Pioneer Track & Field - 2002 Season Review

Posted 5/28/02

Pioneers 6th at nationals

The UW-Platteville men's track and field team recorded its highest point total ever at the NCAA Divison III national championships, placing sixth in the meet, held at Macalester College in St. Paul Thursday through Saturday.

The Pioneers, with all-America performances in four events, scored 26 points. UW-La Crosse won the national championship with 64 points, followed by Calvin with 41, Lincoln 39, UW-Stevens Point 31, Wheaton 29 and UWP 26. Seventy-five schools recorded at least one point.

Ryan Kleimenhagen ended his dominating sophomore season with two more all-America honors. The Oak Creek native also earned all-America honors in cross country and indoor track.

Kleimenhagen broke his own school record in the 800-meter preliminaries, running 1:50.82. He placed third in the finals in 1:52.48 after being ranked fifth nationally coming into the race. He then one-upped himself by finishing second in the 1,500 run in 3:50.92, being nipped by one-half second by Keene State's Mark Miller.

Andy Paulsen (Jr., Blue River/Riverdale High School) also earned all-America honors by placing second in the shot put. Paulsen, who was an all-conference football lineman and an indoor national qualifier, threw the shot 56-4.75. He led most of the meet, until North Central's Justin Rapp uncorked a 56-5.25 throw on his last attempt. Pioneer teammate Dan Kuehn (Jr., Waunakee) just missed all-America honors as he was ninth in that event at 50-6.25. Both throwers exceeded their pre-meet standings, as Paulsen was sixth and Kuehn 15th.

Adam Teunissen (Sr., Sheyboygan/North) and Scott Ubert (Jr., Rolling Meadows, Ill.) both cleared 15-7 in the pole vault, but Teunissen did it in fewer chances to finish fifth and earn all-America honors. Ubert ended up ninth overall. The competition concluded an outstanding season for the Pioneer pair, who consistently scored points for the first-year Coach Jim Nickasch all year.

Mike Schmitz (Sr., Oak Creek) finished his career by placing 16th in the 10,000-meter run in 32:11.44. Schmitz missed last year's nationals after suffering injuries in a car accident, and his dedication and hard work in paid off with his trip to nationals. He was voted the Pioneer Student-Athlete Advisory Council Award this year for his comeback.

Julie Korish (Sr., Cashton) battled injuries all year, which limited her attempts in the triple jump. She still qualified for nationals and leaped 37-6.5 in the preliminaries, missing the finals by just 5.75 inches.

Posted 5/21/02

7 qualify for nationals

Seven UW-Platteville track and field student-athletes have qualified for the NCAA III national championships, set for this weekend at Macalester College in St. Paul.

Ryan Kleimenhagen (So., Oak Creek) has qualified in two events. He has the third fastest time in the 1,500-meter run at 3:50.29 and the fifth best in the 800 at 1:51.30.

Two Pioneers are competing in the shot put and two more in the pole vault.

Andy Paulsen (Jr., Blue River/Riverdale High School) ranks sixth in the shot put after a heave of 54-9.5 last Saturday at UW-Oshkosh. Dan Kuehn (Jr., Waunakee) also had his season's best last weekend, throwing 51-3.75 at Augustana Friday to rank 15th nationally.

Adam Teunissen (Sr., Sheboygan/North) is 10th in the pole vault at 15-10, just ahead of UWP teammate Scott Ubert (Jr., Rolling Meadows, Ill.), who is 12th at 15-9.

Mike Schmitz (Sr., Oak Creek) is ranked 15th in the 10,000-meter run. He broke the school record in that event Friday at Augustana with a time of 30:52.10.

Julie Korish (Sr., Cashton) has been bothered by a bad back that has limited her to just three competitions in the triple jump. Korish, however, still has managed the 15th-best leap in Division III this year at 37-8.75.

The national championships run Thursday through Saturday.

To follow the meet, use the Macalester link.

This site will be updated Tuesday with the Pioneer recap.

Posted 5/13/02

Kleimenhagen breaks 2 school records

UW-Platteville's Ryan Kleimenhagen turned in one of the best nights ever in Pioneer track and field history, winning two events in record-setting time at the Leo Schnur Open at UW-La Crosse Friday.

