University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) men’s track and field athlete Preston Henze has been chosen as the male Spotlight Athlete for the month of January.
The Prairie Stars are in the midst of their first indoor track and field season. During the Titan First Chance/Alumni Meet on Dec. 2, Henze established the indoor school record in the 1-mile run with a time of 4 minutes, 37.62 seconds. Henze also joined Blake Carlino, Ruell Chappell and Patrik Elkins in the 4x400-meter relay team, which established an indoor school-record time of 3:37.73
In the Lewis Invitational last Friday, the 4,000 distance medley relay consisting of Tyler Pasley, Carlino, Brendan Kroeger and Henze earned first, establishing an indoor school record time of 10:50.68
UIS captured 11th place in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Outdoor Championships in 2017. Henze’s personal bests during the outdoor season were times of 2:00.98 in the 800 and 4:11.35 in the 1,500. The sophomore from Shelbyville, IL fielded a 4x400 relay team, which included Chappell, Carlino and Kroeger, that set the outdoor school record of 3:29.26.
The Prairie Stars continue their season in the Snow Bird Open on Saturday at 10 a.m. in Jacksonville, IL.
GETTING TO KNOW PRESTON HENZE
Who on the team is the best dancer?
Elliot Nabatov
What is your favorite movie?
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
What is your lucky number?
7
What is the strangest nickname you have?
Pdawg
What is your favorite quote?
“The voice inside your head that says you can’t do this is a liar.”
What is your favorite TV show?
Arrow
What is your favorite candy?
Airheads
What is your favorite book?
Unbroken
Which is your favorite season?
Fall
Other than the sport that you play, what is your favorite sport?
Soccer
What is your major and minor?
Major – Environmental Studies, Minor – Criminal Justice
Who is your inspiration?
Coach Tyler Pence because he never gives up.
What is your favorite memory at UIS?
Seeing my old and new teammates after the summer.
List a little-known, but amazing fact about yourself.
For a high school Sociology project, my friend and I had a lightsaber fight in a mall and were banned from the mall afterwards.
Why did you choose UIS?
I chose UIS because of the cross country program.
What is your favorite class?
Ecology, because I like learning about nature.
Who is your favorite professor?
Professor Megan Styles because she is so passionate about what she teaches.
