PLATTEVILLE, Wis. (Blugolds.com) - The UW-Eau Claire men's track & field team wrapped up the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships by finishing sixth of nine teams after two days of competition.
The Blugolds racked up 69.50 points en route to the sixth place finish. UW-La Crosse earned its 21st consecutive team championship with 175 points, narrowly edging out UW-Oshkosh with 174. UW-Whitewater finished third with 140 points.
During Saturday's competitive events, two Blugolds picked up runner-up finishes. Mitch Sebranek (Jr.-Hillsoboro, Wis./Hillsboro) placed second in the 400-meter hurdle race by completing the race in just 54.56. Andrew Storsveen (Sr.-Winona, Minn.) scored a second in the decathlon, surpassing a provisional qualifying mark with a final score of 6,310 points. He also set a new school record, which was previously 6,189 points by Curt Hepp set on April 9, 1988.
Jake Zander (Sr.-Chippewa Falls, Wis./McDonell) earned third in the 1,500-meter run. He crossed the finish line in just 3:57.11. Jacob Dennis-Oehling (Fr.-Whitewater, Wis.) also nailed a top-five finish with his fifth place effort in the 400-meter dash. He recorded a time of 48.39, a provisional qualifying mark.
The Eau Claire relay teams picked up both a fifth and sixth place finish. In the 4x100 relay, Seth Friedrich (Fr.-Pine Island, Minn.), Dennis-Oehling, Kirk Schmidt (Sr.-Athens, Wis.) and Nate Kelly (Jr.-Green Bay, Wis./Ashwaubenon) combined for fifth with a tie of 42.60. Marty Richardson (Jr.-Appleton, Wis./Kimberly), Kelly, Sebranek and Patrick Mackin (Jr.-Green Bay, Wis./Notre Dame Academy) clocked in at 3:17.61 for sixth in the 4x400.
Tyler Genovese (Jr.-Stevens Point, Wis./SPASH) led from the field today, placing fourth in the discus throw. Genovese recorded a toss of 50.38 meters (165-03), surpassing the provisional qualifying standard.
Eau Claire will participate in the three last chance events over the next few weeks to prepare for the NCAA Division III Nationals beginning May 26 in Delaware, Ohio. The first last chance event is the two-day North Central competition set to begin at 3 p.m. Thursday.
