The UW Oshkosh track and field team has had a successful season thus far, as both the men’s and women’s teams have not placed lower than third in its eight collective meets.
The men’s team started the season off with a first-place finish on Saturday, Dec. 2 at the UW-Oshkosh Early Bird Invitational. The difference between the the Titans and second place Carthage College was 154 points, as UWO earned a 240 to 86 victory.
Junior sprinter and current UWO Athlete of the Week Ryan Powers and senior distance runner Joe Zack set nation-leading times for their victories in the 200-meter dash (22.01) and the mile (4:09.21), respectively. Powers said he was shocked he was able to break the indoor record at the first meet of the season.
“It was incredibly surprising running such a fast time and breaking the school record so early in the season,” Powers said. “I knew I was running fast in practice before that meet but I had no expectations going into the race besides just winning. Breaking that record gave me hope that this could be a very special year for me in this sport.”
The women’s team has had an even better season than the men’s team thus far, placing second in the Pointer Invitational on Saturday, Feb. 3.
Junior jumper and sprinter Lauren Wrensch has placed in the top three in long jump with two victories under her belt this season. Wrensch said it was very important for the team more than her personal accomplishment to start the season so strong.
“It was rewarding to come out on top this meet,” Wrensch said. “It gives me a lot of confidence as we head into bigger meets with more aggressive competition.”
That more aggressive competition will be coming sooner rather than later. The Titans only have two more meets before the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Indoor Championship in Stevens Point, which begins on Friday, Feb. 23.
Both teams have had a very successful first month of the season, and first year head coach Justin Kinseth said both teams has certain areas that need to be focused on to remain successful.
“Staying humble and staying committed,” Kinseth said. “Being competitive is something we’re working on in practice a lot too. So if we can take away anything from the success that we’ve had, it’s to continue to keep our head down and make sure that we’re grinding through the hard part of the season, which is happening right now.”
With two months of the indoor season left, the Titans are keeping their eyes on the next meet, as Oshkosh heads to UW-Whitewater for the Midwest Invitational on Saturday.
