Bentley University

If one was to look up the word "determination" in the dictionary, a rather large picture of Bentley track and field star Mike Walsh and this bio could serve as the description. At 6-4 and weighing in at close to 290 pounds, a large picture would definitely be in order. This stems from hours upon hours of weight training for his specialty which happens to be the discus throw.
 
Former Bentley track coach Ed Lyons credited Mike with knowing his own talent and "being smart enough to realize he could compete on the national level." This is exactly what he set out to do, using Bentley to catapult his career in that direction.
 
Mike, "only" 225 pounds as a freshman, began his Bentley career after walking into the track office and foretelling his desire to the coach. From that point on, he hit the weights hard and took it upon himself to find a facility in which he could practice his sport. It meant hours of dally travel time while juggling his academic commitments. He was then fortunate enough to hook up with Boston College throwing coach John Walker, who helped him to solidify his mechanics.
 
It more than paid off for the Malden Catholic product, who Improved on his distance by more than 30 feet during his four years. Mike concluded his Bentley career by earning Division II All-America honors in the discus after finishing 4th at the 1993 NCAA Division II Championships. That week In Abilene, Texas was a special time for the Walsh family as his sister, Suzy, a middle distance runner, also qualified and participated.
 
The 1993 season also saw Mike earn the prestigious titles of New England Collegiate Field Athlete of the Year and ICAAAA discus champion. He was the first Bentley athlete to earn either distinction and the first Division II athlete to win a field event at the meet slnce 1974. His throw of 182'11" at the ICAAAAs was not only a school record, but was also the best in the nation by a Division II athlete that year.
 
In addition to the discus, the Wilmington, Massachusetts formerly held the Bentley outdoor school record in the shot put.
 
After Bentley, Mike was invited to the Olympic Festival in 1994-95 and the Olympic Trials of 1996. In 1997, Mike was ranked 40th in the world for the discus with a best throw exceeding 205 feet.