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 Alex Wittmershaus, Lars Hay, Jarod Baker, and Evan Krug.

Alex Wittmershaus

Wittmershaus in a senior from Menomonie, Wisconsin. He will be finalizing his degree in environmental engineering and environmental sciences. During his track and field seasons, Wittmershaus focused on the 800-meter. At the 2019 WIAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships hosted at UW-Platteville, Wittmershaus ran his lifetime best in the 800-meter, clocking a time of 1:55.76. Some of his favorite memories from track and field season include traveling to Washington University to compete, but also experiencing the St. Louis Arch with all of his friends. After graduation, Wittmershaus will pursue a master's degree in civil engineering with an emphasis in water resources engineering.

Lars Hay

Majoring in industrial engineering and minoring in mathematics and statistics, Hay came to UW-Platteville from Schaumburg, Illinois. Hay has competed on the Pioneer cross country and track and field teams during his years at UW-Platteville. Hay ran a lifetime best time of 27:04.7 at the NCAA DIII Midwest Region Cross Country Championships. During the 2019 indoor and outdoor track and field season, Hay saw four lifetime best times in events ranging from the 800-meter to the 5,000-meter run. One of his favorite memories from the track and field season is running at Washington University under the lights. Following graduation, Hay will begin working at Plexus in Neenah, Wisconsin as a quality engineer.

Jarod Baker

Baker, a senior from Woodstock, Illinois, is putting the finishing touches on his degree in forensic investigation with a minor in criminal justice. Baker competed in cross country as well as track and field for the Pioneers. He ran a lifetime best cross country 8,000-meter race at the Blugold Invitational in 2018, running 27:27.2. At the 2019 Ashton May Invitational, Baker ran a lifetime best in the 1,500-meter finishing in 4:16.84. Baker plans on pursuing an occupation in policing after graduation from UW-Platteville.  

Evan Krug

Krug is closing in on the final chapter of his UW-Platteville career. A senior from Green Bay, Wisconsin, Krug is majoring in software engineering with a minor in mathematics. Krug ran cross country and the long distance events during the track and field season. In the 2019 cross country season, Krug ran a lifetime best of 27:09.1 in the 8,000-meter Blugold Invitational. He continued to see lifetime best times during the 2020 indoor track and field season in the 5,000-meter and 3,000-meter runs. Krug ran 16:15.91 in the 5,000-meter run to qualify to the WIAC Indoor Championships and at the Spartan Invitational, Krug ran 9:22.06 in the 3,000-meter to top off his track and field career.

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 in the aftermath. Alex, Lars, Jarod, and Evan, you are through and through Pioneers. With much gratitude, we send you off and welcome you into the elite club of Pioneer Alumni.