Birmingham, Ala. -- The UW-Whitewater men's track and field team opened competition in the 2026 NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships Friday. 

Sam Vargas (Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead) ran his fastest time in the 60 to grab the final qualifying spot. With his clocking of 6.72, Vargas advances to the finals in the event scheduled for Saturday morning. Teammate Caleb Beightol (Belgium, Wis./Cedar Grove-Belgium) qualified for the championships but did not run Friday.

Vargas had a few hours to recover before heading back to the track for the 200. In the 200, Vargas set a new personal best at 21.56, breaking his own record by 0.3 seconds. The time was also a new best in Warhawk program history. Vargas finished 12th overall in the event. 

Dan Anderson (Eau Claire, Wis./McDonell) represented the Warhawk distance squad in the 5,000 Friday. Coming off an illness, Anderson competed for the first 1600m before deciding to pull out of the race.