Seven Pioneers earn All-Region honors from USTFCCCA

Platteville, Wis.- Seven members of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville outdoor track and field program earned NCAA Division III All-Region outdoor honors from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

Senior Brianna Leahy, senior Gwen Orr and freshman Brenna Noon picked up the honors from the women's program. Junior Justin Eichler, senior Alex Girard, freshman Will Lawrence and junior Cade VanHout were honored from the men's team. 

Leahy became the first female in Pioneer history to claim a national title in the shot put at the 2022 NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships in May. Leahy won the event with a top toss of 15.60 meters (51' 2.25"). The mark broke her previous school record of 15.34 meters (50' 4"). Leahy earned All-American and All-Region honors with a second-place finish at the 2022 NCAA Division III Indoor Championships. 

Noon joined Leahy on the podium in the shot put at the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Championships with a seventh-place finish earning All-American honors. Leahy and Noon are the first two All-Americans in Pioneer history in the shot put. Noon tossed a personal best 14.31 meters (46' 11.5") at the event.

Orr is a two-time selection, earning All-Region honors in both the 100- and 200-meter dash. Orr is the first Pioneer woman to win the 100- and 200-meter dashes at the WIAC Outdoor Championships. She holds both the 100- and 200-meter dash school records for outdoor track and the 60- and 200-meter dash indoor records. 

Girard used a last chance qualifying meet to earn a trip to the 2022 NCAA Division III Outdoor Championship. He threw a personal best 52.83 meters (173' 4") at the Augustana College Twilight Qualifier on May 19 to jump into the top 20 and qualify for the national meet. Girard kept the momentum going at nationals to finish sixth and earn All-American honors in the discus.

In his first season throwing the javelin, Lawrence improved each week with new personal bests before finishing the year off with a WIAC title, a school record and a runner-up finish at the national meet, earning All-American honors. Lawrence's first throw at the national meet of 66.03 meters (216' 7") broke the school record.

Eichler finished fifth at the 2022 NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships in the hammer throw, earning All-American honors after winning the WIAC Outdoor Championship. 

VanHout is a two-time selection, earning honors in the 100- and 200-meter dash. VanHout finished runner up in the WIAC Outdoor Championships to eventual 100-meter dash NCAA Division III National Champion Sam Blaskowski of UW-La Crosse in both the 100- and 200-meter. He holds the school record in the 100-meter dash and has the second best time in school history in the 200-meter dash.