GRINNELL, Iowa (Blugolds.com) – The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's Track and Field team earned their second-straight NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championship on Saturday, led by two individual titles by Josh Thorson (Sr.-Plymouth, MN/Wayzata).
Thorson earned the title in the 5,000-meter with a time of 14:16.46 on Friday and added to his trophy collection with a win in the 3,000-meter on Saturday, turning in a winning time of 8:25.25. Nick Petersson (Sr.-Brookfield, MN) followed with a third place finish at 8:27.27, just .01 seconds shy of second-place. Darin Lau (So.-Eau Claire, WI/Immanuel) came in at 8:30.16, earning a sixth place finish. The trio were key to the Blugold win, collecting 19 points in the event, giving UW-Eau Claire a 1-point lead over UW-Whitewater after 16 events.
Alex Mess (Sr.-Lake Mills, WI/Green Bay Notre Dame) earned eight points in the shot put, taking second with a toss of 17.62 meters.
In the final event of the meet, the 4x400-meter relay of Jimmy Paske (Jr.-Minnetonka, MN/Hopkins), Kevin Brooks (Sr.-Roseville, MN), Will LaJeunesse (Sr.-Belle Plaine, MN) and Brandon Christnovich (So.-Onalaska, WI) finished sixth with a time of 3:18.58, earning three points for the Blugolds to secure the program's second national title with 53 points.
UW-Whitewater finished in second with 49 points while UW-La Crosse was third with 40.
On the women's side, Sarah Glidden (Jr.-Greenville, WI/Hortonville) took third in the high jump with a height of 1.69 meters while the 4x4oo-meter relay team of Amber Harris (So.-Coon Rapids, MN), Jessie Reineck (Jr.-Greenville,WI/Fox Valley Lutheran), Ashleigh Buergi (So.-Green Bay, WI) and Jessica Rupnow (Sr.-Sussex, WI/Sussex-Hamilton) finished seventh with a time of 3:53.65.
