No. 4 Titans Hold Eight Top-Five #EventSquads Headed Into Nationals
OSHKOSH, WIS.- The No. 4 nationally ranked UW-Oshkosh men's track and field squad holds eight top-five #EventSquads and qualified for nine events in the NCAA Division III Indoor National Championships. Oshkosh will be pursuing their second indoor title, last winning in 2009.
The Titans sit at fourth in the nation in the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) weekly poll. Other WIAC competitors UW-La Crosse (No. 3), UW-Whitewater (No. 9) and UW-Eau Claire (No. 10) are also ranked.
The 60-meter dash squad made up of sophomore Davian Willems, sophomore Keegan Cullison, senior Jaylen Grant and freshman Ja'siah Williams rank first in the nation with an average finish of 6.81 seconds.
Sophomore Caleb Cornelius and freshmen Charlie Nolan and Matthew Ewens and Aden Sears average a nation-leading 1.99 meter (6 feet 6 ½ inch) mark in the high jump.
Triple jumpers senior Jonathan Wilburn, Nolan, junior Elijah Pena, and freshman Caleb Wright rank first with a 14.24 meter (46 feet 8 ¾ inch) average jump.
200-meter dash runners sophomore Londyn Little, juniors Rashaad Henderson and Jaylin Boatman and freshman Davian Williams average a second-fastest 21.82 second finish.
In the 800-meter run, senior Steven Potter, sophomore Ryan Potter, junior Reid Marquardt and sophomore Dwight Hosni average a time of 1:51.93 for third.
The pole vault squad made up of senior Eli Tranel, sophomore Zach Zirgibel, junior RJ Bosshart and Ewens rank third with an average height of 4.57 meters (14 feet 11 ¾ inches).
Sophomore AK Toheeb-Lawal, freshman Sebastian Jefferson, Bosshart and Wright average 7.05 meters (21 feet 1 ¾ inches) for third.
Bosshart, Sears, junior Payton White and Ewens are the final third-ranked #EventSquad, with an average score of 4,665 points in the heptathlon.
National Qualifiers
Cullison and Grant qualified for the 60-meter dash with times of 6.81 and 6.83 seconds.
Little's 21.49 second finish and Steven Potter's 1:50.71 finish qualified each of them for the 200-meter dash and 800-meter run, respectively.
Both the Oshkosh's relay teams qualified for the national meet. The 4x400-meter relay squad heads to nationals with a 3:13.70 time and the distance medley relay advances with a 9:46.49 time.
Cornelius and Nolan each qualified in the high jump. Cornelius holds a 2.06-meter jump and Nolan holds a 2.04-meter jump.
School record holder, Tranel heads to nationals with a 5.07-meter mark in the pole vault, the second-highest mark in the nation. Zirgibel also qualified with a height of 4.90 meters.
Toheeb-Lawal and Wilburn qualified in the long and triple jump with distances of 7.21 and 15.38 meters, respectively.
In the heptathlon, Bosshart and Sears qualified, going to the championships with qualifying scores of 4,918 and 4,896 points.
Last Week's Highlights
In final qualifiers on March 4, the Titans won four events at the Ripon College (Wis.) and Wartburg College (Iowa) meets.
Where the Titans are Competing
The Titans will compete in the NCAA Division III Indoor National Championships on March 10-11 at the Birmingham CrossPlex in Birmingham, Ala.