Titans Collect Five Men's Indoor Track & Field All-Region Awards
Two-time honoree Ryan Powers leads five UW-Oshkosh selections to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association's (USTFCCCA) 2018 NCAA Division III All-Midwest Region Men's Indoor Track & Field Team.
A total of 772 all-region awards were distributed among the nation's eight NCAA Division III regions. The top five individuals and the top three relay squads in each event from each region earned all-region distinction.
Powers, a junior, received all-region recognition in both the 200-meter dash and 400-meter run. He is seeded fifth in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.63 seconds and 10th in the 400-meter run at 48.19 for this weekend's NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championship in Birmingham, Ala.
Powers, a first-time 200-meter dash national qualifier, returns to the national 400-meter run field for the third straight year. He earned All-America status by placing sixth in the 400-meter run at the 2016 national championship before finishing ninth in the race a year ago.
Other UW-Oshkosh all-region honorees were senior Devan Gertschen in the pole vault, freshman Erik Schwandt in the 60-meter dash and senior Joe Zack in the mile run.
Gertschen is back in the national pole vault field after finishing ninth at the past two championships. He is seeded sixth this season with a qualifying clearance of 16-4 3/4.
Schwandt makes his national championship debut as the ninth seed in the 60-meter dash. He earned this weekend's opportunity with a qualifying time of 6.87 seconds.
Zack, seeking his first individual All-America honor, is seeded third in the mile run for this weekend's national championship with a time of 4:06.07. Zack was a member of UW-Oshkosh's distance medley relay squad that earned All-America status with its seventh-place finish at the 2015 championship. He also placed ninth in the mile run a last year's national meet.
There were two men's programs with 20 or more all-region selections – North Central College (Ill.) with 26 in the Midwest and Christopher Newport University (Va.) with 20 in the South/Southeast.
UW-Oshkosh and its seven other WIAC colleagues combined for 48 All-Midwest Region selections, including multiple award winners Darin Lau from UW-Eau Claire (3,000-Meter Run & 5,000-Meter Run); Jacob Teunas (Long Jump & Triple Jump) and Ernest Winters (60-Meter Dash & 200-Meter Dash) from UW-La Crosse; Powers (200-Meter Dash & 400-Meter Run) from UW-Oshkosh; Rodrick McMiller (200-Meter Dash & Long Jump) from UW-Platteville; and Alex Duff (60-Meter Dash, Long Jump & Heptathlon) and Matt Green (Long Jump & Triple Jump) from UW-Whitewater.
Jordan Johnson from Benedictine University (Ill.) and Dan Evers from Monmouth College (Ill.) were named the Midwest Region's Track and Field Athlete of the Year, respectively. North Central College's (Ill.) Frank Gramarosso was chosen as the Midwest Region's Coach of the Year.