to NCAA Midwest Regionals during the outdoor season.
Banse is working toward a master’s degree in athletics administration. He is an academic all-Big Ten and Dean’s List student. He also represents his team on the Iowa Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, a group of student-athletes from each of the UI’s varsity sports programs who help to shape departmental policies and procedures and to initiate department-wide outreach programs.
“Andy is a role model for the other members of the team,” said Wieczorek. “He provides leadership for the team in very significant ways. He is, simply put, a great young man.”
The StarHawks program is an initiative funded in part by McLeodUSA, a leading telecommunications company with corporate headquarters in Cedar Rapids and a long-time member of the UI’s Partners in Excellence corporate sponsorship program. The StarHawks team is a collection of student-athletes at the University of Iowa who truly represent the very best the intercollegiate athletics program at the UI has to offer. StarHawks typically excel athletically and academically, and also are active in community or leadership activities.