The UW Oshkosh men’s and women’s track and field teams combined to win seven events at the UW-Platteville Invitational on April 16. The meet was a non-scoring event, and UWO head coach Ben Dorsey said both teams competed well against top competition. “It was a breakout week for us,” Dorsey said. “It was probably the best Division III meet in the country last week, so we saw some really good competition. Overall, where we’re at, I was very happy with the performances across the board. We did some really good things.” Senior Kylee Verhasselt won the 800-meter run, and senior Zack Baehman finished in first place in the shot put. Both were rewarded with Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Athlete of the Week honors for their performance. “To be honest, the WIAC Athlete of the Week awards are encouraging and fun to receive, but ultimately the award doesn’t cross my mind when competing and often comes to surprise when received,” Verhasselt said. “My ultimate goal is just to compete the best of my ability each race. I am always looking for progress each race.” Dorsey said he was impressed with Verhasselt’s finish in the 800-meter run. “She was awesome,” Dorsey said. “I’m extremely happy with where she started off, and she’s going to play a huge part in the productivity of the team as the season progresses.” Baehman’s shot put throw was the furthest in Division III so far this season and won him the conference’s athlete of the week honor for the third time in his career. “The WIAC is the dominant conference in D-III track and field,” Baehman said. “I am excited to be named the WIAC Field Athlete of the Week.” Dorsey said he expects even more from Baehman throughout the season. “[Baehman] has just been grinding away,” Dorsey said. “There were some really good throwers there, and he owned it. He’s sitting in first in the country now, and he’s going to go further too. He’s setting up to do big things this outdoor season.” Baehman competed against some of the nation’s top shot put throwers, including UW-Whitewater sophomore Theron Baumann and UW-Eau Claire senior Alex Mess, both of whom outperformed Baehman at the indoor national championship. “If you look at indoor results, I was not expected to win this competition,” Baehman said. “I wanted to win this competition. I wanted to make a statement to those who beat me at indoor nationals.” Other first-place winners for the men’s team were freshman Ryan Powers in the 400-meter dash and junior Danny Trimner in the 400-meter hurdles. On the women’s side, UWO senior Danica Harrison won the 1500-meter run, junior Lizzy Abhold placed first in the hammer throw and the Titans took the 4×100 meter relay with seniors Ashley Holicek and Becklyn Hunter, sophomore Emily Reichenberger and freshman Olivia Seeley. “We saw a lot of [personal records], but the most important thing was we saw people compete,” Dorsey said. “They embraced the moment and weren’t shell-shocked, which can happen at big meets. They did a nice job of keeping their composure.” The UWO men’s and women’s track and field teams will compete in the Phil Esten Challenge on Friday, April 22 at 3 p.m. in La Crosse. “It’s another awesome meet with a great facility and more great weather,” Dorsey said. “For some of our kids, it’s going to be the last meet they can compete in their individual events, so it’s another chance for them to get qualified for conference and hopefully throw down some times that will hold up for nationals. We’re hoping for some big things coming up this weekend.”