Kleimenhagen won the 800- and 1,500-meter runs in school-record times while automatically qualifying for the NCAA Division III nationals in each event. Making the night more impressive is the fact the races were contested approximately 50 minutes apart.

Kleimenhagen won the 800 in 1:51.3, breaking Brian Engelkes's 12-year-old Pioneer record of 1:52.14. The sophomore from Oak Creek won the 1,5000 in 3:50.29, beating Justin Wells' record of 3:51.46, set last year.

An all-American this year in both cross country and indoor track and field, Kleimenhagen is now set to try for honors in outdoor track May 23-25 at Macalester (Minn.) College.

Julie Korish moved closer to making nationals as she improved her provisional qualifying time in the triple jump. She leaped 37-5 Friday and added a 17-7 in her first long jump attempt of the year, which was 1.25 inches shy of her 1999 school record.

Dan Kuehn improved his provisional distance in the shot put, 50-10.75. Both he and Andy Paulsen (who has a season best of 52-07.25) are fighting for spots in that event.

Adam Teunissen tied his own school record in the pole vault at 15-10 Friday.

Posted 5/10/02

Pioneers compete in last chance meet

The UW-Platteville track and field teams are entered in the Last Chance Meet at UW-La Crosse Friday.

We'll bring you the Pioneer results Monday. The complete set of results will be posted Saturday at the links below.

Men / Women

Posted 5/4/02

Pioneers fare well at WIAC meet

The real measure of how well the UW-Platteville track and field teams did at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships at UW-La Crosse doesn't rest with the team scores, but in the incredible improvement the Pioneers showed throughout the year, first-year Coach Jim Nickasch said.

"It was a great meet for us," the coach said. "We had so many people reach their personal bests, we had more provisional qualifiers for the NCAA meet and just so many people doing well. This was a good start for our program and where we want to go."

The Pioneer men finished fifth and the women eighth in the weekend meets, which were both won by the host school.

The highlights for UWP, however, were plentiful. They included (but not limited to):

*The 4x800 team blowing away the field to win in 7:43.66. The team of Adam Christnovich, Luke Boehnlein, Josh Placke and Ryan Kleimenhagen won by more than six seconds to set a new Veterans' Memorial Stadium record;

*NCAA provisional qualifying marks by Julie Korish in the triple jump (37-3), Ryan Blank in the 110 hurdles (14.83), and Mike Gratz in the high jump (6-7);

*Andy Paulsen bettering both his previous provisional qualifying marks in the shot put (52-7.25) and the discus (158-3). He placed second in the shot and fourth in the discus;

*Krista Winchel, two months shy of her 30th birthday, earning a spot in the finals in both the 200 and 400 (in 58.96) dashes. She finished fifth in the 400 and eighth in the 200 in 26.19;

*Kleimenhagen finishing second in both the 800 and 1,500;

*A total of 61 personal bests set over the course of two days;

Here is a complete breakdown of everybody who scored in the meet.

First (First Team All-Conference)
*Men's 4x800 relay, 7:43.66

Second (Second Team All-Conference)
*Andy Paulsen, shot put, 52-7.25
*Ryan Kleimenhagen, 800, 1:54.79
*Kleimenhagen, 1,500, 3:55.13
*Ryan Blank, 110 hurdles, 14.83
*Michael Gratz, high jump, 6-7

Third
*Adam Teunissen, pole vault, 15-3.75

Fourth
*Andy Paulsen, discus, 158-03
*Scott Ubert, pole vault, 15-3.75
*Men 4x100 relay, 42.56
*Men 4x400 relay, 3:20.97
*Women's 4x400 relay, 4:04.65

Fifth
*Dan Kuehn, shot put, 49-00.75
*Steven Ross, 110 hurdles, 14.91
*Julie Korish, triple jump, 37-03
*Kristin Campbell, discus, 133-09

Sixth
*Nathan Wells, decathlon, 5636
*Adam Sanders, 200, 22.23
*Krista Winchel, 400, 59.44
*Women's 4x100 relay, 50.30
*Becky Fedak, pole vault, 10-00.50

Seventh
*Michael Peplinski, 400, 49.82
*Women's 4x800 relay, 10:16.92

Eighth
*Andres Young, decathlon, 5240
*Nathan Wells, javelin, 157-10
*Shawn Busch, discus, 147-11
*Krista Winchel, 200, 26.19
*Julie Korish, 400 hurdles, 1:09.19
*Lindsay Olson, high jump, 5-00.25
*Kristin Campbell, shot put, 38-05.50

Posted 4/28/02

Pioneers win events, set records at Loras

Despite horrible weather conditions in Dubuque, the UW-Platteville track and field team won five events and set a pair of school records at the highly competitive Loras Open Saturday.

