Pioneer track and field teams prepare for WIAC Championships

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – A total of 62 Pioneer track and field athletes will travel to UW-Oshkosh Friday and Saturday for the 2014 WIAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Multiple athletes and relay teams have solid chances of returning from the meet with the title of "WIAC Champion."

Men's Preview

Ian LaMere is the lone Pioneer that has had the top WIAC performance in an event thus far this season, as his school-record performance in the 10,000-meter run last weekend has him ranked first in the conference. Matt Smaga has the ninth-best time in the WIAC, and the Pioneers will enter five runners in the event this weekend.

LaMere is also ranked fifth in the 5,000-meter run.

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's team will have its largest contingency in the javelin throw, as eight athletes will compete. Dan Poh, T.J. Valley, Garrett Riggs and Evan Buck are ranked second, third, fifth and seventh, respectively, in the event, and are all within nine meters of the top competitor.

Caleb Mertens will be looking to have a big day for the Pioneers, as he is ranked fifth in the 100-meter dash, just half a second off the leader, and he has the eighth-best time in the 200-meter dash, just one second off the top time.

Three Pioneer athletes rank in the top 10 of the 110-meter hurdles, as Valley (second), Austin Lloyd (fourth) and Patrick Kessenich (tenth) all have good chance of winning or placing in this weekend's meet. Kessenich is also ranked third in the 400-meter hurdles, and is just 0.9 seconds off the top time.

In the 800-meters, Adam Lange, ranked sixth, and Jason Henkins, ranked ninth, are dark horses to place in the top three, and at the very least will earn the Pioneers valuable team points.

Jared Bradfish and Matt Dwyer are ranked fifth and sixth, respectively, in the pole vault. Bradfish broke the Pioneer indoor record in the event in February, and a mark similar to his 16-feet-2.75-inches clearance would put him close to a WIAC championship.

As for the relay teams, the members of which will be decided at the time of the meet, the Pioneers have chances to bring home multiple titles.

The 4x800-meter relay is top-ranked in the WIAC, and the 4x100-meter relay is ranked fourth, just 0.6 seconds off the best time. A potential sleeper relay lies in the 4x400, as the Pioneers, who are ranked seventh, will look to make a splash in that event.

Women's Preview

The Pioneer women's outdoor team's strength is the same as it was during the indoor season – the high jump. UW-Platteville will be sending four athletes to compete in the event this weekend, as Alyssa Iserman is ranked second, Amber Williams is ranked third and Caitlin Thomson is ranked fourth in the WIAC. All three competitors are within 0.05 meters of the top clearance.

Williams will have a busy weekend, as she will compete in the triple jump (ranked second), the long jump (ranked fourth) and as a part of the fifth-ranked 4x100-meter relay team. Last week, Williams broke the UW-Platteville record in the triple jump with a 38-03.25 bound.

The women's team will have four athletes in the javelin throw, as 2013 national qualifier Emily Kjos leads the way. Kjos has the second-best throw in the WIAC and is just less than two meters off the top throw.

Kiera Depies and Chelsey Heiden will represent the Pioneers in the two distance runs of the weekend. Depies has the seventh-best time in the 5,000-meter run and the ninth-best in the 10,000-meter run, while Heiden is ranked eighth in the 5,000-meter and fourth in the 10,000-meter.

In the heptathlon, Stephanie Wyss and Mary-Katherine Kladar will be the Pioneer representatives, ranked fifth and seventh, respectively.

Lynea Axelson, ranked 10th in the 800, Kelsey Reed, ranked 15th in the 400 and Thomson, ranked 14th in the 100-meter hurdles, all have chances to add valuable team points in their events to aid the Pioneers' effort.

The WIAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships begin Friday at 10 a.m.