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Home | Sports | Gophers

U thrower gains from struggle with diabetes

David Joles, Star Tribune

Junior Aaron Studt, the Big Ten champion in the shot put, is preparing to compete in the Midwest Regionals.

Gophers thrower Aaron Studt says much good has come from his long battle against diabetes.

By ROMAN AUGUSTOVIZ, Star Tribune

Last update: May 28, 2009 - 12:28 AM

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GOPHERS TRACK AND FIELD

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When teammates on the Gophers men's track and field team have computer problems, they come to Aaron Studt. He can get their laptops running faster, and rid them of spyware and viruses.

"I am kind of a nerd in that sense," Studt said.

That's about it for geek traits for the junior from Ripon, Wis. Studt is 6-3, 250 pounds and the Big Ten indoor and outdoor champion in the shot put. He has bench-pressed as much as 415 pounds and has huge hands. His left ring finger is a size 13, and the same finger on his right hand, which he throws with, is a size bigger.

Studt had those fingers measured for a ring recognizing the outdoor Big Ten title the Gophers won two weekends ago.

Next for Studt and 16 teammates is the two-day Midwest Regional starting Friday in Norman, Okla. A top-five finish there will advance Studt to the NCAA national meet at the University of Arkansas from June 10 to 13.

In the NCAA indoor nationals this year, Studt was the surprising runner-up with a career-best toss of 63 feet, 6¼ inches on his last attempt. He went there seeded seventh.

"We are barely scratching the surface of what [Studt] can accomplish," said Lynden Reder, the first-year Gophers assistant who works with the throwers. "He is starting to believe he can throw with the best in the U.S."

Studt's strategy for the region meet is making sure he qualifies for the national meet. He is also competing in the hammer but is a longshot to advance in that event.

"I have been taking this outdoor season real slow, just trying to build because I am hoping to throw [the shot] really late into June," said Studt, recently named the Big Ten's Field Athlete of the Year. "Hopefully my best throws are yet to come.

"I feel like there is a lot left there."

Studt is attuned to his body much more than most athletes. He was diagnosed with Type I diabetes at age 4. Most of the time, except when he is competing, he carries in his pocket a small insulin pump that regulates his blood-sugar levels. It connects to a tube coming out the right side of his stomach.

He said he has had a few health scares living with diabetes.

"The worst I had it, is I became dehydrated once and I had to go to the hospital," Studt said. "But that was after a 12-hour basketball camp."

He is the first member of his family to be diabetic.

"It's kind of an anomaly," he said. "I was not overweight. A lot of good has come out of it. It's another thing on my plate that I have to balance.

"It's made me a better person, a more responsible person because not only do I have to worry about school, academics and keeping up with relationships [he has a girlfriend], I am trying to keep myself alive and keep myself healthy, too."

Few even knew he was a diabetic in high school. He kept it quiet.

He played football and basketball and threw heavy objects, of course, in track and field, setting school records in the shot put and discus.

His father and older brother were both throwers and a grandfather was a track and field coach for 25 years.

Studt also was an all-state defensive end in football. As a senior, he had 14 sacks and 140 tackles.

"The one thing that is common in both," said Studt, comparing football and shot put, "is that adrenaline is a big part. With a lot of adrenaline, you can rip past an offensive line like nothing and get to the quarterback. The same thing goes for the shot put. If you have a lot of adrenaline, you can throw it really far as long as you stay in the right positions."

Studt is a rotational shot putter. He spins 1 1/2 times, or 540 degrees, before heaving the 16-pound shot.

"He is very explosive, very fast," Reder said. "Aaron is athletically incredibly gifted and that is really starting to shine through now."

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