Under the lights at the Rex Foster Twilight invitational, competitors acted as though it was an early-season test that brought together regional programs rather than team scoring. However, the race was still governed by NCAA rules.
Hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, the unscored meet emphasized individual performance, giving athletes a chance to chase marks, experiment across events and build momentum early in the spring season.
The meet featured a strong sprint presence from Whitewater, particularly on the women’s side, where the Warhawks filled much of the top results sheet. Sophomore Cici Stennett led the way in the 100-meter dash, posting the winning time of 12.19 seconds, while teammate Zari Dorris, a sophomore, followed close behind, finishing second.
(Charlie Clark)
That success carried into the 200m, where sophomore Kelly Huerta posted a winning time of 24.69, adding another top finish for the Warhawks. Whitewater’s sprint group continued to show depth beyond the top spots, reinforcing its presence across short distance events.
On the men’s side, the 200m stood out as one of the more complete performances of the day. Senior Chris Kalies led a sweep of the top three spots with a time of 21.58, followed by junior Ben Bojar at 22.37 and freshman Traysen Thomason at 22.67. Freshman Ayodele Bateye added a fourth-place finish in the 100-meters at 10.86.
The hurdles added another layer for the Warhawks. Freshman Kaiden Porep finished second in the 110 hurdles finals with a time of 15.43 while junior Tristan Ropiak followed in third at 16.17, giving Whitewater two podium finishes in the event.
Relay events continued that momentum. The women’s 4×400-relay team of junior Brinley Everson, senior Emma Shingledecker, and freshmen Lily Watson and Addi Kowalewski finished first with a time of 4:43.37. On the men’s side, the A-relay team of senior Drew Davey, sophomore Matt Andreano, freshman James Belus and junior Josh Anhalt matched that result, winning in 3 minutes, 31.07 seconds.
In the distance events, the Warhawks added steady performances across multiple races. Davey placed third in the 1500m with a time of 4:06.21, while junior Keegan Bratt finished second in the 3000m steeplechase at 9:22.30, a mark that ranks among the top in Division III this season. In the 800m, Andreano and freshman Ryan Van Dam finished seventh and eighth, both just over the two-minute mark.
For the women, Everson placed second in the 800m with a time of 2:26.86, while senior Katie Erb captured second in the 1500m at 4:47.06. Sophomore Brielle Scoles added a fifth-place finish in the 3000-meter race.
As for field events, junior Ryleigh Czarnecki led the way with three top five finishes. Winning the hammer throw, followed by a fourth-place finish in discus and fifth-place finish in shot put. Additionally, freshman Mykenna Gray finished in third-place for discus.
For the men, freshman Connor Fontaine placed second in the discus and freshman Landon Scray finished second in javelin.
The jumps rounded out the overall performances, with senior Brynn Fuerstenberg winning the high jump at 1.57m, senior Carleen Snow taking first in the pole vault at 3.32m and junior Emily Mohs taking over the triple jump. The men had freshman Daniel Nickel winning the high jump at 2.01m, and juniors Jackson Koppen and Connor Anderson adding third place finishes in the long jump and triple jump, respectively.
Whitewater track and field will be back in action at the UW-Platteville Invitational April 10-11.
