The men’s track and field met their expectations at the WIAC championship last weekend, finishing in third place.

The Warhawks have a couple of “last chance” meets these next couple weeks, and will now have time to prepare for the national championships which will take place May 26-28, in Delaware, Ohio.

Despite expectations of first place, the ’Hawks competed tough both days, ending day one in third and held that spot.

Day one was headlined by the javelin throw of senior Ben Stringer. A throw of 179 was enough to take first place and become the first

UW-Whitewater athlete to ever win a conference title in the javelin.

Freshman Nick Miller made some noise at the meet as he qualified for the NCAA Division III outdoor track and field championship with his 200-meter dash time of 21.68, just .03 seconds away from the new school record. Miller improved his time to 21.66 in the finals on his way to a fifth-place finish.

The second day of the meet provided much more activity as three ’Hawks won their events.

Junior Tim Prelletz won the 400-meter dash while also qualifying for the national championships.

Senior Brian Butzler took first in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 14:59.71, while sophomore Travis Morehouse got into the mix with a first-place finish in the high jump, recording a season best height of 6-9.

The ’Hawks finished the meet with 140 points, well short of La Crosse’s 175 and Oshkosh’s 174. However, this does not mark the end of the season for the ’Hawks.

The team will compete in many upcoming last chance meets in which team members will be given a few more opportunities to qualify for nationals.

The ’Hawks will compete in the upcoming Dr. Keeler Invitational meet at North Central College in Naperville, Ill., Thursday.