Kolka, Watson break school records as Men's Outdoor Track and Field competes in WashU Distance Carnival, Yellow Jacket Open

Kolka, Watson break school records as Men's Outdoor Track and Field competes in WashU Distance Carnival, Yellow Jacket Open
March 30, 2024
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ST. LOUIS, Mo. & CEDARVILLE — Junior Conor Kolka (Dexter, Mich./Dexter) and sophomore Jeremy Watson (Sugar Grove, Ohio/Berne Union) broke school records in the 10,000 meters and pole vault, respectively, to highlight a busy weekend for the Wittenberg men's outdoor track and field team at the WashU Distance Carnival and Yellow Jacket Collegiate Open.

The Basics

  • Venues: WashU Distance Carnival - Bushyhead Track - St. Louis, Mo.; Yellow Jacket Collegiate Open - Yellow Jacket Track & Field Complex - Cedarville, Ohio
  • Kolka competed in the 10K on Day 1 of the WashU Distance Carnival on Thursday night. On Friday's Day 2, freshman Lukas Rieben (Clayton, Ohio/Northmont) competed in the 5,000 meters, and sophomores Lucas Eisele (West Carrollton, Ohio/West Carrollton) and Evan Haemmerle (Avon, Ohio/Avon) ran in the 10,000 meters. The remainder of Wittenberg's team competed at the Yellow Jacket Open on Saturday.
  • The Yellow Jacket Open was team scored, as the top eight placers among collegiate competitors scored team points. The Tigers finished second of 15 in the team standings with 133.5 points. NCAA Division II Cedarville won the team title with 150.5 points, and Wilmington was third with 75 points.
  • Due to the weather, the pole vault competition at the Yellow Jacket Open was held indoors at the Doden Field House.

Wittenberg's Top Performers - WashU Distance Carnival

  • Kolka placed 11th of 141 runners in the 10,000 meters at the WashU Distance Carnival with a time of 29:42.25. He broke his own school record of 30:07.18, which he set last season. Eisele was 70th with a time of 31:48.98, and Haemmerle was 101st in 32:51.36.
  • Rieben placed 93rd of 278 runners in the 5,000 meters at the WashU Distance Carnival with a time of 15:25.41.

Wittenberg's Top Performers - Yellow Jacket Open

  • Watson broke the school record in the outdoor pole vault, winning the event at the meet with a mark of 4.68 meters. The prior school record was 4.57 meters set by Ken Kroviak in 1971. Freshman Kane Cissell (LaGrange, Ky./Oldham County) was fifth in the event with a mark of 3.93 meters, and sophomore Gage Dyke (Frankfort, Ohio/Zane Trace) was eighth with a mark of 3.78 meters.
  • The Tigers posted a 1-2 finish in the 400 meters, as senior Zeke Bennett (Hilliard, Ohio/Bradley) won the event in 49.21 seconds while junior Cameron Elliott (Springfield, Ohio/Springfield) placed second in 49.34 seconds.
  • Freshmen Caiden Allen (Ontario, Ohio/Plymouth) and Neal Godfrey (Columbus, Ohio/St. Francis DeSales) and seniors JJ Weisenberger (Collins, Ohio/Western Reserve) and Matt Rogers (Leander, Texas/Rouse) won the 4x100 relay in 42.55 seconds.
  • Junior Dominic Cork (Cambridge, Ohio/Cambridge) placed second in the javelin with a mark of 45.00 meters. He was first among collegiate competitors. Junior Justin Norris (Middletown, Ohio/Middletown Christian) was sixth with a mark of 41.28 meters.
  • Norris added a second-place finish in the high jump with a mark of 1.95 meters. Sophomore Grayson Ring (Tipp City, Ohio/Tippecanoe) was fifth with a mark of 1.85 meters, and freshman Luke Amburgey (LaGrange, Ky./Oldham County) was eighth with a mark of 1.75 meters.
  • Cissell added a second-place finish in the triple jump with a mark of 12.73 meters.
  • Junior Bryce Ray (Sun City, Fla./Sumner) placed second in the long jump with a mark of 6.57 meters. Junior Jack Houck (Stow, Ohio/Archbishop Hoban) was third with a mark of 6.34 meters, and freshman Marc Galvis (Marysville, Ohio/Marysville) was fifth with a mark of 6.01 meters.
  • Freshman Jayden McKinster (Springfield, Ohio/Springfield) finished third in the discus with a mark of 46.74 meters.
  • Freshman Owen Bier (Elyria, Ohio/Midview) placed third in the 400-meter hurdles in 58.24 seconds.
  • Allen added a fourth-place finish in the 100 meters in 10.82 seconds. Weisenberger was eighth in 11.09 seconds.
  • Freshman Max Martindale (Mason, Ohio/Lakota West) was fifth in the shot put with a mark of 13.35 meters. McKinster was eighth with a mark of 12.63 meters.
  • Senior Sam Callinan (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont) placed sixth in the 110-meter hurdles in 16.52 seconds, and Bier was eighth in 16.98 seconds.
  • Ring placed eighth in the 200 meters in 22.11 seconds.

Quote - Head coach Paris Hilliard

  • "I am really excited about today's performances. We are starting to put things together as a team. I am looking forward to the upcoming meets."

Up Next

  • The Tigers return to action on Saturday, April 6, at the Marv Frye Invitational at Ohio Wesleyan.