Saints' Peterson earns third-straight UMAC Outdoor Field Athlete of the Meet honor
ST. PAUL, Minn.---The 2016 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Championship was highlighted by outstanding individual performances from some familiar names and also saw the College of St. Scholastica unseated from the top by newcomer University of Wisconsin-Superior.
Just like the meet, the 2016 Outdoor Track and Field Awards saw familiar faces take the student-athlete awards, while new-to-the-group Glen Drexler was named the UMAC Coach of the Year after leading the Yellowjackets to victory. St. Scholastica senior Jeremy Peterson won his third-straight Field Athlete of the Meet Award, while Chalmer Combellick of the University of Minnesota Morris captured the Track Athlete of the Meet award for the second time in his career.
After threatening for the indoor title, Drexler's Yellowjackets sealed the UMAC Outdoor title in their first season as a conference member by 57.5 points over the Saints – a squad that had won four-straight conference outdoor crowns. Drexler led six different individuals to event titles and coached the 4 x 800-meter relay squad to victory.
Following the first day of competition, Wisconsin-Superior had a comfortable 29.5-point lead over the Saints. On the second day, the Yellowjackets managed to push their lead to nearly double to capture the championship. Drexler's squad recorded 24 top-three event finishes en route to victory.
Though the Yellowjackets shone brightly as a team, no individual stood out more than St. Scholastica's field star Peterson. The senior broke two of his meet records to earn recognition from the UMAC coaches as the top field performer for the third-consecutive year. Friday, Peterson set a new meet record in the hammer throw with a toss of 59.28 meters (194-6) that now ranks No. 3 among all Division III competitors.
Peterson continued his excellence Saturday when he again set a new meet record – this time in the discus throw. The Saints' standout recorded a mark of 46.24 meters (151-8) to win his second event of the weekend. He also palced third in the shot put with a mark of 14.44 meters (47-4.5) to cap off an incredible UMAC career before heading to nationals for a final shot at the hammer title.
On the track, Minnesota Morris' Combellick returned in top form following a break from indoor competition. The junior cruised to title wins in the 800-meter and 1,500-meter run events to earn the top track award – an honor he also earned in 2014. Combellick set the tone for a strong meet when he won the 800-meter run with a time of 2:00.31 that was nearly two seconds faster than the next competitor.
Saturday, Combellick outraced Wisconsin-Superior star Charles Corbett in the 1,500-meter run with a time 4:03.79 that was also nearly two seconds faster. Combellick also ran the final leg of the Minnesota-Morris 4 x 400-meter relay that placed fourth. Less than three seconds separated the top three teams and Combellick helped the Cougars clock a time of 3:31.56.
Combellick and Peterson were two of three athletes who posted multiple individual event wins. Senior Justin Terry of Minnesota Morris defended both of his titles in the 100-meter and 200-meter dash events with impressive wins.
All-conference honors were also awarded athletes who collected a first- or second-place finish in any individual event and to individual members of a first-place relay team. Wisconsin-Superior led the pack with 12 honorees, while the University of Northwestern-St. Paul had seven after winning two of the three relay events. Runner-up St. Scholastica had five award winners and Minnesota Morris boasted four. Martin Luther College also had one all-conference honoree and event winner.
Each year the UMAC recognizes the team sportsmanship award, an accolade that is selected by the UMAC coaches and awarded to the team that best represented sportsmanship throughout the entire season. Champion Wisconsin-Superior earned the honor for the first time. Each team also had one representative on the individual sportsmanship award list.
Track Athlete of the Meet Award – Chalmer Combellick, Jr., Minnesota Morris
Field Athlete of the Meet Award – Jeremy Peterson, Sr., St. Scholastica
Coach of the Year Award – Glen Drexler, Wisconsin-Superior
UMAC All-Conference
| Name |
School |
Year |
Hometown/High School |
| Kyle Anenson |
Northwestern |
Jr. |
Chanhassen, Minn./Chanhassen |
| Rand Bieri |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Fy. |
Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet |
| Todd Brassow |
Martin Luther |
Sr. |
Saginaw, Mich./Michigan Lutheran Seminary |
| Chalmer Combellick |
Minnesota Morris |
Jr. |
Chokio, Minn./Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley |
| Charles Corbett |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Sr. |
Park Falls, Wis./Chequamegon |
| Garrett Crown |
Northwestern |
Fy. |
Ankeny, Iowa/Ankeny Christian Academy |
| Alex Dzikonski |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Fy. |
