Photo provided by USF

USF sophomore Michael Babinec, a former Riverview High standout, enters this weekend's American Athletic Conference Championships ranked sixth in the league in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

He never has met a snack cake he didn't like. If cookie dough were quality carbs, USF steeplechase specialist Michael Babinec might be an All-American.

"I'm big on sweets," the former Riverview High all-state runner said.

Former roommate Alex Hoffman, a Bulls middle-distance guy, recalls Babinec going through a Toll House tube in one sitting. Yet no sugar rush seemed intense enough to help him improve his splits in the conventional distance races, which Babinec found as bland as broccoli.

"I did the 5,000 (meters) my freshman year and it was really horrible," said Babinec, who nonetheless earned a Class 4A state medal in the 3,200 as a Sharks senior in 2012.