The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men’s track and field team had an up-and-down indoor season, showing signs of growth in numerous events, specifically high and horizontal jumps, but were riddled with injuries and setbacks to their key point scorers.

Of those setbacks, perhaps the biggest one was junior sprinter Caleb Beightol, one of the few returning All-Americans for the Warhawks. Beightol pulled his hamstring during the conference meet at UW-Platteville and was seeded fifth in the nation at the time, bound to repeat as an All-American.

Beightol, however, does not view these injuries as a burden, but sees it as an opportunity to test mental fortitude.

“With everyone getting these injuries, it gives a chance to really recover well and get fully healthy for the outdoor season,” Beightol said.

Beightol was not the only national qualifier for this Warhawks team to battle setbacks. Senior Dan Anderson, the Warhawks’ best distance runner, was battling an illness heading into nationals and had to pull out of his race midway through the first day. The only Warhawk to compete in indoor nationals was sophomore Sam Vargas, who finished eighth in the country in the 60-meter dash and secured his third All-American honor in two years.

Vargas and Beightol ran on the same 4×100 relay squad last season, a team that earned All-American honors, and are seeking to do it again.

“Our 4×100 meter squad had a disappointing end last year,” Beightol said. “We want to come back this year and win the whole thing.”

Alongside high expectations for the relay squad, Beightol has high expectations for his own individual 100-meter time, as he was an All-American last season and has a chance to place much higher.

“I want to get back to where I was last year as an individual All-American in the 100 meter, and as one of the fastest returning athletes in the event, my goal is to win it,” Beightol said.

It wasn’t only the runners who faced setbacks throughout the indoor slate. Numerous jumpers faced illness and injury and are working to be at full strength when the outdoor season arrives.

“In jumps, Connor Anderson, Lincoln Begin, Max Wallace and Aiden Neduzak are all going to be big point scorers for us every week,” Beightol said. “We also have three freshmen high jumpers that all were on the podium at conference and I think can do it again outdoors.”

Anderson, Begin, Wallace and Neduzak all were forced to sit out of meets at some point due to an illness or injury.

Vargas echoed Beightol’s message of this team having big point scorers and high expectations for outdoors, especially with the coaching regimen in play.

“We have a bunch of guys that were close to the national qualifying marks indoors and our coaches do a great job at peaking us for outdoor,” Vargas said.

Transitioning from indoors to outdoors does not only require the Warhawks to battle recovery, it adds an entirely new element to the sport: weather.

Whether it’s running into a strong headwind on the final stretch of a distance race or jumping on a wet track, outdoor track and field brings a new challenge to a sport that is already among the most physically demanding.

However, Beightol believes that weather is something this Whitewater team embraces, and their ability to acclimate gives them an advantage over the field.

“I think our team’s strength is our resistance to the weather. Typically, in meets with bad weather, times slow down and performances get worse,” Beightol said. “However, we don’t really falter that much. Our team is conditioned well for the bad weather, so when other teams struggle, we usually rise to the occasion.”

Another new addition when squads transition from indoor to outdoor is the steeplechase event, a distance event that covers over 3,000 meters and includes hurdle jumps and water jumps. Christian Patzka, a former Warhawk who has now graduated, was one of the best steeplechase runners in Division III track history, placing as a four-time All-American in the event. With Patzka’s exit, it remains a question who will take his spot in the event and hope to repeat his legacy as a national powerhouse.

The Warhawks will begin their outdoor season March 27 at the UW-Platteville Open.