OSHKOSH, Wis.- The UW-Oshkosh men's track & field team started its season at the UW-Oshkosh Early Bird Invitational/Multi on Friday and Saturday (Dec. 5-6) and ended the weekend with a pair of new school records.
In the first scored event of the meet, the Titans came out swinging, sweeping the top eight spots in the 3,000-meter run. Coming off his All-America finish at the cross country national championship,
Cameron Cullen (Kewaunee/Kewaunee) led the squad in 8:19.48.
Alex Peterson (Oconto Falls/Gillett) grabbed second place in 8:36.15 and
Trent Chadwick (Poynette/Poynette) finished third in 8:45.38.
The Titans swept the top four spots in the 400-meter dash, led by a facility and a program flat 200-meter track record of 48.06 seconds from
Tyran Bender (Bradley, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais Community). Rounding out the top three were
Sean Malay (Denmark/Denmark) in 49.96 and
Eli Kerner (Eagle River/Northland Pines) in 51.03.
The Titans' heptathlon crew also took home the top three finishes, with
Cavan Dobberstein (Manawa/Fox Valley Lutheran) taking gold with a score of 4,964 points.
Bryce Smith (De Pere/West De Pere) and Marcus Middlestadt rounded out the podium. Smith scored a 4,948 and Middlestadt scored a 4,934.
Jason Skinkis (Seymour/Seymour) took the win in the mile with a time of 4:19.41.
Henry Kennedy (Carpentersville, Ill./Dundee-Crown) finished third in the 60-meter dash in a time of 7.02 seconds.
The men's 800-meter dash was also a top-three sweep for Oshkosh with
Lucas Nicholson (Pewaukee/Pewaukee) and
Jett Breed (Oswego, Ill./Oswego) leading the way. Nicholson won in 1:56.31 and Breed was second in 1:56.53.
Luke Beeksma (/) completed the sweep, finishing third in 1:57.84.
Dylan Doss (Sterling, Ill./Sterling) dominated the 200-meter dash by setting the Titans' program record in 21.44 seconds.
Nolan Milas (Virgil, Ill./Burlington Central) was runner up in the event with a time of 21.81.
The Titans ended the meet by winning the 4x400 meter relay. The team of
Jett Breed (Oswego, Ill./Oswego),
Luke Beeksma (/),
Noah Callahan (Barlett, Ill./South Elgin), and Nicholson brought home the gold in a time of 3:29.53.
In the field, the Titans swept the top four in the long jump. National record-holder
Joshua Rivers (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) won with a jump of 7.76 meters.
Caleb Wright (Oswego, Ill./Oswego) finished second with 7.43 meters, and Doss took third with a jump of 7.12 meters.
Gavin Fritsch (Little Chute/Little Chute Career Pathways Academy) won the weight throw with a toss of 20.62 meters and
Bryce Hale (Appleton/Kimberly) was runner-up with an 18.25-meter cast.
The Titans earned the first through fifth positions in the shot put, highlighted by a
Cameron Bendixen (DeForest/DeForest) win with a best put of 16.49 meters.
Kieran Maude (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) and
Gavin Fritsch (Little Chute/Little Chute Career Pathways Academy) rounded out the podium with Maude throwing 15.97 meters and Fritsch throwing 15.88 meters.
In the high jump,
Kyle Wisniewski (New London/New London) took the win, jumping 2.00 meters.
Joshua Rivers (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) doubled back after long jump, finishing in second at 1.95 meters.
David Nkwogu and
Christian Wallace (Kenosha/Indian Trail) took the top two spots in the triple jump in their first collegiate meet, with Nkwogu jumping 14.46 meters, and Wallace jumping 14.38 meters.
The Titans grabbed two more medals in the pole vault.
Ethan Stukenberg (Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville) placed second with a vault of 4.65 meters and
Ethan Pinkerton (Oshkosh/Oshkosh West) took third with a vault of 4.50 meters.
The Titans will return to action after the new year for the annual Alumni & Friends Invitational, which will be hosted at Kolf Sports Center on Saturday, January 17.
