Two Titles Highlight Blugolds' Time at 2014 NCAA Indoor Championships

Two Titles Highlight Blugolds' Time at 2014 NCAA Indoor Championships

LINCOLN, Neb. (Blugolds.com) – Thurgood Dennis (Jr.-Allouez, Wis./Green Bay Notre Dame) captured two national titles to lead the UW-Eau Claire men's and women's indoor track & field teams at the 2014 NCAA Division III Championships, hosted by Nebraska Wesleyan at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. In team results, the Blugold men finished in second place with 48 points and the women tied for 23rd with eight points.

Final Results

Photos and Video

Championship Website

Dennis successfully defended his 60-meter dash national title, winning with a time of 6.68 seconds, the fastest time ever achieved in NCAA Division III. He also won the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.27 seconds. It was the first time in history the 200-meter dash was contested at the national meet. Dennis is now a four-time indoor national champion and seven-time indoor All-American.

Brandon Zarnoth (Jr.-Appleton, Wis./North) earned a runner-up finish in the heptathlon, recording 5,259 points over two days. This is the second year in a row he earned All-American honors as he came in eighth place in the event last year. Greg Peterson (Jr.-Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead) also captured All-American honors after taking fifth place with 5,026 points.

In the shot put, Roger Steen (Jr.-Luck, Wis.) matched his All-American finish from a season ago, taking third place with a toss of 17.49 meters (57-4.75). Alex Mess (So.-Lake Mills, Wis.) took 11th in the event with a distance of 15.36 meters (50-4.75).

Matt Scott (Sr.-Kiel, Wis.) gave the Blugold men their first points of the championship as he took fourth place in the mile with a time of 4:10.38, capturing All-American honors in the event for the second time in his career. A season ago he took fifth in the event with a time of 4:10.01. Later in the day he came in 14th place with a time of 8:54.94 in the 3,000-meter run.

In the women's 200-meter dash, Carly Fehler (Jr.-Oak Creek, Wis.) finished fourth with a school-record time of 24.76 seconds, earning her first All-American finish. Jordanne Greenup held the previous school record for more than two years.

Both the men's and women's 4x400-meter relay teams also secured All-American finishes. The men's team of Cody Prince (Jr.-Appleton, Wis./North), Jimmy Paske (Fr.-Minnetonka, Minn./Hopkins), Will LaJeunesse (So.-Belle Plaine, Minn.) and Dennis took fifth with a time of 3:15.43. The women's team of Brooke Patterson (Jr.-Sussex, Wis./Hamilton), Steph Rouse (Jr.-Minnetonka, Minn./Hopkins), Megan Mulligan (Jr.-Lake Geneva, Wis./Badger) and Jessica Rupnow (So.-Sussex, Wis./Hamilton) was sixth with a time of 3:51.46.

In the 400-meter dash, Prince earned All-American honors with an eighth-place finish in a time of 48.97 seconds. He is now a three-time All-American in the event, coming in eighth place two years ago and sixth place last year.

In the team results for the men, UW-La Crosse won its second straight title with 63.5 points and UW-Oshkosh was third with 37.5. For the women, UW-Oshkosh won its second title in a row and third in the past four years with 67 points, UW-La Crosse was second with 65 and Wartburg College (Iowa) was third with 46.

-KM-


Indoor Track & Field Teams Compete on Day One of Nationals

Posted: March 14, 2014 at 9:00 p.m.

LINCOLN, Neb. (Blugolds.com) - Two school records and one national meet record were achieved by UW-Eau Claire Friday on the first day of the 2014 NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships, hosted by Nebraska Wesleyan at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

Day One Results

Watch Blugolds Compete in Prelims

Championship Website

For the men, Thurgood Dennis (Jr.-Allouez, Wis./Notre Dame) set himself up to defend his national title in the 60-meter dash by tying both the meet record and his own school record with a top time of 6.75 seconds. He will be seeded first in the finals tomorrow afternoon.

Dennis also ran a 21.56 in the 200-meter dash and will take the second seed headed into tomorrow.

