The UW Oshkosh men’s and women’s track and field teams started their outdoor season competing at the unscored UW-Platteville Pioneer Opener and the Washington University in St. Louis Distance Carnival April 1. 

At the both meets, several UWO athletes put on impressive performances, with seven top-three finishes, three of which were first place.

Junior Eli Tranel claimed the top spot in the pole vault in the Pioneer Open with a mark of 4.75 meters. Sophomore Zach Zirgibel came in second, vaulting 4.60 meters.

Tranel said he emphasizes the importance of easing back into competition after attending conference or national meets.  

“Knocking off the rust and getting used to casual meetups after attending a conference or national meet can take some time,” he said. “It’s important to take a shorter approach and ease your body back into things like these.” 

Tranel said that by easing back into vaulting, he’s able to get creative during the start of the season. 

“When attending conferences and national meets, it’s important to stick to a routine and not experiment with new things,” he said. “However, with early meets, you can try out new strategies and techniques and use them to experiment a bit. This can help improve performance and achieve better results. Just stay focused and not get too distracted by the new ideas you’re trying out.”

Tranel said in the next following meets he hopes to keep improving his numbers as the season progresses. 

“I’m currently working with 15’6’’ poles, but I’m aiming to progress to using 16-foot poles,” he said. “From a bar standpoint, clearing 17 feet is a great number, and I’m eager to achieve that goal.”

Meanwhile, sophomore Nick Vey finished third in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:00.30. 

Men’s throwers had strong performances at the UWP Pioneer Opener in all three throwing events. 

Senior Tay’Jion Johnson finished second in the shot put with a cast of 14.49 meters. Isaiah Isom and Kieran Maude followed in fourth and sixth place, respectively, with throws of 14.30 and 13.97 meters. 

Johnson and freshman Cameron Bendixen finished in the top 20 for the hammer throw, while  Maude, Isom, and freshman Steven Wauer finished in the top 20 for the discus throw.

On the women’s side, Brenna Masloroff led the Titans, finishing first in the hammer throw with a 47.12-meter throw, placing fourth in the discus throw, with a 36.11-meter toss, and third in the shot put with a 12.91-meter throw. 

At the St. Louis Distance Carnival, senior runner Steven Potter had an excellent performance, winning the 1,500-meter race with a time of 3:49.36.

Sophomore Cyna Madigan finished second in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:12.48, followed by senior Libby Geisness in sixth place with a time of 2:17.25. 

Junior Ryan Potter and sophomore Dwight Hosni finished fourth and fifth in the 800-meter run with times of 1:54.82 and 2:00.52, respectively. 

The UWO track and field teams will continue their season April 7 at the UW-La Crosse Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex.