Titans Place Second At WIAC Outdoor Championship
UW-Oshkosh's Kylee Verhasselt won a pair of middle-distance running events while the Titans' Kasey Ederer became the league's first four-time high jump winner at the WIAC Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championship held Friday and Saturday (May 6-7) in Whitewater.
Verhasselt repeated as champion of the 800-meter run by defeating 21 other contestants in this year's race with a time of 2:14.14. She also posted a time of 4:38.22 to beat 16 other participants in the 1,500-meter run.
Ederer established WIAC history by ousting 15 other competitors in the high jump with a leap of 5-5 1/4. She won last year's title with a leap of 5-6 1/2 after claiming victories by clearing 5-6 in 2014 and 5-3 3/4 in 2013.
The Titans owned two other event champions in Elizabeth Abhold and Hannah Kuenzi. Abhold defeated 22 other contestants in the hammer throw with a distance of 186-0 while Kuenzi outran 20 other participants in the 10,000-meter run with a time of 40:18.70.
UW-Oshkosh used its five event titles to finish second in the team standings with 141 points. The Titans placed third in last year's meet with 121 points.
UW-La Crosse scored 238 points to cruise to its fifth consecutive title and 31st overall. The Eagles owned 11 event winners, including Bria Halama, who won both the 400-meter dash and triple jump, and Meg Heafy, who claimed victory in both the 100- and 200-meter sprints.
UW-Stout finished third in the team rankings with 103 points while UW-Whitewater placed fourth with 90.33, UW-Eau Claire fifth with 87.5, UW-Stevens Point sixth with 85, UW-Platteville seventh with 62.66 and UW-River Falls eighth with 11.5.
UW-Oshkosh tallied 20 of its overall team points in the 1,500-meter run. In addition to Verhasselt, the Titans had Danica Harrison finish third with a time of 4:42.14 and Kristen Linzmeier fifth in 4:43.74. Linzmeier also placed sixth in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:17.71.
Becklyn Hunter, Emily Reichenberger and Taylor Sherry all earned a pair of top-four finishes.
Hunter placed second in the 200-meter dash with a time of 24.82 seconds and third in the 100-meter dash at 12.08, while Reichenberger finished third in the 200-meter dash with a time of 24.93 seconds and fourth in the 100-meter dash at 12.17. Sherry established a pair of UW-Oshkosh records by taking second in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.30 seconds and fourth in the 400-meter hurdles at 1:02.32.
The Titans had four other individuals finish fifth as Erica Munyan recorded a time of 12:01.12 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, Caitlyn McCormick a time of 58.79 seconds in the 400-meter run, Leah Rendflesh a time of 18:25.44 in the 5,000-meter run, and Isabella Samuels a distance of 42-2 in the shot put.
UW-Oshkosh also had Alyssa Ryan finish fourth in the pole vault with a height of 12-0 1/2 and Abhold seventh in the shot put with a measurement of 40-11 1/2.
Finishing eighth for the Titans were Megan Leahy in the pole vault with a height of 11-8 1/2, Karina Marchan in the long jump with a leap of 17-0 1/2, Gina Pomaville in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:07.34, Olivia Seeley in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.28 seconds and Michaela Welsh in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 12:12.98.
In the relays, UW-Oshkosh finished second in the 400-meter sprint with a time of 47.18 seconds and fifth in the 1,600-meter race at 3:56.56. Hunter, Reichenberger, Seeley and Ashley Holicek were members of the 400-meter group while McCormick, Pomaville, Lindsay Denu and Taylor Pralle were members of the 1,600-meter assembly.
Heafy was named the championship's top track performer while Amber Williams of UW-Platteville was selected as the meet's top field performer. UW-La Crosse's Pat Healy was chosen as the league's outdoor Coach of the Year.
UW-Oshkosh athletes will compete in a variety of last chance qualifying meets over the next two weeks before participating at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championship on May 26-28 in Waverly, Iowa.