LA CROSSE, Wis. (Blugolds.com) - UW-Eau Claire men's track & field runner Jake Zander (Sr.-Chippewa Falls, Wis./McDonell) set a school record and provisionally qualified for nationals on the final weekend of last chance meets before nationals.
Zander won the 1,500-meter run at the La Crosse Last Chance meet Thursday with a time of 3:50.71, breaking the Blugolds' old school record by more than a half-second. The previous school record of 3:51.25 was set on May 10, 2002 by Rich Maleniak, also in La Crosse.
In addition to Zander, four other Blugolds reached provisional qualifying marks in their respective events.
Jacob Dennis-Oehling (Fr.-Whitewater, Wis.) took second place in the 400-meter dash with a time of 48.27 to reach the provisional time.
In the field, Tyler Genovese (Jr.-Stevens Point, Wis./SPASH) took second in the discus with a toss of 51.76 (169-10). Joe Lilek (Jr.-Tomahawk, Wis.) was third in the shot put with a throw of 15.85 (52-0) while Tony Sigrist (Jr.-Byron, Minn.) finished fourth in the hammer throw with a distance of 56.24 (184-06).
A few Blugolds also competed Friday in the Oshkosh Last Chance meet but no one reached automatic or provisional qualifying marks.
Next up is the 2011 NCAA Division III Outdoor Championship. Nationals will be contested May 26-28 in Delaware, Ohio.
