Rooney made the leap from third place in the javelin throw at the state meet last season, to winning the state title this season by more than 21 feet with a heave of 190 feet 1 inch. In addition, he improved on his sixth-place state title throw in the shot put at the indoor state meet (46-01) by more than six feet to win the state title with a toss of 52-07. Rooney was outstanding in both events all season long. He won the shot put (51-08.25) and the javelin (148-10) at the Central Division Championships, the shot put (51-06) and the javelin (169-05) at the Classical Classic, and the shot put (51-07) and the javelin (166-02) at the Class B Championships.