The Pioneers won two women's and three men's events at the meet that included WIAC schools UW-Whitewater and UW-Oshkosh as well as Carroll, Coe, Cornell, Mount Mercy and St. Ambrose.

Julie Korish won the women's 400-meter hurdles in 1:06.06, breaking her two-year school mark in that event. Amanda Troy also took home a first, winning the 5,000-meter run in 19:27.74.

Becky Fedak broke the other school mark, going 10-6.25 in the pole vault to place second. She bettered her old record of 10-6 and also provisionally qualified for the NCAA nationals.

Lindsay Olson placed third in the high jump(4-10.25) and placing fourth for the women were Krista Winchel in the 400 dash (1:00.54) and Heidi Schultz in the hammer (132-10), while Cassandra Carey was fifth in the 200 (27.86).

Adam Teunissen and Scott Ubert reached national provisional qualifying heights in the pole vault at 15-8.25. Teunissen, who won the event because he had fewer attempts, had already qualified at a school-record 15-10 earlier this year, while Ubert reached his personal best.

Adam Christnovich won the 1,500 run in 3:58.31, cracking the 4:00-barrier for the first time. The men's 4x100 relay team of Tom Ingwell, Mike Peplinski, Adam Sanders and Ryan Blank won its race with a time of 43:34.

Josh Placke (1:55.80) and Luke Boehnlein (1:57.74) were second and fourth, respectively, in the 800 run, while Mike Gratz was second in the high jump (6-3.25), Adam Oakes was fourth in the 200 (23.88), and Dan Kuehn was fourth in the shot put (48-2.5).

The Pioneers compete in the WIAC championships Friday and Saturday at Veteran's Memorial Stadium at UW-La Crosse.

Posted 4/22/02

Pioneers win 3 events at Augustana

The UW-Platteville track and field teams had three first-place finishes at the Augustana Invitational Saturday, and many, many personal bests, according to Coach Jim Nickasch.

The Pioneer men were 5th out of 10 teams, while the women--minus their strong throwers who did not participate--were ninth of 13th schools. Nebraska Wesleyan won the men's meet, and Wartburg captured the women's title. WIAC schools UW-Oshkosh and UW-Stevens Point also competed.

Adam Teunissen won the pole vault in school-record fashion. He vaulted 15-10, breaking the old mark of 15-9.25 set by Craig Kohn in 1992. Teunissen is provisionally qualified for the national championships and just missed at the automatic qualifying mark of 16-0.75.

The Pioneer 4x800 relay team won its race in a time of 7:58.66. Adam Christnovich, Nick Meis, Josh Placke and Luke Boehnlein won in their first attempt at this event this season.

Steven Ross earned a victory in the 110-hurdles, with a career-best 14.95.

Placing second for the Pioneers were Tom Ingwell in the long jump (22-1), Andy Paulsen in the shot put (50-1.75) and discus (147-6) and Ryan Kleimenhagen in the 800 (1:53.34). Mike Schmitz added a third-place finish in the 5,000 in 15:09.78, while Boehnlein was third in the 1,500 in 4:00.39. Mike Gratz (6-2.75) and Shawn Busch (47-3) earned fifth in the high jump and shot put, respectively.

The women continued to improve their times and placings, Coach Nickasch said. Their top finishes came from Lindsay Olson, third in the high jump at 5-1, and Becky Fedak, fourth in the pole vault at 9-1. Placing fifth were Krista Winchel in the 400 (1:00.56), Julie Korish in the 400 hurdles (1:07.41) and Carla Kegel in the 10,000 (40:47.36). Tracey Kuehne added a sixth in the triple jump at 35-7.75.

The Pioneers make the short trip to Dubuque Saturday for the Loras College meet.

