Pioneer track and field brings the action to Williams Fieldhouse

Platteville, Wis. - The Pioneer track and field team hosted the Pioneer Open on Saturday, Feb. 1 at Williams Fieldhouse. Teams in attendance included Clarke University, University of Dubuque, Edgewood College, Lakeland College, St. Ambrose University, Milwaukee School of Engineering, and Wisconsin Lutheran. The Pioneers also traveled four athletes to compete in the pentathlon and heptathlon at the Leonard "Squig" Converse Invitational at UW-Whitewater. 

Hurdles

Senior Charlie Gifford continued to do what he does best, the 60-meter hurdles. Gifford won the event in 8.28 seconds. Gifford also took second in the 200-meter dash with a time of 23.11 seconds. Teammate Cole Stugelmeyer took third place with a time of 8.75. In the women's 60m hurdles, junior Casey Rielly ran a huge personal best time of 9.81 seconds to take second place.

Sprints

Gwen Orr continued to improve in the 60-meter dash as well as the 200m. In the finals of the 60m, Orr ran a personal best time of 7.97 seconds for second place. Orr took second in the 200m dash with a time of 26.21. Haley Ott saw a personal best time in the 60m as well, running 8.20 in the 60m preliminary race. Junior Katie Schilling opened her season running a personal best in the 400-meter of 1:00.31.

As for the men's sprints, freshman Dane Adams ran a personal best time of 7.36 to qualifiy to the finals of the 60m dash. Senior Ryan Swanson ran a season best of 7.34 in the 60m. Three Pioneers finished in the top three of the 400-meter dash. Senior Paul Rapp won the events with 50.59 seconds, Jacob Downing took second with 51.03, and Zach Frei finished in thrid with 51.29. 

Middle Distance and Long Distance

The 800-meter men's race was won by freshman William Carlson with a time of 2:03.31. Teammate Colton Johnson took second with a time of 2:05.20.

Junior Brenna Kautz took third in the women's 3,000-meter race with a personal best time of 11:24.24. Teammate Anna Drazkowski also saw a big personal best in the 3,000m. Drazkowski ran 11.50.67 to take sixth place. Caitlyn Ifft won the women's mile race with a time of 5:34.46. 

In the men's 3,000m race, Jason Voelker took second place with a perosnal best time of 9:40.56. Ben Trihey took second place as well, running a personal best time of 4:28.90 in the men's mile race. 

Jumps

In the women's high jump, Lexie Stevens and Elaina Sirois jumped 1.47m (4-9.75). For Sirois, she established a new personal best with that mark - as did freshman Madelyn Young who jumped 1.42m (4-7.75). Noah Steiner won the men's high jump, clearing 2.07m (6-9.5). Bryce Bierman and Dalton Balcome cleared 1.87m (6-1.5). 

Adam Wildman took home second place in the men's long jump, jumping 6.46m (21-2.5). Teammate Owen Miller jumped 6.09m (19-11.75) for seventh place. In the women's triple jump, freshman Kelli Schneider reached a new personal best mark of 10.40m (34-1.5). Damani White jumped 13.28m (43-7) in the men's triple jump for second place.

Jordan Meciej earned a personal best mark in the women's pole vault to win the event. Meciej cleared 3.35m (10-11.75). In the men's pole vault, Jacob Erickson took third place with a clearance of 4.14m (13-7), a personal best mark. 

Throws

Throwing for second place in the men's shot put, Cole Eastlick threw 14.98m (49-1.75). Four more Pioneers finished within the top eight in the men's shot put event, including Tyler Bacon, Alex Girard, Justin Eichler, and Alexander Walechka. In the women's shot put, Brianna Hall took fourth place with a throw of 12.80m (42-00) and Rachel Beuthin took fifth place with a mark of 12.78m (41-11.25). 

In men's weight throw, four Pioneers made it into the finals. Walechka took second place with a personal best mark of 17.05m (55-11.25). Girard took fourth with 16.53m (54-2.75). Sophomore Ben Veverka took fifth with a personal best mark 16.17m (53-0.75) and Eastlick also threw a personal best mark of 15.89m (52-1.75) for sixth place. 

4x400-Meter Relay

The women's 4x400m relay consisting of Jessica Buss, Haley Ott, Kirstie Ramsey, and Johanna Meister ran 4:18.02 to win the event. The men's relay consisting of Jacob Downing, Sean Komro, Braden Meyers, and William Carlson won the event with a time of 3:32.37

The Pioneers will travel to Ripon College to compete at the Red Hawk Invitational on Feb. 8.