South Range, Wis./Superior |
| Alexander Fathie |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Jr. |
Rochester, Minn./John Marshall |
| Shamund Gordon |
Minnesota Morris |
Fy. |
Milwaukee, Wis./Rufus King |
| Devan Griffin |
Minnesota Morris |
Fy. |
Iraan, Texas/Iraan |
| Caleb Hohensee |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Jr. |
Antigo, Wis./Antigo |
| Kenneth Jinkins |
St. Scholastica |
Fy. |
Mendota Heights, Minn./Henry Sibley |
| Jordan Koski |
Wisconsin-Superior |
So. |
Park Falls, Wis./Chequamegon |
| Jackson Lindquist |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Sr. |
Thomson, Minn./Esko |
| Wil Maki |
Northwestern |
So. |
Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing |
| LeRoy Malone |
Northwestern |
So. |
Stewartville, Minn./Stewartville |
| Luke McKenzie |
St. Scholastica |
Jr. |
Lindstrom, Minn./Chisago Lakes |
| Adam Molohon |
Northwestern |
Jr. |
Oakdale, Minn./St. Paul North |
| Michael Naumann |
St. Scholastica |
Sr. |
Poplar, Wis./Northwestern |
| Jeremy Peterson |
St. Scholastica |
Sr. |
Hermantown, Minn./Hermantown |
| Christian Pillath |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Fy. |
Coleman, Wis./Coleman |
| Noah Potratz |
Wisconsin-Superior |
So. |
Ripon, Wis./Ripon |
| Jordan Spahr |
Northwestern |
So. |
Pine City, Minn. / Pine City |
| Justin Terry |
Minnesota Morris |
Sr. |
Ripley, Miss./Ripley |
| Thomas Udenberg |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Jr. |
Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet |
| Kevin Wagner |
St. Scholastica |
Sr. |
Cleveland, Minn./Cleveland |
| Anthony Willette |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Sr. |
Wells, Minn./United South Central |
| Brent Wipf |
Northwestern |
Fy. |
Shakopee, Minn./Eagle Ridge Academy |
| Gabe Zielke |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Sr. |
Glidden, Wis./Glidden |
UMAC Individual Event Champions
| Name |
Event(s) |
School |
Year |
Hometown/High School |
| Kyle Anenson |
400-meter Hurdles, 4 x 100-meter Relay
4 x 400-meter Relay |
Northwestern |
Jr. |
Chanhassen, Minn./Chanhassen |
| Todd Brassow |
High Jump |
Martin Luther |
Sr. |
Saginaw, Mich./Michigan Lutheran Seminary |
| Rand Bieri |
4 x 800-meter Relay |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Fy. |
Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet |
| Chalmer Combellick |
800-meter Run, 1,500-meter Run |
Minnesota Morris |
Jr. |
Chokio, Minn./Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley |
| Charles Corbett |
5,000-meter Run, 4 x 800-meter Relay |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Sr. |
Park Falls, Wis./Chequamegon |
| Garrett Crown |
4 x 400-meter Relay |
Northwestern |
Fy. |
Ankeny, Iowa/Ankeny Christian Academy |
| Alexander Fathie |
400-meter Dash |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Jr. |
Rochester, Minn./John Marshall |
| Devan Griffin |
Triple Jump |
Minnesota Morris |
Fy. |
Iraan, Texas/Iraan |
| Caleb Hohensee |
Pole Vault |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Jr. |
Antigo, Wis./Antigo |
| Kenneth Jinkins |
Long Jump |
St. Scholastica |
Fy. |
Mendota Heights, Minn./Henry Sibley |
| Jordan Koski |
4 x 800-meter Relay |
Wisconsin-Superior |
So. |
Park Falls, Wis./Chequamegon |
| Jackson Lindquist |
3,000-meter Steeplechase, 4 x 800-meter Relay |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Sr. |
Thomson, Minn./Esko |
| Wil Maki |
4 x 400-meter Relay |
Northwestern |
So. |
Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing |
| LeRoy Malone |
4 x 100-meter Relay |
Northwestern |
So. |
Stewartville, Minn./Stewartville |
| Adam Moholon |
4 x 100-meter Relay |
Northwestern |
Jr. |
Oakdale, Minn./St. Paul North |
| Jeremy Peterson |
Hammer Throw, Discus Throw |
St. Scholastica |
Sr. |
Hermantown, Minn./Hermantown |
| Jordan Spahr |
4 x 100-meter Relay |
Northwestern |
So. |
Pine City, Minn./Pine City |
| Justin Terry |
100-meter Dash, 200-meter Dash |
Minnesota Morris |
Sr. |
Ripley, Miss./Ripley |
| Thomas Udenberg |
Shot Put |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Jr. |
Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet |
| Kevin Wagner |
110-meter Hurdles |
St. Scholastica |
Sr. |
Cleveland, Minn./Cleveland |
| Brent Wipf |
4 x 400-meter Relay |
Northwestern |
Fy. |
Shakopee, Minn./Eagle Ridge Academy |
| Gabe Zielke |
Javelin |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Sr. |
Glidden, Wis./Glidden |
UMAC Sportsmanship Awards
Team Award – Wisconsin-Superior
Bethany Lutheran – Owen Richardson, Jr., Lake Elsinore, Calif./Califronia Lutheran
Crown – Sam Kes, Jr., Palm Coast, Fla./Dalat School
Martin Luther – Martin Loescher, Jr., Jackson, Wis./Kettle Morraine Lutheran
Minnesota-Morris – Zach Smith, Sr., Mora, Minn./Mora
North Central – Seth Palmer, Fy., Jordan, Minn./Jordan
Northwestern – Kyle Anenson, Jr., Chanhassen, Minn./Chanhassen
St. Scholastica – Aaron Egelkraut, St., Forest Lake, Minn./Forest Lake
Wisconsin-Superior – Isaac Staat, Fy., Albert Lea, Minn.