UW-Platteville track and field recognizes seniors
Platteville, Wis. – On Saturday, February 15 the University of Wisconsin – Platteville track and field team honored its seniors at the UW-Platteville Invitational. Little did the Pioneers know how unique of a treasured celebration that day would be. In light of the track and field season coming to an abrupt, early end, we will continue to highlight the senior class throughout the spring semester. In this week’s edition, we honor cross country and track and field athletes Johanna “JoJo” Meister, Caitlyn Ifft, Anna Drazkowski, Haley Daniels, and Claudia De Valk.
Platteville, Wis. – On Saturday, February 15 the University of Wisconsin – Platteville track and field team honored its seniors at the UW-Platteville Invitational. Little did the Pioneers know how unique of a treasured celebration that day would be. In light of the track and field season coming to an abrupt, early end, we will continue to highlight the senior class throughout the spring semester. In this week's edition, we honor cross country and track and field athletes Johanna "JoJo" Meister, Caitlyn Ifft, Anna Drazkowski, Haley Daniels, and Claudia De Valk.
Johanna Meister
Originating from Darlington, Wisconsin, Meister came to the University of Wisconsin – Platteville to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering and minor in Spanish. It is not uncommon to see her cheering on her teammates before or after her own races. One of her fondest memories of her track and field career happened at the 2019 WIAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships hosted at UW-Platteville. "Going 1 and 2 in the 800-meter and 1500-meter…on our home track with all of my teammates and coaches cheering me on," Meister replied. Meister's name appears five times on the Track and Field Pioneer Top-Ten All-Time List; indoor 800-meter, mile and distance medley relay, and outdoor 800-meter and 1500-meter. Meister qualified to two national NCAA DIII cross country championships, as well as three NCAA DIII track and field championships. At the Wartburg Qualifier this past March, Meister ran her fastest indoor 800-meter race, clocking 2:14.85. She qualified to the historic 2020 NCAA DIII Indoor Championships and represented the Pioneer women's track and field team proudly.
Caitlyn Ifft
Ifft came to the University of Wisconsin – Platteville from Fairbury, Illinois. Ifft is finalizing her double major education in animal science and agribusiness. She is pursuing an animal pharmaceutical sales representative role after completing graduation. Ifft demonstrated perseverance throughout her cross country and track and field career. Ifft's favorite track and field memory is her second place finish with the distance medley relay at the 2019 WIAC Indoor Track and Field Championships, as well as traveling to Boston to watch her teammates compete at the 2019 NCAA DIII Indoor Championships. The distance medley relay Ifft mentioned is seventh on the Top-Ten All-Time List. Ifft ran her fastest indoor mile time at the Wartburg Qualifier, etching 5:20.81 into the books.
Anna Drazkowski
Drazkowski traveled from Menomonie, Wisconsin her freshman year to attend UW-Platteville. She is wrapping up her degree in science education with minors in Spanish, physics, and social and environmental justice. When asked about her favorite track and field memory, Drazkowski treasures all the adventures exploring while cooling down after a meet. Two areas that were especially memorable were the meets at Washington University and UW-La Crosse. This indoor season, Drazkowksi saw three lifetime best races in the 5,000-meter, 3,000-meter, and mile.
Haley Daniels
Originally from Wind Lake, Wisconsin, Daniels is finishing up her undergraduate degree in psychology with a business administration minor at UW-Platteville. After graduation Daniels will be pursuing a masters program concentrating in school psychology. Daniels' favorite memories from track and field season come from her teammates. She explains, "[My favorite track and field memories are] getting to run with the amazing ladies that I am lucky to call my teammates everyday, running through the polar vortex in 2019 and becoming trivia champions this year!" Daniels closed out the indoor season with lifetime best times in the mile, 5,000-meter, and 3,000-meter races.
Claudia De Valk
In 2018, De Valk joined the Pioneers for an unforgettable two years on the cross country and track and field team. She is originally from Kimberly, Wisconsin and is completing her coursework in environmental engineering and mathematics at UW-Platteville. One of De Valk's greatest memories from the track and field season was going to the Washington University track and field meet in 2019, despite the terribly cold and miserable weather. De Valk achieved a lifetime best time in the 6,000-meter cross country race at UW-La Crosse this past season.
The seniors invested in themselves by attending the University of Wisconsin – Platteville. Student-athletes with such determination and passion to succeed have a rich impact on a team. It's hard to predict the impact a college experience can have; it's even harder to communicate in words that same impact it has on student-athletes in the aftermath. Johanna, Caitlyn, Anna, Haley, and Claudia - you are through and through Pioneers. With much gratitude, we send you off and welcome you into the elite club of Pioneer Alumni.