The UW-Eau Claire indoor track and field team competed in the UW-Stevens Point Invite on Saturday, Feb. 3 in Stevens Point. Of eight teams, the women finished the meet with a third place title, while the men trailed slightly, landing fourth places out of seven.

The women left Stevens Point with a total of 116.5 points, defeated only by Northern Michigan (143) and UW-Oshkosh (126). The men collected a total of 72 points, putting them behind UW-Stevens Point (190), UW-Oshkosh (145) and UW-Whitewater (96).

Our Lady Blugolds led the women’s shot put, with Erica Oawster, a junior, taking first with a throw of 46-2.50. Oawster has been named this week’s Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Field Athlete of the Week. Her throw at Saturday’s meet earned her the fifth rank in the NCAA Division III and second in the WIAC. Second place in women’s shot put was obtained by JoHannah Theisen, a senior, with a throw of 44-6.25 and third was taken by Kassandra Lueck, a second-year student, with a throw of 40-08.25, respectively.

Two more first place winners for the women were Kelsey Worachek and Tommie Brenner. Worachek, a senior, won the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.78. Brenner, a junior, won pole vault (11-3.75) and snagged a fourth place position in the 60-meter hurdles (9.43).

Brenner is currently ranked 15th in the country for pole vault, according to the Track and Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS). She said she felt that Saturday’s meet served as a good test for the indoor track and field team, as they were without their distance runners, putting them at a disadvantage in the overall competition.

“We did well keeping ourselves in the running without distance,” she said. “It shows how much talent we really have.”

Though it is fairly early-on in the season, Brenner said she believes the team is really coming together. People are becoming more comfortable and Brenner enjoys watching her teammates get faster and build upon their abilities each week.

Worachek and Brenner along with Glory Hecker and Sasha Riley — both second-years — took second in the 4×400 relay with a time of 4:05.95. Ashleigh Buergi, a senior, took fourth in the 200-meter, with a time of 26.19.

Some notable jumpers are Ashley Agrimson, Sarah Glidden and Lizz Ottusch. Agrimson, a first year, scored second in long jump, with a distance of 17-6.75, and fourth in triple jump, with a distance of 34-0.00. Glidden, a senior, took second in the high jump (5-3.25), while Ottusch, a junior, took fourth (5-1.25).

The men’s 4×400 relay team took top honors at the Pointer Invite, with a time of 3:27.91. The team consisted of Dietrich Schwoerer, Kyle Groven (both second-years), Jordan Lijewski and Nathan Moll (both first-year students). The only other first place scorer for the men was David Kornack, a senior, who won the shot put with a toss of 55-1.00.

Groven said that he was satisfied with the final results of the meet and he praised the skills of his teammates — particularly those on his 4×400 relay team.

“That was probably the best part of the weekend, seeing those guys run so well,” he said. “It was a good team meet overall.”

Groven only had kind words for his fellow athletes, praising their abilities to “not hold back” and crediting them with the success of Saturday’s race.

“At this point in the year, we’re starting to look really good,” said Groven. “I’m excited to run and compete again.”

KJ Munn, a second-year student, took third in the 400-meter dash with a time of 50.72. Fellow Blugolds Aaron Zmolek (50.77) and Hunter Henk (50.90), both second-year students, claimed the fourth and fifth place positions behind Munn. Henk also went on to secure the third place title in the 200-meter with a time of 22.75, while Groven took fourth with a time of (22.81).

Adam Lembke, a first-year student, took fifth in the long jump (21-2.50) while Tyler Jeffries, another first-year, tied for fourth in the high jump with a height of 5-11.25.

The Blugolds indoor track and field team will be on the road again this Friday, competing in the St. Thomas Invite, in the Twin Cities.