The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater track and field program is entering the 2025-26 season with a renewed sense of urgency and a hunger for excellence. Two athletes at the heart of that momentum, senior short sprint standout Danielle Pouska and junior short sprinter and long jump standout Caleb Beightol offered a glimpse into the mindset powering the Warhawks. Their preseason experiences reveal a team that is grounded in discipline and driven by a shared belief that this season has the potential to be special.
For both athletes, the annual team quadrathlon served as the moment that confirmed they were ready for the season ahead. The four-event test made to sharpen competitive instincts after a long preseason provided an early measure of confidence. For Pouska, the quadrathlon is always the spark that flips the switch. She admitted the event brings back the familiar nerves she associates with race day, the kind that tells her she is locked in.
“Every year our team competes in a quadrathlon, and it’s usually the first event where I feel like I get into the competitive mindset,” Pouska said. “Once it’s done, I’m ready for the season and itching to compete again.”
Beightol agreed, calling the quadrathlon the first “real competition” of the year and the moment he felt his excitement start to match his expectations. With one of the program’s longest preseasons finally in the rearview, he said the event made the entire team eager for what’s coming next.
As the season approaches, both athletes hope their performances speak for themselves, though in different ways. Pouska wants observers to see the joy behind her work. Entering her final collegiate season she is embracing what she calls a “have fun and soak it in” mindset.
“I hope people recognize that I’m emphasizing having fun and embracing every moment this season,” Pouska said. “I want to leave everything on the track and take in every moment with my teammates.”
Beightol’s message, meanwhile, centers on commitment. He hopes fans and teammates notice the level of dedication he has poured into his training.
“I want people to see how dedicated I’ve been,” Beightol said. “I want that to be an example to others that they can get similar results if they put in the time and effort.”
While both athletes enter the season with clarity, they also arrive with ambitious goals. Pouska is chasing health first, as she is determined to maintain consistency long enough to break major performance barriers. She aims to dip under 12 seconds in the 100-meter dash, break 25 seconds in the 200, and clear 1.60 meters in the high jump.
“If staying healthy goes well, then my goal is to set new PRs,” Pouska said. “I’m close to some big barriers in almost all my events.”
Beightol’s targets are even loftier. He is eyeing national titles. After an indoor nationals disappointment and an eighth place finish outdoors last year, Beightol has returned with sharpened focus.
“My goals are to win the national championship in the 60-meter, 100-meter and the 4×100-meter relay,” Beightol said. “I’m really motivated to get back and have an even better year.”
Both athletes also understand the mental resilience required to compete at a high level. Pouska leans on the power of showing up knowing difficult training days ultimately produce strong race days. She credits her teammates for carrying her through low energy moments and keeping the sport enjoyable. Beightol finds motivation in remembering the feeling of success, “proof” he says, that grueling workouts are worth it. “Remembering those moments makes even the hardest days enjoyable,” Beightol said.
When it comes to adrenaline, the two athletes again converge in experience. Pouska feels the rush peak just before she settles into the blocks or stands on deck for high jump, her mind swirling with “what ifs” before she forces herself to take a calming breath. Beightol describes the moments before a sprint start as the “calm before the storm,” when excitement reaches its highest point and mental clarity takes over.
Both also made key adjustments to their routines this year. Pouska has focused on positive self-talk and finding joy rather than obsessing over errors. Beightol, now living off campus, has taken control of his nutrition by cooking his own meals, an upgrade he says has improved his energy and recovery dramatically.
And in a lighter moment, both athletes named their ideal walk up songs, which perfectly reflect the kind of competitors they are. Pouska chose Britney Spears’ “I Wanna Go,” a song she says makes her want to smile, dance, and sprint all at once. Beightol picked Nas’s “Ether,” a fierce, high energy track he uses to fuel the mentality every sprinter needs, an unwavering belief that they’ll succeed.
“If you walk onto the track and don’t think you can win, there’s no point in stepping on,” Beightol said.
If the Warhawks needed a preview of their team’s heartbeat heading into the season, Pouska and Beightol have provided it with joy, grit and ambition. And if their words are any indication, Warhawk track and field is ready to make noise on every runway, in every lane and at every championship meet ahead.
