Monday, February 28, 2011

UWEC CC/Track - Indoor Update

The UW-Eau Claire women’s and men’s track a field teams had strong performances this past weekend at the Indoor Conference track & field meet, which was hosted by UW-Stout. The women finished 2nd of 9 teams and the men finished 4th of 9 teams. In the middle distance / distance events on the women’s side sophomore Ashlyn Mauer (Sheboygan Falls) won the 5K by less than 1 second in 18:00, which is a 17 second personal best. After the first kilometer Ashlyn took the lead and never relinquished it. Ashlyn did a great job of steadily increasing the pace each kilometer to ensure it wasn’t just a sit and kick race, and, fortunately, this strategy paid off by the narrowest of margins! Ashlyn’s 1K splits were: 3:43, 3:38, 3:36, 3:35 & 3:28 for the final K. The Blugolds placed 3 in the top 8 of the women’s 800. Maria Peloquin (sr.-Prescott) led the trio finishing 3rd overall in a time of 2:19.58. Taylor McMillan (so.-Stoughton) finished 4th in an indoor personal best time of 2:20.20 and Jami Riley (fr.-Fairmont, MN) finished 7th in an overall personal best time of 2:20.95. In the 3K, Dana Griepentrog (Homestead) was the top freshman finisher placing 4th overall in a pr time of 10:42.01. Madison Sawyer (so.-Champlin Park, MN) and Kelly Palmer (sr.-Chaska, MN) weren’t far behind. Madison finished 6th in a pr time of 10:42.68 and Kelly finished 8th in 10:45.13. Alyssa Sybilrud (jr.-Burnsville, MN) held on for 7th place in the Mile with a time of 5:15 and anchored the women’s distance medley relay team (Maria Peloquin – 1200, Halley Ahler – 400 (fr.-Waukesha West), Taylor McMillan – 800) to a Conference Championship. Other Blugold women’s Conference Champions included Kim Miresse (jr.-Waukesha North) who won the 55 Hurdles in a NCAA Provisional Qualifying time of 8.32 and the women’s 4 x 200m relay of Kat Wesely (fr.-LaCrosse Aquinas), Talisa Emberts (jr.-Sussex Hamilton), Kim Miresse and Corinna Saager (sr.-Wausau East).

Here’s a link to the complete indoor conference results for the women:
http://www.uwecblugolds.com/stats/witr/201011/witr_wiac_022611.htm

On the men’s side Thomas Breitbach led the way for the Blugolds winning the 5K in a time of 14:57. The race proved to be quite tactical with the majority of the field passing through the 3K in 9:18. Thomas took the lead with 1300m to go and never looked back. He closed his final 1K in 2:46. Jeremy Kieser (so.-Verona) also had a great 5K finishing 6th overall in a pr time of 15:09. Jeremy, who also passed through the 3K in 9:18, was able to respond very well to the pace change closing his final 2 kilometers in 2:56 and 2:55. In the 3K Aaron Easker (so.-Wittenberg-Birnamwood) finished 2nd overall in a pr time of 8:34. Aaron ran a great race surging to the lead with 800m to go, but, unfortunately, the surge didn’t break the kick of Brian Butzler (Whitewater) who took the lead with 400m to go and won in a time of 8:26. In the mile Jake Zander (sr.-Chippewa Falls McDonell) placed 5th overall in pr time of 4:17, and then came back to anchor the men’s distance medley relay team (Matt Scott – 1200 (fr.-Kiel), Marty Richardson – 400 (jr.-Kimberly), Alex Adkinson – 800 (so.-Whitewater)) to a 3rd place finish.

Here’s a link to the complete indoor conference results for the men:
http://www.uwecblugolds.com/stats/mitr/201011/mitr_wiac_022611.htm

The Blugolds will attempt to qualify more individuals and relays for Nationals this Saturday at the UW-Stevens Point Last Chance Meet. The NCAA Division III Indoor National Meet is at Capital University in Bexley, OH on Friday, March 11th and Saturday, March 12th.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Another Blugold Beginning!

It's been 27 days since practice began.  Yes, it all starts in the gym for spring softball in Wisconsin, but this year's batch of Blugolds has had a great start to the 2011 season.  The team faces each day's tasks and challenges together.  It's amazing to see the spirit of the team already come alive.

