The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's track team opened up the WIAC Track & Field Championships with two record-breaking first-place finishes at UW-Platteville. The Warhawk men sit second after Friday's events with 36 team points.
Christian Patzka (Black Earth, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) posted yet another record-breaking performance in the 3000m Steeplechase. The Junior defended his conference title yet again by running an 8:38.55 in the event. Patzka crushed the Conference Meet record (set by him in 2022) as well as the UW-Platteville facility record by over 30 seconds.
Patzka's time ranks second all-time in NCAA DIII history, only 0.09 seconds off the top mark. Patzka is now a three-time WIAC champion of the 3000m Steeplechase, maintaining his crown from 2022 and 2023.
In the 100m hurdles, the Warhawks had two advance on to the finals tomorrow.
Tamir Thomas (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls) and
Marlon Cystrunk (DeForest, Wis./DeForest) finished 3rd and 5th overall in the prelims, timing in at 14.93 seconds and 14.94 seconds respectively.
Cystrunk also placed on the podium in the Javelin throw. Cystrunk was sitting in 8th place heading into his final throw. Cystrunk jumped up to finish third overall, tossing the javelin 51.34m (168' 5') on last throw.
Kobe Chandler (Beloit, WI/Memorial) qualified for the finals in the 400m dash, finishing the lap in 48.18 seconds.
In the 100m Dash, both
Ben Bojar (Pewaukee, Wis./Pewaukee) and
Andy VanZile (New Berlin, Wis./West) qualified for the finals tomorrow. Bojar timed in at a 10.68, finishing 6th overall in the prelims. VanZile clocked in at 10.77 for 9th overall.
The Warhawk men finished out the night with another record-breaking performance in the 10000m run.
Gunner Schlender (Brillion, Wis./Brillion) timed in at 29:39.62, finishing nearly a minute ahead of his competition. Schlender's run broke an eight-year-old championship and facility record and ranks 11th in NCAA DIII this year. The Warhawks also had
Dan Anderson (Eau Claire, Wis./McDonell) and
Nick Hardin (Greenfield, Wis./Whitnall) score in the top 10 for the event. Anderson finished fourth overall with a time of 30:41.27 with Hardin timing in at 30:45.72 for 6th place. This is the first time in school history the men have had three scorers in the 10000m Run.
The Warhawks will continue the WIAC Championship meet tomorrow. With Thomas, Cystrunk, Chandler, Bojar, and VanZile all competing in their respective finals.