On the women's side, Carly Fehler (Jr.-Oak Creek, Wis.) broke her own school record in the 60-meter dash, placing ninth in 7.73 seconds. However, she did not qualify for finals in that event after narrowly missing the top eight.

But, Fehler did qualify in the 200-meter dash, running 24.97 seconds. She earned the sixth-seed for tomorrow's final.

Cody Prince (Jr-Appleton, Wis./North) ran the 400-meter dash in 48.39 seconds. He will be seeded fifth in the finals.

Matt Scott (Jr.-Kiel, Wis.) qualified for finals in the mile by running to a sixth-place seed time of 4:13.30.

The only final event for the Blugolds today was the pentathlon. Kelsey Weigel (Sr.-Marshfield, Wis.), who was added to the championship field just two days ago, finished in 16th place with a score of 3,084.

In the heptathlon, Brandon Zarnoth (Jr.-Appleton, Wis./North), who was seeded No. 1 coming into nationals, is currently in fourth place with 2,834 points. Greg Peterson (Jr.-Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead) was in 12th place after day one with 2,651 points.

Adam Moline (Jr.-Plymouth, Minn.) competed in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:52.62, placing ninth and just missing out on a chance to go to the finals.

Also competing for the Blugolds Friday were Monica Emerson (Jr.-Somerset, Wis.) and Megan Mulligan (Jr.-Oak Creek, Wis.). Emerson finished 14th in the mile in 5:02.21 while Mulligan took 17th in the 200-meter dash in 25.80 seconds. Neither of them made it to finals.

The Blugolds will pick up competition in tomorrow's finals with the men competing in eight events and the women competing in two events. The meet starts tomorrow at 10 a.m.

-NE-


Seventeen Blugold Indoor Track & Field Members to Compete at Nationals

Posted: March 10, 2014 at 9:45 a.m.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (Blugolds.com) - A total of 17 UW-Eau Claire men's and women's indoor track & field members have qualified to compete at the 2014 NCAA Division III Championships, NCAA officials announced today.

The championships will be contested March 14-15 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on the campus of University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The championship is hosted by Nebraska Wesleyan University.

View Additional Championship Info

Ten men and seven women will compete at nationals in 14 different events. A complete breakdown follows.

Men
60-meter dash: Thurgood Dennis (Jr.-Allouez, Wis./Green Bay Notre Dame)
200-meter dash: Thurgood Dennis
400-meter dash: Cody Prince (Jr.-Appleton, Wis./North)
800-meter run: Adam Moline (So.-Maple Grove, Minn./Wayzata)
1-mile run: Matt Scott (Sr.-Kiel, Wis.)
3,000-meter run: Matt Scott
4x400-meter relay: Prince, Will LaJeunesse (So.-Belle Plaine, Minn.), Jimmy Paske (Fr.-Minnetonka, Minn./Hopkins), Dennis
Shot Put: Roger Steen (Jr.-Luck, Wis.), Alex Mess (So.-Lake Mills, Wis.)
Heptathlon: Brandon Zarnoth (Jr.-Appleton, Wis./North), Greg Peterson (Jr.-Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead)
View Complete List of Men's Qualifiers

Women
60-meter dash: Carly Fehler (Jr.-Oak Creek, Wis.)
200-meter dash: Carly Fehler, Megan Mulligan (Jr.-Lake Geneva, Wis./Badger)
1-mile run: Monica Emerson (Jr.-Somerset, Wis.)
4x400-meter relay: Brooke Patterson (Jr.-Sussex, Wis./Hamilton), Steph Rouse (Jr.-Minnetonka, Minn./Hopkins), Mulligan, Jessica Rupnow (So.-Sussex, Wis./Hamilton)
Pentathlon: Kelsey Weigel (Sr.-Marshfield, Wis.)
View Complete List of Women's Qualifiers

The Blugold men took third at the NCAA Championship a season ago after taking second the year before. Last year Eau Claire had eight men competing in seven events while nine men competed in six events the year before.

The Blugold women tied for 43rd last year but competed in just two events. In 2012, the team took 12th after seven Blugolds competed in six different events.

-KM-