The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's and women's track and field programs wrapped up competition in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Indoor Championships Saturday. The Warhawk men finished fourth while the women were fifth.
UWW picked up three top finishes Saturday to bolster the second day of competition. In the men's triple jump,
Shelvin Garrett II (Beloit, Wis./Memorial) claimed gold with a lead of 15.10 meters (49-6.5) to win the event by nearly two feet.
Tina Shelton (Janesville, Wis./Parker) secured UW-Whitewater's second gold of the day with a season best clocking in the 200. Crossing the line in 24.96, Shelton won the event by 1.5 seconds. A pair of teammates joined her on the podium in the event with
Hannah Bilodeau (Machesney Park, IL/Harlem) taking sixth and
Danielle Pouska (Algonquin, IL/Jacobs) placing eighth in the event.
Gunner Schlender (Brillion, Wis./Brillion) led a three-man contingent to reach the podium in the 3,000-meter run. He crossed the line in 8:17.61 to take gold followed by
Christian Patzka (Black Earth, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) just two seconds back in second.
Dan Anderson (Eau Claire, Wis./McDonell) registered a personal best to add fifth-place points to the team total.
Shelton added a runner-up finish in the 60 meter dash with a time of 7.60.
Kenni Czarnecki (Muskego, Wis./Muskego) added a second silver for the Warhawk women. Her toss of 17.93 meters (58-10) was a two-foot personal best and ranks among the top 10 in Division III this season.
Mikayla Madlena (Stevens Point, Wis./SPASH) also registered a personal record with a mark of 16.55 meters (54-3.75) to finish sixth in the event.
Additional individual podium finishes for UWW Saturday include:
Paige Fassbender (Slinger, Wis./Slinger) with a season-best time of 2:17.53 for 5th in the 800,
Marlon Cystrunk (DeForest, Wis./DeForest) with a time of 8.28 for 5th in the 60 hurdles,
Josh Krystosek (Palmyra, Wis./Palmyra-Eagle) with a leap of 1.94 meters (6-4.25) for 6th in the high jump, and
Myles Anderson (Milwaukee, Wis./Lutheran) with a time of 6.90 for 7th in the 60 meter dash.
In the final event of the championships, the 4x400 relay, the Warhawk men and women each placed fourth. The UWW men's combination of
Brad Heller (Brookfield, WI/East),
Cole Worrall (Rhinelander, WI/),
Chris Kalies (Grafton, Wis./Grafton) and
Kobe Chandler (Beloit, WI/Memorial) were clocked in 3:24.30. The Warhawk women's squad of
Abby Giese (Kenosha, Wis./Indian Trail),
Lily Cooper (Elkhorn, Wis./Elkhorn),
Katie McNamara (Geneva, Ill./Geneva) and Bilodeau crossed the line in 4:02.95.
Final Men's Team Scores: UWL 242.5, UWO 161, UWEC 85, UWW 73, UWS 48.5, UWSP 23, UWP 20, UWRF 9
Final Women's Team Scores: UWL 281.5, UWO 94, UWEC 90, UWS 73, UWW 62, UWSP 32.5, UWP 19, UWRF 11
At the conclusion of the meet, the 2024 WIAC All-Sportsmanship Team and WIAC Scholar-Athletes were announced.
Ben Bojar (Pewaukee, Wis./Pewaukee) and
Lily Cooper (Elkhorn, Wis./Elkhorn) represented UW-Whitewater on the All-Sportsmanship Teams.
Justin Krause (Ixonia, Wis./Pewaukee) was named the Max Sparger Scholar-Athlete. A full story on Krause and the Scholar-Athlete Award will be announced early next week.
Additional individual awards/honors from the 2024 WIAC Indoor Championships will be announced at a later date.
DAY ONE RECAP
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's and women's track and field teams opened the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Indoor Championships Friday in Kachel Fieldhouse. The Warhawks registered a pair of golds to bolster the first day of competition.
Christian Patzka (Black Earth, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) paced UWW with a top time in the mile. His personal best clocking of 4:09.00 won the event by over two seconds. Teammate
Justin Krause (Ixonia, Wis./Pewaukee) joined Patzka on the podium with an eighth-place finish in the event. The Warhawk women added a gold in the final event of the day.
Paige Fassbender (Slinger, Wis./Slinger) led off the crew that included
Brynn Fuerstenberg (New Berlin, Wis./Eisenhower) and
Katie Erb (Winnebago, Ill./Winnebago) with
Ari De La Cerda (Milwaukee, Wis./Pewaukee) anchoring. The combination got an early lead and coasted to a first-place finish crossing the line in 12:18.21.
The UWW men's distance medley relay recorded a time of 10:10.36 to finish as the runner-up in the event. The Warhawks squad featured
Craig Hundley (Grayslake, IL/North),
Brad Heller (Brookfield, WI/East) and
Rhett Reuter (Darlington, Wis./Darlington) with
Gunner Schlender (Brillion, Wis./Brillion) anchoring the group.
UW-Whitewater registered numerous podium finishes over the course of the day. In the women's pole vault,
Gracie Holland (Marshfield, Wis./Marshfield) was fourth with a height of 3.77 meters (12-4.5).
Shelvin Garrett II (Beloit, Wis./Memorial) added fifth-place points to the team total in the long jump with a leap of 7.06 meters (23-2).
In the men's 400,
Kobe Chandler (Beloit, WI/Memorial) stopped the clock in 49.75 to finish fifth - less than a second difference separated first through ninth in the event. On the women's side,
Hannah Bilodeau (Machesney Park, IL/Harlem) picked up a personal best to add sixth-place points to the team total with a time of 58.91. De La Cerda was clocked in 5:07.27 to claim seventh in the women's mile.
Team Scores After Day One
Men's: UWL (112), UWO (51), UWEC (45), UWW (27), UWS (20), UWSP (13), UWP (3), UWRF (2)
Women's: UWL (137.5), UWEC (39), UWO (39), UWS (37), UWSP (21.5), UWW (20), UWRF (10), UWP (8)
The 2024 WIAC Indoor Championships will resume at 10 a.m. Saturday. The final event of the championship, the 4x400 relay, is slated to begin at 5 p.m. followed immediately by the awards ceremony.
