By Angela Kelm
Asst. Athletic Director for Sports Informatin
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men’s track and field team finished second of eleven teams in the annual Leonard “Squig” Converse Invitational in Whitewater Friday. Shelvin Garrett II led the Warhawks with a program record in the triple jump – a mark that is also the best in Division III so far this season.
The meet is split into two days of competition with the men competing Friday and the women on Saturday. UW-La Crosse won the men’s meet with a total of 180 followed by UWW with 119. UW-Stevens Point captured third with a score of 76.5 followed by MSOE (69), Carthage (56), St. Norbert (30.5), Wisconsin Lutheran (20), Elmhurst (15, Augustana (6), Concordia Wisconsin (6) and North Central (5).
Garrett II registered a career-best to win the triple jump Friday. His mark of 15.41 meters (50-6.75) broke the over 10-year-old program record by over two inches and is the best mark in Division III so far this season. Garrett II added a second-place finish in the long jump. He tallied another career-best with a mark of 7.15 meters (23-5.50).
Myles Anderson claimed gold in the fastest event of the evening – the 60-meter dash. He edged the competition with a career-best 6.85 while teammate Issac Stanger finished seventh with a clocking of 7.11. Kobe Chandler added first place points to the team total with a time of 50.16 to lead a three-Warhawk contingent in the top eight in the event.
Gunner Schlender posted a five-second career-best to win the 3,000 with a time of 8:13.59. Christian Patzka was less than a tenth of a second back for silver.
Marlon Cystrunk and Tamir Thomas finished back-to-back in the 60-meter hurdles with times of 8.39 and 8.43 respectively. Chandler and Anderson followed suit in the 200 with matching times of 22.54. Chandler got the nod for third place by just .002.
In the final event of the day, UWW’s Drew Davey, Colin Lewandowski, Rhett Reuter and Justin Krause combined for a time of 3:32.88 – good for fourth in the 4×400 meter relay.
After the first four events of the men’s heptathlon, Jack McGinn holds second with 2442 points. Ben Bunton is fourth with a total of 2420. The heptathlon will conclude with the 60-meter hurdles, pole vault and 1000-meter Saturday.
Additional Top 8 Finishers: Ben Bojar (6th – 200); Chris Kalies (7th – 200, 5th – 400); Andy VanZile (8th – 200); Brad Heller (6th – 400); Reuter (4th – 800); Krause (5th – 800); Dan Anderson (8th – 3000); Josh Krystosek (4th – high jump); Jared Sudbrink (6th – high jump); Spencer Steffen (7th – high jump); Brady Schaller (6th – pole vault)
