North Central College Athletics

The path to the All-America podium began in an unlikely location for Dan Siewert ’82, who combined self-taught technique with guidance from several  sources to become the most versatile throwing-event athlete in the history of  the North Central College men’s track and field program. Siewert’s introduction to the sport came on his family’s farmland in Wisconsin and started with a simple challenge.

“My whole career got started when my older  brothers, my father and I were clearing boulders out of a field,” he said. “My  father grabbed a rock and said, ‘show me how far you can throw this.’ “He showed me how to put it up against my neck and push it out like the shot put,  and that’s where it all started. He built a shot put circle in the back yard where I learned to throw.”

Siewert taught himself well enough to win two state shot put championships in high school while also earning an All-State mention in football. His athletic exploits gained the attention of a large number of college coaches, but after an initial scholarship offer fell through, he faced the prospect of having to make alternate plans. “All of a sudden, there was one last phone call from someone at North Central, and I jumped  at it,” he said. “I got off the phone with them, and they immediately got hold of Al Carius, who called Hank and Ron Guenther. They worked to put together a financial-aid offer, and I accepted sight unseen. “I’m a true believer that  angels come in all shapes and sizes, and they were my angels when I was 17.”

After his arrival on campus, Siewert  continued to thrive in the shot put and discus events in which he had competed at the high school level while also learning a new event, the hammer throw. “I remember asking Al my sophomore year if we had a hammer in the equipment room,” Siewert said. “There was an old concrete circle where the softball field is now, and he said, ‘knock  yourself out.’ He was always there and supported me and got me whatever I needed.

There was a local hammer fraternity, if you will, that Al was able to plug me into as well. I was able to learn from those guys and qualify  for nationals the first year throwing the darn thing, and it wound up being my favorite event.” A qualifier for the NCAA  Division III National Championships all four years, Siewert earned All-America honors in 1981, placing third in the  shot put, fourth in the hammer and fifth in the discus. As a senior, he added fourth-place finishes in both the discus  and hammer at the 1982 championships.

He became the first athlete in North Central history to earn All-America  honors in both the discus and hammer and was the first in the program’s history to be so honored in three different events. Three decades later, Siewert still ranks third in North Central history in the hammer, fourth in the shot put  and sixth in the discus.

“That humbles me, because even back then, we followed Al’s motto of ‘run for fun and  personal bests,’” he said. “We were having a blast and just trying to improve. Athletically and now professionally, ‘run for fun and personal bests’ is at my core. That has carried with me throughout my life.” Siewert credits the late Hank Skoglund, professor of philosophy and Siewert’s academic advisor at North Central, with lifelong influence as well. “What he really instilled in me is that whatever problem you have in your life, the answer is not with other people, it’s staring at you in the mirror. That stayed with my all my life as well.”