Posted 4/14/02

Pioneers compete at Wartburg

UW-Platteville took the first three spots in the men's hammer throw to highlight Saturday's track and field action at the Wartburg College Select Meet.

Dan Kuehn led a Pioneer sweep of the top hammer spots with a throw of 151-11, while Andy Paulsen was second at 148-6 and Shawn Busch third at 147-0. Paulsen added a first-place finish discus, with a winning toss of 156-11, more than eight feet ahead of the second-place finisher.

Scott Ubert tied teammate Adam Teunissen for the pole vault at 15-0, but won first place because he made fewer attempts at that height. Mike Gratz won the high jump, with a best leap of 6-4.

The Pioneers finished 1-2 in the 1,500 run, with winner Adam Christnovich (4:04.02) and runner-up Mike Schmitz (4:05.63) and in the 110-hurdles, with winner Ryan Blank (15.33) and runner-up Steve Ross (15.96). Ross also finished second in the 400 hurdles in 56.81. The men's 4x400 relay placed second in a time of 3:21.6, while Luke Boehnlein was second in the 800 in 1:59.07.

The meet featured teams from Wartburg, Dubuque, Augustana, Loras, UW-La Crosse, St. Olaf and Grinnell.

The top UWP women's finisher was Heidi Schultz with a fourth-place finish in the hammer throw at 129-5, while fifth-place finishes were turned in by Kristin Campbellin the discus (130-1), Becky Fedak in the pole vault (10-0), Tracey Kuehn in the triple jump (33-7.25) and Julie Korish in the 400 hurdles (1:08.87).

Posted 4/10/02

Pole vaulters earn WIAC honors

Both of the UW-Platteville pole vaulters earned Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Field Athlete of the Week awards.

Becky Fedak, a senior from Hartland/Arrowhead, set a school record and provisionally qualified for the NCAA Division III Championship with a winning height of 10-6 in the pole vault at the Washington University Invitational in St. Louis.

Adam Teunissen, a senior from Sheboygan/North, won the men's pole vault at the Washington University Invitational. He provisionally qualified for the NCAA Division III Championship with a height of 15-5.

The Pioneers will be in action Saturday at the Wartburg Invitational.

Posted 4/6/02

Pioneers compete at Wash. U.

UW-Platteville won five individual events at the Washington University Invitational Saturday in St. Louis.

The Pioneers captured both pole vault titles, including a school-record performance by Becky Fedak. She vaulted 10-6 to win the event and break her own record by six inches. Adam Teunnissen won the men's vault at 15-5 and will challenge the long-standing school record of 15-9.25 this season.

Ryan Kleimenhagen was a double winner for the men, taking the 800-meter run in 1:53.21 and the 1,500 in in 3:54.43. Josh Placke was fourth in the 800 in 1:56.55.

Kristin Campbell also had a first-place finish for the women, throwing the discus 130-1. She is already the school record-holder in that event, setting the mark last spring.

Julie Korish placed third in the 400-meter hurdles in 1:06.67, Lindsay Olson was third in the high jump at 4-10.25, and Heidi Schultz was fourth in the hammer throw at 131-0.

Steve Ross added a third-place finish for the men in the 110-meter hurdles in 15.83, while Mike Gratz was fourth in the high jump at 6-4.75, Andy Paulsen fourth in the shot put at 52-1.34, and Mike Schmitz fourth in the 10,000 run at 32:01.54.

No team scores were kept in the meet, which featured several outstanding track and field teams.

For complete results of the meet, click on the link below.

Posted 3/9/02

Outdoor Season Preview

The UW-Platteville track and field programs are under a new head coach, and his knowledge of the sport, his work ethic and his enthusiasm have been warmly embraced by the Pioneers.

Jim Nickasch is one of the area's most recognizable track and field specialists. He is a USA Track and Field Level I and II and Elite Level certified coach and has given demonstration clinics at Big Ten schools Minnesota and Wisconsin. He is the clinic director for the University of Wisconsin's Learn By Doing Track and Field Clinic and also travels around the country to certify coaches for USA Track and its coaching education program.

Nickasch, who was an all-conference performer at UW-La Crosse, had been a teacher at Winskill Elementary School in Lancaster since 1981.

