Illinois Wesleyan 2016 graduate Max Leonard was the national champion in the discus at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships with a throw of 175 feet-8 inches. Also as a senior he got first place in the discus and fourth in the shot put at the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin outdoor meet and got fourth in the weight throw and seventh in the shot put at CCIW indoor track meet.
Leonard, a physics (pre-engineering) and economics major at Illinois Wesleyan with a 3.93 grade-point average, was elected to the Academic All-District® 7 Men's Track and Field/Cross Country team and is on the ballot for the Academic All-America® Team, where first, second, and third-team All-America honorees will be elected later this month. He is the son of John and Patricia Leonard and his sister, Colleen, is also an IWU graduate.
Why you chose Illinois Wesleyan: It allowed me to pursue whatever I wanted and did not limit me.
IWU class you’re most qualified to teach: Physics 105.
The hardest challenge about being a Division III student-athlete is: No free food.
Worst grade in a class you ever got – what and when? Freshman year, first semester in Spanish 280 I got a B+.
I’m deathly afraid of ... : The Oompa Loompa’s from the 1971 "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory."
Worst habit: Zoning out.
Most expensive traffic ticket: $20 Parking ticket from IWU security.
Language I’d like to learn: Whatever language the Minions use.
The longest I could survive without my cell phone: The rest of my life.
One word your mother or father would use to describe you: Stubborn.
Favorite sports figures: Michael Jordan, Gerd Kanter
My greatest moment in sports was: Yet to come, but winning the conference championship in Discus after three years of frustrating meets was a great feeling. Also playing a football game against the Finnish National team was a very cool experience.
The best player I ever faced was: I’m not sure if I really “faced” this person, but I threw in a flight with team U.S.A Olympian Lance Brooks in a track meet this year.
Worst dresser on my team: Honestly ... me.
Thing that’s been in my fridge the longest: Too scared to look.
Person I’m dying to have dinner with: Soulja Boy
Favorite food: Ribs
Vegetable I won’t eat: Turnip
Pepsi or Coke? Coke
Favorite TV show: "Silicon Valley"
Favorite musical group: Led Zeppelin
Favorite movie: "Batman the Dark Knight"
If a movie were made of my life, I would like the following person to play me: Jason Segel
If my life were on TV as a reality show, I’d call it: "I’m Not Wearing Hockey Pants"
The person in history I would most like to meet is: Gandhi.
My dream job would be: Dog sitter.
Place I’d most like to live: Glenview, Illinois.
Two things that are tops on my “bucket list”: Become both Captain America and the President of the United States.
My possession that would fetch the most on eBay: My guitar.
Who is the luckiest person in the world? George Bailey
What I miss most about being in the third grade: Doing whatever I wanted all day.
