UW-Whitewater men’s and women’s track and field teams competed in their first conference meet of the season Friday.
The men placed first with 214 points and the women finished second with 145 points.
On the men’s side, first-place finishes included: senior Luke Buchholz in the high jump; Mike Judd in the 60-meter hurdles; the 4×400 meter relay consisting of Brian Martinezdelacotera, Matt
Mikesell, Pete Schroder and Tim Prelletz; Dave Kuczynski in the 60-meter dash; and the 4×200 meter relay team consisting of Dylan Crafton, Zac Moeller, Luke Wenham, and Nick Bee.
Junior Pete Schroder led the 400-meter with a time of 50.70 and was he was followed by five teammates: Martinezdelacotera, Prelletz, Mikeselll, Jared Denu, and Kevin Gorman, filling six out of the eight placing spots.
Sophomore Nick Bee placed second in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.51.
“We all responded well, just focusing on the basics and improving our endurance,” Bee said. “Our biggest goal is to knock off UW-Oshkosh and UW-Lacrosse and I believe we have a chance to do it.”
The women placed second finishing ahead of UW-Lacrosse and UW-Stevens Point.
In the long jump, Lexie Sondgeroth finished first and Kelsey Johns placed third. Sondgeroth also placed first in the 200-meter dash with a time of 26.00 followed closely by Beth Dreikosen with a time of 26.64. Alyssa Duncan finished first in the 3,000-meter run.
Other first place finishes included two by junior Shelby Demos in the high jump and 60-meter hurdles.
“What we did this week was great,” Demos said. “I am really excited about next week to see how we do.”
More top finishes included junior Loryn Kressin placing second in the pole vault and freshman Amanda Brom placing second in the 800-meter run.
Both teams expect to do great things this year and Coach Michael Johnson believes that his team has what it takes to do well in the conference championships.
“UW-Lacrosse and UW-Oshkosh are always our biggest competitors,” Johnson said. “We are in good position, just stay healthy and we will match up well.”