There are six days left on the countdown to game one of the season.  This team of UWEC women are heading to Rosemount, Minnesota for two dome double headers on March 5th and 6th.  Saturday, they will be facing St. Thomas at 4:00 and 6:30 PM.  Sunday, they will play Buena Vista of Iowa at 11:00 AM and 1:30 PM.  They are definitely eager to have some real playtime.

Looking ahead, we are eager to say "See ya later!" to the frigid cold and mounds of snow on our campus during spring break.  We will be headed to the Tuscon Invitational Games for ten games in the heat and sun of Arizona.

As of now, each player is working hard on.  I have been so impressed with the combined efforts of these wonderful student athletes.  This team has a great season to come!

- Karen Hansen, Student Manager

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Kearns Trying out for Idaho Steelheads

John KearnsBOISE, Idaho (UWECBlugolds.com) – UW-Eau Claire men’s hockey player John Kearns (Sr.-Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South) recently signed a professional tryout agreement with the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL.

Kearns, a defenseman for the Blugolds the past four years, played in one game against the Ontario Reign (Calif.) for the Steelheads on February 23 and finished with one assist. He will play in two more games this Friday and Saturday, both on the road against the Regin. Following his three-game tryout, the Steelheads will decide if he has earned a spot on the roster and a contract for the rest of the season.

Kearns wrapped up his career with the Blugolds last weekend, playing in all 27 games this season. In his career, he played in 104 games and scored four goals while picking up 21 assists. Two of his goals were game-winners.

The Idaho Steelheads compete in the ECHL (East Coast Hockey League) and are a minor league affiliate of the NHL’s Dallas Stars.

Steelheads' Release from Wednesday Night

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Men's Indoor Track & Field Drops Slightly in Rankings

The UW-Eau Claire men's indoor track and field team fell three spots to No. 25 in the latest USTFCCCA NCAA Division III top 25 national poll.

The Blugold men, who are ranked sixth regionally, fell only slightly from their No. 22 national ranking a week ago. They were ranked as high as 16th this season.

The women are ranked seventh in the Midwest region as both teams head into the WIAC Championships this weekend.

National Rankings

Regional Rankings

Monday, February 21, 2011

UWEC CC / Track - Indoor Update

The past two weeks have been exciting for the UW-Eau Claire men’s and women’s middle distance / distance runners. Two weeks ago the Blugolds were in Platteville competing at the UW-Platteville Invitational, and Thomas Breitbach (jr.-Muskego) had a breakout race in the 5K winning in a PR and national qualifying time of 14:35. Thomas passed through the 3K mark with the lead pack in 8:50 and then separated from the field running 2:54 and 2:51 for his final 2 K’s. Thomas won by 13 seconds. Michael Borglin (so.-Whitewater) also had a strong day in the 5K finishing 9th overall in a PR time of 15:18. In the men’s 800 Jake Zander (sr.-Chippewa Falls McDone1l) ran an indoor PR of 1:57.17 to finish 6th, and Aaron Easker (so.-Wittenberg-Birnamwood) broke 2 minutes in his indoor 800 debut with a time of 1:58.58.

On the women’s side Ashlyn Mauer (so.-Sheboygan Falls) ran a 37 second PR in the 5K finishing 2nd overall in 18:17. Ashlyn, who ran by herself the majority of the race, did a great job of running near even splits (1K splits: 3:39, 3:40, 3:37, 3:41 & 3:39 for her final 1K). Madison Sawyer (so.-Champlin Park) won the 3K in a PR time of 10:47. In the mile Maria Peloquin (sr.-Prescott) finished 3rd in 5:14 and Jami Riley (fr.-Fairmont, MN) finished 6th in a PR time of 5:22. Shaina Weatherhead (fr.-Robbinsdale Cooper, MN) won the 2nd section of the 800 in a PR time of 2:25.

Here’s a link to the complete Platteville Results:
http://www.uwecblugolds.com/stats/mitr/201011/itr_uwp_021211.htm

This past Saturday the men and women competed at the Eastbay Invitational in Stevens Point. The men’s distance medley relay team of Jake Zander, Patrick Mackin (jr.-GB Notre Dame), Alex Adkinson (so.-Whitewater) and Aaron Easker had a great race finishing 3rd overall in a school record and national qualifying time of 10:02.06. The splits for the relay were: Jake Zander, 1200 – 3:03.8; Patrick Mackin, 400 – 49.0; Alex Adkinson, 800 – 1:57.7 and Aaron Easker, 1600 – 4:11.3. In the 800 freshman Joe Martschinke (Waukesha West) and Bryan Krause (Webster) had indoor PR’s of 1:59. In the 5K Jeremy Kieser (so.-Verona) finished 2nd with a PR time of 15:19 and freshman Eric Knutson (Brookfield Central) ran 15:48, which is his first time under 16 minutes. Matt Scott (fr.-Kiel) finished 5th overall in season’s best of 8:57 in the 3K.

