Track and field teams begin indoor year with UW-Platteville Open

Written by Colten Bartholomew, UW-Platteville Sports Information Intern

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville track and field teams kicked off their indoor season Saturday with the UW-Platteville Open.

The Pioneer women's team took first place in six events at Williams Fieldhouse.

Mary Katherine Kladar and Chelsea Delzer took first and second, respectively, in the 800-meter run, as Kladar posted a time of 2:30.64 and Delzer was just a second behind.

Lynea Axelson edged out a win in the 1,000-meter run, crossing the finish line just four-tenths of a second ahead of St. Ambrose's Nicole Woodall.

The Pioneers went 1-2-3 in the mile run, as Meleana Bennin (5:35.54) took first, Kiera Depies (5:37.97) claimed second and Olivia Bukowski (5:48.27) came in third.

Chelsey Heiden dominated in the 5,000-meter run, finishing in 19:09.87, more than a mintue and a half ahead of her closest competitor.

The 4x200-meter relay squad of Carly Willman, Jessica Jentz, Megan Rouer and Kelsey Reed took first place with a time of 1:51.7

Caitlin Thomson claimed first in the high jump after clearing 1.63 meters (5 feet, 4.25 inches).

The men's team had seven champions and three runners-up on the day as well.

Mitchell Dowell finished second in both the 60-meter dash and the 200-meter dash, with times of 7.10 seconds and 23.23 seconds, respectively.

Patrick Kessenich claimed the top spot in the 400-meter dash with a time of 51.53.

A time of 2:03.58 in the 800-meter run was good for a second place finish for Cody Rudie.

In the 1,000-meter run, Jason Henkins (2:33.40) and Benjamin Rhode (2:39.77) took first and second, respectively.

Joel Walden's 4:29.98 in the mile run was good for a first-place finish.

The 4x400-meter relay team of Tim Laursen, Greg Stribling, Brad Jurewicz and Rudietook first with a time of 3:30.13.

Matt Brendemihl took first in both the long jump and thetriple jump for the Pioneers, finishing with a 6.53-meter leap in the long jump and a 13.28-meter bound in the triple jump.

Kyle Whaley claimed first in the weight throw with a toss of 13.37 meters and took second in the shot put after a thow of 15.09 meters.

The track and field teams next competition is Jan. 25 at Williams Fieldhouse for the UW-Eau Claire/UW-Stevens Point Triangular. Action begins at noon.