He has begun building the Pioneer program into contender status in the strong Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The men's roster is at the maximum allowed by the WIAC (55), while the women have 30 athletes, a healthy increase from previous years.

The Pioneers will train in Florida over spring break, then have their first outdoor meet on Saturday, April 6 at Washington U. in St. Louis.

Here is a look at each team.

UWP MEN

The Pioneers mix in an outstanding distance corps, their traditionally strong field event competitors with some excellent newcomers in the sprints.

Ryan Kleimenhagen earned indoor All-America honors after finishing second in the 1,500-meter run and was also a cross country all-American. Corey Stelljes, who also earned all-America cross country honors in the fall, is trying to come back from a leg injury to join Kleimenhagen as a powerful 1-2 punch in the distances. Mike Schmitz, an outdoor national qualifier last year, and cross country runners Tim Willcox and Josh Placke add depth and experience to the distances.

Ryan Blank and Steve Ross were second and third, respectively, in the WIAC indoor 55 hurdles and should compete for high finishes in the outdoor meet. Ryan Ptak, Michael Peplinski, Adam Sanders and Tom Ingwell are experienced sprinters and relay runners. Sanders was part of the Pioneers' 4x400 relay team that earned all-America status in 2000. Ingwell is also strong in the jumps.

Mike Gratz is back to defend his WIAC title in the high jump. He is a national qualifier in that event as well. Adam Tuennissen, who made the NCAA nationals last year, will contend in the pole vault, along with Scott Ubert.

Dan Kuehn and Andy Paulsen are both national qualifiers in the shot put, with Kuehn taking seventh in 2000, and Paulsen competing at the indoor championships this spring.

Nathan Wells and Andres Young are showing promise as multi-events athletes for Coach Nickasch's squad.

"The outdoor season looks very promising," the coach said. "After a fine performance from the indoor season, we hope to carry that right into outdoor. The meet schedule is challenging and should be a good spring board into the conference championships in La Crosse May 3-4. I'm excited to begin the second half of our season."

UWP WOMEN

The Pioneers will build around several standout student-athletes, including a pair or returning national qualifiers.

Julie Korish earned all-America honors after placing eighth in the triple jump. The senior will also run the hurdles. Tracey Kuehne and Lindsay Olsen will also challenge for points in the WIAC jumps.

Kristin Campbell made the national championships as a freshman and placed ninth in the discus. She and Heidi Schultz are a formidable pair of throwers.

Sprinters Cassie Carey, Michelle Bakkum, Jessica Peterson and Korish hold the school relay records, with Krista Winchell adding speed to the sprints.

Becky Fedak broke the school pole vault record indoors this year at 10-6 and last year topped the outdoor record at 10-0.

"The women's team has some great individual performers, but we lack team depth and that will hurt us outdoor," Nickasch said. "We ran well indoor and established several school records and I'm looking for the same type of success outdoors."

Posted 3/9/02

Kleimenhagen 2nd, Paulsen 10th at NCAA meet

UW-Platteville's Ryan Kleimenhagen took second place in the 1,500-meter run, while Pioneer teammate Andy Paulsen was 10th in the shot put at the NCAA Division III national track and field championships Saturday at Ohio Northern University.

Kleimenhagen, a sophomore from Oak Creek, was nipped at the finish line by Trinity (CT) junior Ryan Bak by four-tenths of a second. Bak won the national title in 3:52.31, while Kleimenhagen's time was 3:52.73.

Kleimenhagen's time was the second fastest in Pioneer history. Justin Wells ran a 3:51.96 last year at nationals, also placing second. Kleimenhagen earned his second all-America honors this year. He was ninth at the NCAA III national cross country championships in the fall, knocking 20 seconds off the school record time during the process.

Paulsen just missed all-America status, as the top eight in each event are accorded that honor. Paulsen, a junior from Blue River (Riverdale High School), threw the shot put 48-7.25. UW-Eau Claire freshman John Schuna uncorked a 56-4 throw to take the title.

Posted 3/7/02

Two Pioneers qualify for nationals

UW-Platteville's Ryan Kleimenhagen and Andy Paulsen have qualified for the NCAA III track and field national championships. The Pioneer pair will compete this weekend at Ohio Northern University.

