PLATTEVILLE, Wis. (Blugold.com) – The UW-Eau Claire men's track and field team earned nine top-five finishes, seven individual and two relays, at the UW-Platteville Invitational hosted at the UW-Platteville Track and Field Complex.
Sprinter Thurgood Dennis (Sr.-Allouez, WI/Green Bay Notre Dame) was the lone Blugold to earn first place honors by winning the 400-meter dash with a time of 48.55 seconds. It was the first time Dennis has competed in the open 400 this outdoor season.
Thrower Roger Steen (Sr.-Luck, WI) turned in two top-three performances in the shot put and the hammer throw. Steen placed third in the shot put with a throw of 55-9 feet (16.99 meters) while finishing third in the hammer throw with a toss of 179-0 (54.56 meters). It was Steen's best throw in the hammer throw by over eight feet this season.
Matt Dietlin (So.-Fitchburg, WI/Verona Area) finished fourth in the high jump clearing 6-4.75 feet (1.95 meters). Cory White (Sr.-Tomah, WI) was close behind Dietlin placing third in the high jump topping out at 6-2.75 feet (1.90 meters).
Matthew Cooper (Jr.-Ashwaubenon, WI) earned a fifth-place finish in the 1,500-meter run posting a time of 3:55.31. Cooper is the second Blugold this season to break the four-minute barrier in the 1,500. Joe Meister (Jr.-Plymouth, MN/Wayzata) finished fifth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 10:19.15.
The Blugolds were strong in the 4 x 400-meter relay having two squads finish in the top three. The team of White, Cody Prince (Sr.-Appleton, WI/North), Connor Drexler (So.-Baraboo, WI) and Will LaJeunesse (Jr.-Belle Plaine, MN) finished second with a time of 3:17.29. Taking third place was the team of Jake Pientok (So.-Whitehall, WI), Dennis, DJ Meagher (Jr.-Onalaska, WI/Holmen) and Jimmy Paske (So.-Minnetonka, MN/Hopkins) posting a time of 3:19.52.
The Blugolds return to the track this Thursday and Friday (April 16-17) where they will compete in the Phil Esten Multi and Challenge in La Crosse, WI. Action is set to begin at 3:00 p.m.
-KCM-
