Senior thrower Aaron Studt won a silver medal in the shot put at the NACAC Under-23 championships on Sunday. The championships were held this past weekend in Miramar, Fla. Studt was one of only two Gophers to compete at the championships, and the second Minnesota competitor to earn a silver medal after teammate Ben Blankenship took second in the 1,500. Studt landed a throw of 59 feet, 9 inches to grab the penultimate place on the podium.

Studt earned All-American honors for the both the weight throw and shot put in first fourth and final indoor season, helping the Gophers to an eight place finish at the NCAA championships in March. The honors were nothing new to Studt, who helped the Gophers win the indoor Big Ten title for a second straight year with his first place finishes in the weight throw and shot put. After the indoor meet, Studt’s performance led head coach Steve Plasencia to vote Studt as the unofficial "athlete of the meet"

Plasencia wasn’t the only one who noticed his efforts that weekend; the conference named Studt as the "field event athlete of the championships" for his effort, garnering 20 points in two different events.

Studt is a fifth-year senior who will return for one more season of outdoor track and field. He has expired his eligibility for indoor track, but after a highly successful indoor season, he decided to sit out the outdoor season in order to come back for a final year as the Gophers look to defend their four straight Big Ten titles.