Kleimenhagen, a sophomore from Oak Creek, has the fifth fastest time in the 1,500-meter run at 3:54.02. Paulsen, a junior from Blue River (Riverdale High School), has the ninth-best shot put effort at 52-feet-4.75.

Both events have 12 entries, and the top eight will attain all-America honors.

Posted 3/2/02

Kleimenhagen, Blank are all-WIAC

Ryan Kleimenhagen won the 1,500-meter run and broke his own school record in the 3,000 to highlight UW-Platteville's efforts in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships Friday and Saturday at UW-Whitewater.

The Pioneer men finished sixth in the team standings, while the women were eighth in their placing. UW-La Crosse captured both totals.

Kleimenhagen was the lone conference champion, winning the 1,500 in 3:54.02, which provisionally qualified him for next weekend's NCAA III national championships. His 3,000-meter time of 8:38.40 shaved a full second off his own UWP record and placed fifth in that event.

Ryan Blank also earned all-conference honors by finishing second in the 55 hurdles in a provisional-qualifying time of 7.79. He edged teammate Steve Ross, who was third in 7.84.

Mike Gratz and the men's distance relay also had provisional-qualifying marks. Gratz was third in the high jump at 6-8, while the relay team of Adam Christnovich, Mike Peplinski, Kleimenhagen, Mike Schmitz was third in 10;07.47.

The final men's team scores were La Crosse 163.5, Whitewater 103, Oshkosh 101, Stevens Point 101, Eau Claire 92, Platteville 75.5, Stout 60.

The women's team scores were La Crosse 209, Oshkosh 143, Stevens Point 115, Eau Claire 103, Whitewater 58, Stout 22, River Falls 21, Platteville 16, Superior 11.

The following are all the point scorers for the Pioneers:

First
Ryan Kleimenhagen, 1,500 run, 3:54.02@

Second
Ryan Blank, 55 hurdles, 7.79@

Third
Mike Gratz, High Jump, 6-8@
Men's Distance Relay, 10:07.47@
Steve Ross, 55 hurdles, 7.84
Men's 4x200 Relay, 1:30.20

Fourth
Josh Placke, 800, 1:56.17
Scott Ubert, Pole Vault, 14-9.5

Fifth
Ryan Kleimenhagen, 3,000 run, 8:38.40
Adam Sanders, 200 dash, 22.68
Lindsey Olson, High Jump, 4-11.75
Becky Fedak, Pole Vault, 10-4
Women's 4x200 relay, 1:47.82

Sixth
Nathan Wells, Heptathlon, 4138 points
Women's 4x400 Relay, 4;14.53
Men's 4x400 Relay, 3:24.93

Seventh
Tom Ingwell, Long Jump, 22-2.5
Andy Paulsen, Shot Put, 49-5
Dan Kuehn, Weight Throw, 54-0
Andres Young, Heptathlon, 4037 points

Eighth
Ryan Ptak, 200 dash, 22.99 and 400, 50.72
Cassie Carey, 200 dash, 27:18
Women's Distance Medley, 13:53.29

@=NCAA provisional qualifying time/distance

For complete results of the championships, click on http://www.uww.edu/athletics/index.cfm

Posted 2/23/02

Pioneer men second, women third at UWSP

The UW-Platteville men's track and field team was second out of 12 teams, while the Pioneer women were third out of seven schools in the Pointer Open Saturday at UW-Stevens Point.

The host school won both titles. In the men's, the Pointers had 231 points, compared to the Pioneers' 117 and UW-Eau Claire's 100. The women's top three teams were UWSP 254, Carroll College 119.5 and UW-Platteville 73.5.

The Pioneers had three individual champions and three relay teams take firsts. Ryan Kleimenhagen won the 800-meter run in 1:55.10; Mike Gratz captured the high jump at 6-6; and Andy Paulsen won the shot put in an NCAA III national provisionally qualifying throw of 52-4.75.

Paulsen joins fellow throwers Dan Kuehn and Heidi Schultz, who had provisionally qualified for nationals during the Pioneer Invitational the previous week.

The men's 4x200 (1:30.20), the women's 4x200 (1:48.75) and the women's distance medley (14:11.53) also won their events.

