SUPERIOR, Wis. – On day one of the UMAC Indoor Track and Field Championship, the University of Northwestern Men's Team competed in four track events and had two athletes represent the Eagles in the long jump. Northwestern saw two top-10 individual finishes, while the distance medley relay also secured a top-five result.
DAY ONE:
The top performance of the day came from
Tyler Dueber (Bloomington, Minn./Homeschool) in the 5,000 meters. Dueber ran a strong race to finish second overall with a time of 17:00.51, earning eight valuable points for the Eagles.
John Shevchuk (Ham Lake, Minn./Blaine) competed in the 60-meter dash, running 7.26 to place ninth overall. He narrowly missed qualifying for the finals by just one-hundredth of a second, with the championship final set for Saturday.
The 4,000-meter distance medley relay team, composed of
Will Dorch (Rapid City, S.D./Stevens),
Joshua Ringsmuth (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove),
Peter Kephart (Lake Nebagamon, Wis./Northwestern), and
Samuel Otis (Shoreview, Minn./Homeschool), competed in the event for the first time this season. The group delivered a fifth-place finish in 11:56.92, collecting four points for Northwestern.
The Eagles currently sit in fifth place overall, 10 points behind Bethany Lutheran. They will return to the track tomorrow for day two of the UMAC Championship meet to complete the final 11 events, followed by the award ceremony.
DAY TWO:
The Eagles had 11 athletes compete in day two of the UMAC Indoor Track and Field Championship, closing out the indoor season with several strong efforts and personal bests.
Opening the morning for Northwestern was Ringsmuth in the 800 meters. He raced to a 10th-place finish, turning in a season-best time of 2:09.26.
In the 3,000 meters, the trio of Eagles delivered solid performances. Leading the way for UNW, Dueber recorded a fourth-place finish in 9:36.15.
Caleb Phillips (Poplar, Wis./South Shore) followed with an eighth-place finish, cutting 10 seconds off his previous best to clock a 9:52.82.
Owen Van De Riet (St. Michael, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville) also notched a personal record, shaving 3.5 seconds off his time to finish 11th in 10:03.01.
In the lone field event of the afternoon,
Cody Johnson (Cottage Grove, Minn./New Life Academy) competed in the triple jump. The freshman qualified for three additional attempts in the finals and secured a seventh-place finish with a mark of 11.76m (38'7"), wrapping up a strong debut indoor season.
Wrapping up the Championships, Dorch, Ringsmuth, Kephart, and Otis raced in the 4x400 meter relay. They finished in sixth place with a time of 3:48.58.
Other UNW Results at the Meet:
- Reid Jelks (South St. Paul, Minn./South St. Paul) 15th in long jump - 5.15 (16'10.75")
- Johnson 17th in long jump - 4.95m (16'3")
- Otis 11th and Season Best in the Mile - 5:02.70
- Cody Mercado (Arden Hills, Minn./Fourth Baptist Christian School) 15th in the Mile - 6:15.00
- Dorch 16th in the 60m - 7.58
- Otis 14th in the 800 - 2:11.49
- Kephart 15th and Personal Record in the 800 - 2:11.50
- Dorch 15th in the 200m – 24.75
- Jelks 26th in the 200m – 26.92
The Northwestern Men's Team finished in fifth with 23 points. They will open their outdoor season on March 28th at the Optimistic Open hosted by Saint John's University.
