By Kyle Weaver

Feb. 10, 2015

The UW-Whitewater track and field teams hit the road to compete in the Pointer Invite on Feb. 6 in Stevens Point wher the men’s team finished first out of seven teams and the women’s side placed second out of eight teams.

After two second-place finishes in a row the men’s team got over the hump to take first place with a narrow 178-174 victory over second-place UW-Stevens Point.

The Warhawks had several athletes win or place in the top three in individual events.

“It was really good as a whole,” sophomore Parker Witt said. “Across the board we had people placing first through third. It is really good to see that this early in the season.”

Witt won the 60-meter dash with a time of 6.91 seconds. Sophomore Robert Starnes and freshman Leonard Carson finished second and third, respectively.

“It’s always a good feeling seeing a lot of your teammates up there in races with you,” Witt said. “Competing with your friends and teammates and seeing them succeed is awesome.”

The Warhawks were also well represented in the jumps.

Starnes placed first in the long jump with a distance of 7.32m. UW-Whitewater placed four of the top five distances in the long jump. Sophomore Cameron Magee won the high jump with a jump of 1.96m. Sophomore Aaron Schwartz won the pole vault with a vault of 4.38m.

Sophomore Brett Harms won the one-mile run with a time of 4:24:98.

Several athletes came up just shy of winning their events. Senior Bryce Rudebeck finished second in the 400-meter dash with a time of 50.32 seconds and fifth in the 200-meter dash. Sophomore Jonah Nelson finished third in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:58:42.

With several events being won by underclassmen, Witt said the team has a lot of potential.

“It’s really cool to see that because it’s a good sign for the future,” Witt said. “We have a really great team and knowing you’re set for a couple years with some good talent.”

In the women’s competition, the team’s success was spread throughout all class levels. Junior Amanda Strupp and freshman Liz Mielke placed first in their events.

“We took second [as a team] which is awesome,” said Strupp. “A lot of people placed in throwing events and running events. We did pretty well.”

Strupp won the weight toss for the second week in a row with a distance of 16.89m.

“I’m happy where I’m at,” said Strupp. “But there’s always room for improvement to go out there and get better as the season goes on.”

Mielke finished first in the 3000-meter run with a time of 11:11:67.

A number of athletes finished in the top five in their respective events. Senior Tyler Henderson finished second in the triple jump while junior Liberty Weiseman finished second in the shot put. Senior Amy Kahl finished second in the 800 meter run and junior Megan Linse finished fourth in the 60-meter hurdles.

With both teams placing near the top the past few weeks, the athletes said it gives them some confidence moving forward.

“It really helps having such a supportive team and everyone has each others back,” Strupp said. “It helps motivate me and others to do better.”

Both teams will continue their season at the WIAC Tri/Quad meet on Feb. 13 in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.