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Steeplechase? 5000 meters?

It doesn't matter: Christian Patzka (Black Earth, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) makes history.

Patzka ripped through 5000 meters at the Gary Wilson Invitational in 13:51.23 to move up to No. 2 on the all-time divisional chart behind Alex Phillip's record of 13:47.41. He had previously been ninth all-time before setting an outright PR by 0.70 seconds (Patzka ran 13:51.93 indoors).

There is a logjam at the top of the all-time list with Patzka, Dhruvil Patel and Spencer Moon all separated by just 0.42 seconds from second to fourth. Patel ran his 13:41.50 back in 2019, while Moon added his 13:51.65 marker to the ledger earlier this month.

Patzka isn't a stranger to history this year. He went 8:43.98 in the steeplechase at the Bryan Clay Invitational for the fifth fastest performance in NCAA DIII history. He was already the second fastest man in divisional annals with his 8:42.46 clocking to win the NCAA title last year (That stood as the NCAA DIII record for all of one week until Christopher Collet covered the distance and cleared the barriers in 8:38.46).

This is the second time in program history that a male athlete from UW-Whitewater has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season. Patzka joins Parker Witt, who was honored on May 9, 2017, in that regard.