Although many of the middle distance / distance women took the weekend off in preparation for conference there were some very strong performances from the younger runners on the team. In the mile Nicole Blahnik (so.-Antigo), Erica Tiffany (so.-Mounds View) and Shaina Weatherhead all PR’d with times of 5:24, 5:25 and 5:28. In the 3K Victoria Janasz (fr.-Elk River, MN) had a great day finishing 4th overall in a PR time of 10:55.

Here’s a link to the complete Eastbay Results:
http://www.uwecblugolds.com/stats/mitr/201011/itr_eastbay_021911.htm

The WIAC Indoor Conference Meet is this Saturday, February 26th at UW-Stout. Running events start at 1 pm. Here’s a link to meet information:
http://www.wiacsports.com/sports/2011/1/6/MITRACK_0106114848.aspx?path=witrack

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Men's Indoor Track & Field Ranked Nationally

For the second week in a row, the UW-Eau Claire men's track and field team appeared in national rankings.

The Blugolds are ranked 22nd in the latest USTFCCCA NCAA Division III top 25 national poll.

Complete Week Four National Rankings

Week Four Regional Rankings

Thursday, February 10, 2011

UW-Eau Claire CC / Track - Indoor Update

The UW-Eau Claire men’s and women’s track & field teams competed at UW-Stevens Point this past Saturday. It was a good day for the Blugolds with the men finishing 1st of 12 teams and the women finishing 2nd of 13 teams. On the men’s side in the middle distance / distance events Alex Adkinson (so.-Whitewater) won the 800 in 1:57.19 and Bryan Krause (fr.-Webster) set an indoor personal best of 2:00.43 to finish 10th. In the mile Blugold Alum Chris Wirtz set a fast pace through 1K to help Aaron Easker (so.-Wittenberg-Birnamwood), Jake Zander (sr.-Chippewa Falls McDonnel) and Matt Scott (fr.-Kiel) to indoor personal bests. Easker finished 2nd overall in 4:16, Zander finished 3rd in 4:18 and Scott finished 5th in 4:22. Jeremy Kieser (so.-Verona) finished 7th in the 3K in 8:51, which is a 5 second pr, and Michael Borden (so.-Holmen) finished 2nd in the 5K with a time of 16:00.

On the women’s side Maria Peloquin (sr.-Prescott) won the 800 by over 4 seconds with an indoor personal best of 2:18.34. Jami Riley (fr.-Fairmont, MN), Taylor McMillan (so.-Stoughton) and Nikki Rendler (fr.-Lodi) also set indoor PR’s in the 800. Riley finished 2nd in 2:22.51, McMillan was 4th in 2:23.95 and Rendler finished 5th in 2:24.01. Madison Sawyer (so.-Champlin Park, MN) led the way in the mile finishing 3rd in 5:17. Ashlyn Mauer (so.-Sheboygan Falls) and Dana Griepentrog (fr.-Homestead) weren’t far behind finishing in 5th (5:18) and 7th (5:19). In the 3K Kacey Rindy (jr.-Fennimore) finished 2nd by a mere 0.12 seconds in a time of 10:54, and Teresa Coughlin (jr.-Coon Rapids, MN), Charissa Drake (jr.-Parkview), and Katie Thoe (fr.-Menomonie) finished 2nd (19:20), 3rd (19:20) and 4th (19:25) overall in the 5K.

For a complete list of results please go to:
http://www.uwecblugolds.com/stats/mitr/201011/itr_pointer_020511.htm

The next meet for the Blugolds is this Saturday at UW-Platteville followed by UW-Stevens Point next Saturday, February 19th and Indoor Conference on Saturday, February 26th at UW-Stout.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Men's Indoor Track & Field Breaks into National Rankings

For the first time this season, the UW-Eau Claire men's indoor track and field team is in the USTFCCCA NCAA Division III top 25 national poll.

After strong performances in the opening weeks of the season, the Blugolds are ranked 16th in the poll.

View Complete Rankings