Pioneers Compete in Day One of the WIAC Championships
STEVENS POINT, Wis.— University of Wisconsin-Platteville Pioneers competed in the first day of the WIAC Track and Field Championships. The men’s team competed at the beginning of the day followed by the women’s team tonight.
Written by: Eileen McGuine, UW-Platteville Athletics
STEVENS POINT, Wis.— University of Wisconsin-Platteville Pioneers competed in the first day of the WIAC Track and Field Championships. The men's team competed at the beginning of the day followed by the women's team tonight.
Chas Spangenberg, a senior from Appleton, Wis., finished third place in the pole vault with a jump of 15 feet 3.75 inches.
In the men's 5,000 meter run, Ian LaMere, a freshman from Green Bay, Wis., finished in 3rd place, running a time of 14:31.04. Sam Poser, a sophomore from Brookfield, Wis., finished 6th with a time of 14:47.34.
Rounding out the men's event finals of the day was the distance medley relay. Michael Peterson, a freshman from Nekoosa Wis., led in the 1200 meter portion followed by Patrick Kessenich who ran the 400 meter portion; Darren Hudziak, a freshman from Wild Rose, Wis., ran the 800 meter portion, followed by anchor Matt Kocak, a sophomore from Jackson, Minn., who had gotten the baton in fourth place. Kocak, who ran the mile, rounded the last corner behind UW-Oshkosh, passing their anchor at the line to finish third with in a time of 10:14.23.
The women's high jump saw two Pioneers scoring points. Caitlin Thomson, a sophomore from Whitenall, Wis., jumped 5 feet 2.5 inches finishing 5th. Stephanie Wyss, a junior from Monroe, Wis., three-way tied for 7th place with JoLyn Owen of UW-Whitewater and Haley Schatzke from UW-Oshkosh with a 5.5 feet jump.
Danielle Kunkel, a junior from Cuba City, Wis., finished third in the 5,000 meter run in a time of 17:41.26.
The women's team finished the night with the women's distance medley relay. Deidre Dillman, a senior from Prairie du Chien, Wis., led the race for the Pioneers running the 1200 meter run. Lynea Axelson, a junior from Oregon, Ill., ran the 400 meter portion of the relay; Teagan Seneczko, a freshman from Hartland, Wis., ran the 800 meter portion followed by anchor Kiera Depies, a freshman from Cedar Groove, Wis., who finished with the mile in a time of 12:36.31 assisting the pioneers to a 4th place finish.
Going into the second day of the WIAC Track and Field Championships many Pioneers qualified in preliminary races for tomorrow's finals.
T.J. Valley, a junior from Prairie du Chien, Wis., and Aaron Laferski, a senior from South Milwaukee, Wis., are seeded 3rd and 4th in the 60 meter hurdles.
After Aaron Hrubes, a senior from Madison, Wis., lost his balance in the lean at the finish of the 60 meter dash and took a tumble, he is seeded first in the 60 meter dash.
Matt Ziegler, a senior from Madison, Wis., is seeded 8th in the 400 meter run.
Hrubes, Jordan Olp, a senior from Reedsville, Wis., and Casey Goffinet, a senior from Platteville, Wis., are seeded 2nd, 5th and 7th in the 200 meter dash.
Dillman ran a 2:14.27 in the preliminary race and is seeded first going into the finals of the 400 meter run.
The men's team is going into tomorrow in 4th place with 22.5 points. The women's team is in 6th place with 16 points.