RIVER FALLS, Wis. - The University of Northwestern Men's Track and Field team competed at the UW-River Falls Winter Invite on Saturday afternoon and continued to lower times across the lineup.
John Shevchuk (Ham Lake, Minn./Blaine) improved his season-best time in the 60 meters for the second consecutive week, placing him fourth in the UMAC. His time of 7.25 was fast enough for a sixth-place finish and a spot in the finals. In the 60-meter final, Shevchuk shaved off a few more hundredths for an even faster season-best time of 7.22, placing eighth overall. Continuing his strong meet, the graduate student also ran a season best in the 200 meters, finishing fifth with a time of 23.54 seconds, moving him up to fifth in the UMAC standings as well.
In the 800 meters,
Samuel Otis (Shoreview, Minn./Homeschool) continued his impressive start to his sophomore season, leading the Eagles and collecting another personal record with an 18th-place finish in 2:09.27. Right on Otis' heels was
Joshua Ringsmuth (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove), who finished 19th with a time of 2:10.53.
The three Northwestern runners in the 3,000 meters turned in solid performances, with
Tyler Dueber (Bloomington, Minn./Homeschool) leading the way by placing 12th in a time of 9:40.63.
Caleb Phillips (Poplar, Wis./South Shore) and
Owen Van De Riet (St. Michael, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville) each ran personal records, finishing 15th and 16th with times of 10:03.07 and 10:07.43, respectively. Van De Riet took 2.9 seconds off his previous PR, while Phillips shattered his mark by nearly 15 seconds.
In the lone field event for the Eagles,
Cody Johnson (Cottage Grove, Minn./New Life Academy) and Otis competed in the long jump. Johnson recorded a jump of 5.48 meters (17' 11.75"), finishing 15th overall. Otis followed with an 18th-place finish after leaping 4.45 meters (14' 7.25").
The meet concluded with a unique event, as the Eagles competed in the mixed 4x400 relay. Featuring runners from both the men's and women's teams, Northwestern finished with a time of 4:11.19.
Peter Kephart (Lake Nebagamon, Wis./Northwestern) led off for the Eagles before passing the baton to Lidia Castro. Castro handed off to Otis, who then passed to Katie Shilts to anchor the race.
Other notable performances from the meet included:
- Will Dorch (Rapid City, S.D./Stevens), season best in the 400 meters (55.98)
- Kephart, personal record in the 800 meters (2:13.61)
- Cody Mercado (Arden Hills, Minn./Fourth Baptist Christian School), personal record in the mile (6:18.11)
The Eagles will be back in action next week in Superior, Wisconsin, at the Mayday Classic on Valentine's Day.
