Feb. 15, 2017

The Warhawk men’s and women’s track and field teams placed second out of six in the UW-Oshkosh Invitational on Feb. 11. It was a strong showing against WIAC rivals.

Despite the second place the second place showing, the finish was deceiving as the UW-La Crosse women’s team scored nearly three times as much as the ’Hawks (261.50-94) followed closely behind by UW-Stevens Point’s 87 point showing.

It was a lot closer on the men’s side as the No. 3 ’Hawks’ 174.50 team score was narrowly edged by UW-SP’s 184 points. UW-Oshkosh was a distant third at 124.50 points.

Both the teams and individuals were successful at the meet. Senior Meredith Porter set a school record in the 400 meter dash with a time of 56.69 seconds. The previous record was 57.27 seconds set by Lexie Sondgeroth in 2015. Porter’s school record also vaulted her up to No. 2 in the Division III national rankings.

Other successful women Warhawks include freshman Abbie Felton and sophomore Celeste Madda. Felton ran the 400 meter dash in 57.33 putting her at No. 6 in the nation for the event. Madda won the 200 meter dash in a time of 25.29 moving her into the top five in the country.

On the men’s side, the throwers had a very successful day. Senior Levi Perry won the weight throw with a distance of 19.3 meters, a personal record. Also, junior Theron Baumann won the shotput with a distance of 17.40 meters, a season long.

Back on the track, the runners dominated as well. Freshman Josh Iraci won the 60 meter dash in a time of 6.90 seconds, a top ten D-III time. The Warhawks claimed the top two spots in the 200 meter dash with junior Parker Witt winning in 22.10 seconds and freshman Jack Schneider taking second nearly two tenths of a second behind.  

The men’s and woman’s throwers will compete in Madison in the Wisconsin Shell Shocker on Feb 17. The rest of the team will return to UW Oshkosh for the Titan Challenge on Feb. 18.

The Warhawks are looking to make a big splash in two weeks at the WIAC indoor track and field championships and carrying that momentum into the outdoor season.

Based on the previous results, the Warhawks track and field teams will be tough teams to beat in the WIAC indoor championships.