Titans Capture Warhawk Classic Title

UW-Oshkosh won six events and tallied five second-place finishes en route to 162 points and the team title at the Warhawk Women's Track & Field Classic held Saturday (Jan. 31) in Whitewater.

Following UW-Oshkosh in the team standings were second-place UW-Whitewater with 97 points, third-place UW-Stevens Point with 91, fourth-place North Central College (Ill.) with 86 and fifth-place University of Chicago (Ill.) with 79.

UW-Oshkosh, the defending NCAA Division III indoor champion, entered the eight-team meet ranked second in the country by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. UW-Whitewater was ranked fourth in the poll, North Central College 13th and the University of Chicago 23rd.

UW-Oshkosh scored 29 of its team points in the 200-meter dash and 23 in the 20-pound weight throw.

In the 200-meter dash, Emily Reichenberger won the sprint with a time of 26.23 seconds, while Caitlyn McCormick finished second in 26.28, Ashley Holicek fourth in 26.86, Megan Geldernick fifth in 26.94 and Samantha Blue seventh in 27.00.

The 20-pound weight throw featured Melanie Brickner winning the event with a NCAA Division III-leading measurement of 62-6 1/2. She was followed by second-place Jecel (Gerner) Klotz at 57-5 1/2 and fourth-place Elizabeth Abhold at 52-11.

Other individual winners for the Titans were Blue with a leap of 17-5 1/4 in the long jump, Klotz in the shot put with a throw of 50-0 3/4 and Kylee Verhasselt in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:13.86.

UW-Oshkosh won the 1,600-meter relay as McCormick, Verhasselt, Stephanie Knutson and Alesha Malueg combined to record a time of 3:57.70.

UW-Oshkosh's remaining second-place finishes belonged to Kasey Ederer in the high jump with a height of 5-3, Taylor Sherry in the 60-meter hurdles with a school-record time of 8.89 seconds and Isabella Tremonti in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 10:30.82.

The Titans took third place in three events as Geldernick went 9.16 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles, Reichenberger 7.94 seconds in the 60-meter dash and Sonny Jenkins 2:19.43 in the 800-meter run.

Other fourth-place efforts went to UW-Oshkosh's Brickner in the shot put with a distance of 44-9, Karina Marchan in the long jump with a mark of 16-1 3/4 and Cheyenne Moore in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 10:38.98. Marchan also placed eighth in the 60-meter dash with a time of 8.31 seconds.

Rounding out the list of UW-Oshkosh scorers were Abhold with a sixth-place throw of 40-8 3/4 in the shot put, Holicek with a fifth-place time of 8.05 seconds in the 60-meter dash, Malueg with a sixth-place time of 8.15 seconds in the 60-meter dash and Alyssa Ryan with a seventh-place leap of 16-1 3/4.

The Titans return home to host the UW-Oshkosh Open on Friday (Feb. 6) in Kolf Sports Center.

Photo courtesy of Bob Martines