Adding second-place finishes were Kristin Campbell in the shot put (37-6.75) and Steven Ross in the 55-meter hurdles (7.84), and Scott Ubert in the pole vault (14-7.25).

Placing third were Becky Fedak in the pole vault (10-6), Ryan Ptak in the 200-meter dash (22.74), Tom Ingwell in the long jump (216.75), Adam Teunissen in the pole vault (14-7.25, but more attempts than Ubert) and the men's 4x400 relay (3:21.54).

Posted 2/16/02

Pioneers come away with record breaking wins

By Kristin Henke, Sports Information Student Assistant

The UW-Platteville men won and the women took second at the Pioneer Invitational on Saturday at the Williams Fieldhouse, where two school records were broken.

Ryan Kleimenhagen broke the UWP record in the 3,000- meter run with the winning time of 8:39.45. Becky Fedak broke the women's pole vault mark with a 9-10.75 attempt.

The Pioneer men's team captured first place with 279 points in the 7-team Invite, followed by Luther College with 156, St Ambrose with 62, Beloit College with 45, Concordia University with 21, UWP Alumni with 14, and Wisconsin Lutheran with 8.

The Pioneer men took first in eight events with Adam Sanders sprinting 23.25 to win the 200 meter dash; Ryan Ptak winning with 50.46 in the 400 meter dash; Mike Schmitz coming from behind to win in the 1,500 meter run with 4:01.64; Ryan Kleimenhagen finishing 8:39.45 in the 3;000 meter run followed by Pioneer Tim Willcox with 8:54.32.

The Pioneer 4X400 meter relay team, consisting of Michael Peplinski, Ryan Ptak, Steve Ross, and Adam Sanders won in 3:27.85. The 4X200 relay team also won with members Tim Polfer, Steve Ross, Antoine Manning, and Adam Sanders with 1:34.33. Mike Gratz finished first in the high jump with 6-06.75, followed by Andres Young with 6-00.75. UWP men swept the pole vault event with 1-4 place finishes, Adam Teunissen earned first with 14-07.25, Scott Ubert followed with 14.01.25, Nathan Wells took third with 13-01.50, and Jacob Wampole with 13-01.50. Andres Young won the long jump event with a 19-05.25 attempt and Nathan Wells finished second with a 18-11.25 jump. Andy Paulsen threw a 47-10.50 to win the men's shot put, and Dan Kuehn finished second in the men's weight throw with 51-08.25.

UWP women's team finished second with 129, behind Luther College with 268. Beloit followed Platteville for third with 115, St Ambrose with 65, UW-Parkside 51, Wisconsin Lutheran with 10, and Concordia University with 7.

The Pioneer women took first place in 4 events with Cassie Carey winning the 200 meter dash in 27.31, women's 4X200 relay consisting of Michelle Bakkam, Cassie Carey, Krista Winchel, and Jessica Peterson won in 1:49.85, Becky Fedak winning and breaking the record for pole vault with 9-10.75, and Heidi Schultz winning the women's weight throw with a 45-10.50 attempt. Michelle Bakkum finished second in the 55 meter dash with 7.75 and Amanda Troy was second in the women's 3,000 meter with 11:08.27, and Lindsey Olsen took second in the high jump with 4-07.75.

The UWP men and women compete in Stevens Point on Feb. 23.

Posted 2/9/02

Kleimenhagen, Gratz win at Carthage

Ryan Kleimenhagen and Mike Gratz were individual champions in Saturday's Pepsi Challenge at Carthage College, which pitted three track and field teams from the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) and three from the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW).

The Pioneer men finished third in the competition, completing a WIAC sweep of the top spots. UW-Stevens Point won the meet with 139 points, followed by UW-Whitewater with 90, UW-Platteville 81, Carthage 80, Augustana 69 and Elmhurst 65.

In the women's competition, host Carthage won with 160 points, followed by UW-Stevens Point with 122, Augustana 121, UW-Whitewater 56.67, Elmhurst 41 and UW-Platteville 15.33.

Kleimenhagen set a track record in the 1,500-meter run, winning in a time of 3:59.26, while Gratz captured the high jump at 6-6.

