June 17, 2021
By the time Andrea Heil ’10 finished her career as one of the top throwers in the history of MPA track and field, she learned that top athletes commonly share one quality: resilience.
“I had days when even the technique that I knew by heart was letting me down. I was overthinking everything, scratching every single throw,” she said. “Thankfully, it only took one throw to turn it around and it only takes one throw to win an event.”
Heil credits former MPA coach Mark Cromett, who spent over 20 years on the track and field staff, with keeping her buoyant and upbeat. “First and foremost, Coach Cromett encouraged me to prioritize and manage my time so I could keep up with the rigorous academics. He also encouraged me to pursue my strengths and then when I found them, he showed me how to fully dedicate myself to improving. That’s how I achieved greater success.”
And successful she was. Heil earned varsity letters all four years, Tri Metro all-conference twice, and was named captain and team MVP her senior year. She is eighth all-time in the shot put and second all-time in the discus throw on MPA’s track and field top ten list. She also participated in Nordic skiing for four years, earning a varsity letter.
Heil continued her track and field career at Augsburg College, where she not only competed in the shot put and discus throw, but added the javelin and hammer throw. She earned a varsity letter in each of her four years and was named to the 2011 all-MIAC sportsmanship team. Outside of athletics, she won Augsburg’s Joyce Pfaff Academic Award as both a junior and senior, majoring in Elementary Education with a minor in Spanish Studies.
Heil looks back fondly on her MPA athletics experience, especially on the exact moment when she won the subsection championship as a senior, staying resilient through the intense competition for first place. “I remember everything about that day. The battle for first place in the discus throw was between me and one other thrower. She and I had been friendly rivals since freshman year and neither of us had ever thrown over 100 feet in a meet. When she threw 103 feet, I knew I needed a good throw. I threw 105 feet. I was throwing out of my mind, everything just clicked, I was stunned. We both made sub section finals and I ended up throwing my high school personal best of 107’11”. I was elated, I was going into the section championship with the top seeded throw!”
After graduating from Augsburg in 2015, Heil returned to the MPA community as the Panther Den coordinator and substitute teacher. She is now School Age Care Site Director at YMCA of the North in Shoreview.
