March 3, 2004
ELEVEN CHAMPIONS RETURN TO ADD TO THEIR TROPHY CASES
MENOMONIE - Eleven men who have won Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) indoor track and field individual titles will seek to add hardware to their trophy case as they participate in the 36th annual WIAC Indoor Track and Field Championships, March 5-6 at UW-Stout.
Nine are returning champions seeking to defend their titles, and two seek to regain titles that slipped past them last season. Four have won two indoor conference titles in the same event and one may look for his fourth consecutive title in a single event.
UW-La Crosse's Andrew Rock has won the 200-meter dash the last three years, and last year took the title in a record setting time of 21.34-seconds. But Rock has not run the 200 this season, instead concentrating on bettering his time in the 400-meter dash where he is attempting to make the Olympic Trials.
In the 400, Rock has put up by far the best qualifying time, 46.32-seconds, and certainly would have the conference record of 48.23 by Dean Bryan of UW-Stevens Point dead in his sights.
The Eagles' Hans Schmidt is seeking his third pole vault title, winning the medals in 2001 and 2003. Schmidt has gone 17-feet, 9-inches this year, more than a foot over the second best height. Schmidt is looking to clear 18-feet in his bid for the Olympic Trials.
UW-Oshkosh's Kevin Deering is a two-time defending champion in the high jump, as are La Crosse's Jim Nelson in the shot put, and UW-Whitewater's Adam Lendowski in the pentathlon.
Deering won the high jump title in 2002 and 2003. He is currently the top seed (6-8.75), but is being chased by Pointers freshman Mitch Ellis (6-8). Last year's second place finisher, Ryan Shepard of Stevens Point and third place finisher Tom Roszak of Oshkosh return.
Nelson, a senior, is being chased by UW-Eau Claire's John Schuna, a junior. Nelson threw around 55-1 the last two indoor championship meets to win the title and has the top distance of 55-7.50. Schuna has a best toss of 54-9.50, and that came here in Stout's facility in early February.
Lendowski set a conference record last year in the heptathlon, finishing with a score of 4915. The Titans' Deering could also participate in the event, and actually has the higher score for the season.
Looking to defend 2003 titles are: Oshkosh's David Cisewski in the 5000-meter and Jon Zweiger in the 55-hurdles; La Crosse's Matt Pagel in the 55-meter dash and Whitewater's Aaron Henderson in the triple jump.
Cisewski won the 5000-meter last season by six seconds and has a one second lead (14:32.80) in his seeded time over Whitewater's Riley Kehoe (14:33.44). Cisewski will seek to bring back in the 3000 title. He won the event in 2003, but finished second in the event last year.
Zwieger won the hurdle event last year, beating La Crosse's Schmidt and the Pointers' Andrew Schliepp. Schliepp (7.58) has the best time coming in, with Zwieger (7.60) the second best.
Pagel won last year's event by a tenth of a second and has more than a tenth (6.35) over UW-River Falls' Wees Kennedy (6.48).The Eagles' Ben Dorsey was second last season as a freshman.
Henderson has cleared 48 feet in the triple jump just last week. He edged out UW-Platteville's Nick Fix and La Crosse's Chris Walters last year.
Mike Turgeon of UW-La Crosse won the 2002 weight throw title. Platteville's Ryan Kleimenhagen won the 2002 1500-meter run title.
Turgeon finished a distant sixth last season and is currently seeded fifth (58-11.25). Whitewater's Jeremy Wendt (64-10) holds the top distance this year and was runner-up last year.
Kleimenhagen didn't compete last season, but came back to win the 2003 WIAC cross country individual title and finished 11th nationally in the event. Kleimenhagen has the top seed time (3:51.72), but should hear footsteps from Whitewater's Kehoe and the Pointers' Mark LaLonde.
The Eagles have won the last two WIAC Championships and are also the defending NCAA Division III champion. The Eagles have not finished below second since the 1973 season and have won 28 of the 35 conference indoor titles. Oshkosh has won five titles, their last coming in 2001. Stevens Point has won two titles, their last coming in 1978.
