UW-Whitewater athletes won three events Sunday in the second, and final, day of competition at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships hosted by UW-Stout in Menomonie, Wisconsin.
complete results
Team scores were UW-La Crosse 141.5, UW-Stevens Point 135.5, UW-Oshkosh 121, UW-Whitewater 94.5, UW-Eau Claire 85, UW-Platteville 53.5, UW-Stout 38, and UW-River Falls 29.
Two Warhawks won individual events. Isiah Gray (Milwaukee/Brown Deer) won the 400 in 49.49 and Matt Kovnesky (Fort Atkinson/Fort Atkinson) captured the 800 in 1:54.43. Both were also members of Whitewater's first place 4x400 relay team, which also included Peter Schroeder (Ripon/Ripon) and Joe Bailey (Hartford/Hartford Union). That group won with a time of 3:22.15.
Other UW-W athletes that earned points (places 1-8) in Saturday's finals included Brian Gensrick (Mequon/Homestead), seventh in the 55 hurdles in 7.97; Ernest Downing (Cleveland, OH/Glenville), eighth in the 200 in 22.78; and Travis Morehouse (Cottage Grove/Monona Grove), fourth in the high jump at 6-4.25.
UW-Whitewater placed two individuals in a pair of events, with Marcus Smith (Milwaukee/West Allis Central) fourth in the triple jump at 46-6.75 and Mike Schmitt (Manitowoc/Roncalli) eighth at 43-5.75. The same was true in the weight throw, where Shaun Davis (Edgerton/Edgerton) was fourth at 55-6.5 and Ryan Howell (New Glarus/New Glarus) eighth at 54-7.5. Davis' distance is his best this season, improving his National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III indoor championship provisional qualifying mark. Davis was also named UW-W's representative on the WIAC Men's Indoor Track and Field All-Sportsmanship Team.
The 4x400 relay, which included Gray, Downing, Bailey and Brian Martinezdelacotera (Franklin/Franklin) placed fourth with a team season best time of 1:30.46. Mathias Werve (Kenosha/Tremper) also ran a team season best in the 3000, placing fifteenth in 8:51.83. Lee Stratman (Middleton/Dodgeville) was Whitewater's top finisher in the mile, placing tenth in 4:21.20.
UW-W will host the Karl Schlender Invitational, a "last chance" meet, Friday, March 6, with pentathalon competition beginning at 10:00 a.m., field events at 4:00 and running events at 4:30 in the Kachel Fieldhouse on campus. The meet, which won't keep team scores, will be athletes' final opportunity to meet NCAA III qualifying standards before the national indoor championship March 11-12.
For additional information: Darren Schneider, UW-W coach
