The UW-Whitewater women’s track and field team marked the end of their indoor season at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in Rochester, New York. With the Warhawks finishing 56th at the national meet, attention quickly turned to the transition to the outdoor season.
The Warhawks started their indoor season at the Firebird First Invitational in Carthage College, placing second out of seven schools at the meet. They built on the momentum with back-to-back home meets, taking first at the Karl Schlender Invitational and second at the Squig Converse. Their success continued with another first-place finish at the Big Dawg Invite hosted by UW-Stevens Point, followed by a third-place finish at the Midwest Elite Invitational. The Warhawks wrapped up the indoor season with a sixth-place finish at the Eagle Invitational and a fifth-place result at the WIAC Indoor Championships before heading to nationals.
“I feel the way I improved most my indoor was by trusting my training and my coaches,” freshman sprinter Dakota Mitchell said. “Having a lot of positive energy from my teammates helped me tremendously.”
At the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships, several Warhawks put forth strong performances on the national stage. Senior Gracie Holland placed sixth in the pole vault, earning All-American honors. Senior Kenni Czarnecki placed 14th in shot put, Mitchell placed 16th in the 60 meter dash, and senior Ari De La Cerda placed 19th in the 5,000 meter run.
“We competed well, and I’m proud of our kids,” Johnson said. “The outcome wasn’t what we were looking for, but the kids went after it and that’s all it matters.”
With indoor season in the books, the Warhawks quickly switched focus to the outdoor season, which presents its own set of challenges, from different weather conditions to a new slate of events. The transition from indoor to outdoor requires adjustments in training, as athletes must adapt to competing in varying elements such as the weather. The team doesn’t get much time to adjust, as the outdoor season gets underway just two weeks after the conclusion of the indoor championships.
The team starts the outdoor season at the Gramarosso Invitational hosted by North Central March 28-29. The Warhawks’ first two home meets include that April 4 Rex Foster Twilight. Then they will travel to UW-Platteville to participate in the UW-Platteville Invitational on April 11-12. On April 17-18, Whitewater will travel to Augustana for the Meet of Champions. The Warhawks will then host their final home meet of the season for the Drake Alternative Meet. The WIAC Outdoor Championships will be May 2-3 followed by the NCAA Outdoor Championships on May 22-24.
“I’m most looking forward to building on the momentum we had with indoors,” Johnson said. “And carrying that through to a stronger finish with the outdoor season.”