Three Pioneers placed second in their events. Corey Stelljes ran 5,000 meters in 15:22.43 to finish ahead of teammate Tim Willcox, who was third in 15:30.30. Steve Ross was second in the 55 hurdles in 8.00, while fellow Pioneer Ryan Blank was fourth in 8.10. Adam Sanders was runner-up in the 200-meter dash in 23.10. Coach Jim Nickasch also received a third-place finish from Andy Paulsen in the shot put in 48-0.75 and additional fourth-place finishes from Scott Ubert in the pole vault at 47-7.25 and Michael Peplinski in the 400 dash in 51.86.

The women's top scores came from a fourth-place finishes by Amanda Troy in the 1,500-meter run in 5:07.53 and Becky Fedak in the pole vault at 8.10.75 and fifth-place finishes by Michelle Bakkum in the 55-meter hurdles in 7.75 and Cassandra Carey in the 200-meter dash in 27.67.

Williams Fieldhouse will be the site for the Pioneer Invitational Saturday, Feb. 16. Approximately 10 men's and 10 women's team will compete in the meet, which begins at 10:45 a.m.

For complete results from Carthage, click here for Men or Women

Posted 2/2/02

Pioneers do well in home meet

UW-Platteville won 10 track and field events during the Pioneer Open Saturday in Williams Fieldhouse.

Loras and the UWP Alumni competed in both the men's and women's meets, and the Winona State women completed the field.

The Pioneer men fared particularly well in the field events. Andy Paulsen and Dan Kuehn finished 1-2 in the throws. Paulsen captured the shot put in 47-7.25, and Kuehn won the weight throw in 46-6.75. Three Pioneers won jumping events as well, with Scott Ubert taking the pole vault at 14-3.25, Tom Ingwell the long jump at 20-7, and Mike Gratz the high jump at 6-4.

Two UWP men won individual running events. Ryan Kleimenhagen won the 800 in 1:58.10, and Adam Christnobich captured the 1,500 in 4:03.34. In addition, the 4x200-meter relay team of Tim Polfer, Steve Ross, Antoine Manning and Ryan Blank took first in 1:37.32.

Two UW-Platteville women won their respective events. Julie Korish was the long jump winner in 16-10.75, and Amanda Troy crossed the finish line first in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 19:25.12.

The entire meet can be accessed at the link below.

Posted 2/1/02

Pioneer Open is Saturday

The UW-Platteville track and field teams will be the hosts for the Pioneer Open Saturday, beginning at 10:45 a.m.

Loras and Winona State will send teams, and the UWP alumni will compete, too.

Posted 1/26/02

Pioneers compete at UW-Whitewater

The UW-Platteville men's track and field team placed fourth in the 13-team UW-Whitewater Invitational Saturday, while the Pioneer women were eighth in their competition.

Both teams were seeing their first action of the year for new coach Jim Nickasch.

The host Warhawks won the men's meet, while UW-Stevens Point captured the women's title.

Four Pioneer men placed third in their respective events: Ryan Kleimenhagen (3:59.89) in the 1,500-meter run; Andy Paulsen (48-feet-4) in the shot put; Adam Teunissen (14-3.25) in the pole vault; and Mike Gratz (6-6) in the high jump. Cory Stelljes, in the 3,000 run; Ryan Ptak in the 200; Scott Ubert in the pole vault and Dan Kuehn in the weight throw added fifth-place finishes.

UWP's top finisher on the day was Amanda Troy, who led the women with second place in the 3,000 at 11:22.10. Becky Fedak was third in the pole vault at 8-11.5, while Julie Korish was third in the triple jump at 34-5. Lindsay Olson added a fifth-place finish in the high jump.

This was the first time this month the Pioneers ran indoors, as the Williams Fieldhouse track was undergoing extensive renovation. The track will be ready for next Saturday's Pioneer Open, which is also Alumni Day.

Posted 1/25/02

Pioneers open season Saturday

The UW-Platteville track and field teams begin their 2002 seasons Saturday at the UW-Whitewater Invitational.

The Saturday's meet marks the debut of the Pioneers under first-year head coach Jim Nickasch.

This meet will also mark the first time this month Nickasch will see his charges run indoors. The Williams Fieldhouse track has undergone extensive renovations, scheduled to be completed early next week. The atypical January weather, however, has allowed the Pioneers to practice outdoors this week in preparation for the season.