Vikings' Marzinske, Storm's VanAcker headline UMAC men's indoor track and field awards
ST. PAUL, Minn.---The 2021 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Men’s Indoor Track and Field Championship was highlighted by the University of Wisconsin-Superior winning its fifth-consecutive team title which earned Head Coach Glen Drexler the UMAC Coach of the Year honors.
The other top highlights include Jake Marzinske of Bethany Lutheran College and Jeremiah VanAcker of Crown College each taking two of the top post-meet awards. Marzinske was crowned the Top Scoring Athlete of the Meet and the Field Athlete of the Meet, while VanAcker was selected as the Track Athlete of the Meet and the Rookie of the Year.
Under Drexler's leadership, the Yellowjackets won by a margin of 54 points taking first in four events including a repeat title in the 4 x 200-meter relay. Nine student-athletes earned all-conference recognition for the Yellowjackets with three earning the honor in at least two events. Those individuals include Tyler Finger, Brett Goplen and Andrew Grabarkewitz.
After earning Rookie of the Year honors last winter, the Vikings' Marzinske wasted no time in becoming the top performer at the conference meet winning three events and finishing with a remarkable 40 total points of the team's 61. The sophomore took first in the high jump (1.75 meters/5-8.75) and triple jump (13.62 meters/44-8.25) as an individual and was also part of the winning 4 x 400-meter relay squad (3:44.30). In the field events, Marzinske tallied 28 total points adding a second-place finish in the long jump (6.39 meters/20-11.75) to his two title wins. His other points came from a second-place performance in teh 60-meter hurdles (9.19) and contributions to a second-place 4 x 200-meter Relay (1:38.34) finish.
In a one-day format, what VanAcker accomplished on the track as a rookie is nothing short of remarkable. The first-year earned the top track honor sweeping the distance events. He started the day with a win in the 3,000-meter run (9:26.03) before taking the mile run (4:38.35) title. VanAcker concluded his first UMAC meet with a third victory in the 5,000-meter run (17:05.65). In just three collegiate indoor meets this winter, VanAcker was undefeated in all seven races he competed in this year.
The all-conference list includes individuals who placed first or second in an event and individuals of first-place relay squads. The were nine individuals who earned at least two All-UMAC finishes including Finger, Goplen, Grabarkewitz, Malcolm Lumsden (College of St. Scholastica), Marzinske, Jericho Peterson (St. Scholastica), Travaris Ricks (University of Northwestern), Justin Robinson (University of Minnesota Morris) and VanAcker.
Northwestern won the team sportsmanship award, an accolade that is selected by the UMAC coaches and awarded to the team that best represents sportsmanship throughout the entire season. Each team also had one representative named to the individual sportsmanship award list.
Top Scoring Athlete of the Meet Award – Jake Marzinske, So., Bethany Lutheran
Track Athlete of the Meet Award – Jeremiah VanAcker, Fy., Crown
Field Athlete of the Meet Award – Jake Marzinske, So., Bethany Lutheran
Rookie of the Year Award – Jeremiah VanAcker, Fy., Crown
Coach of the Year Award – Glen Drexler, Wisconsin-Superior
UMAC All-Conference
| Name |
Event(s) |
School |
Year |
Hometown/High School |
| Jakin Anderson |
4 x 400-meter Relay (1st) |
Bethany Lutheran |
Jr. |
Belle Plaine, Minn./Minnesota Valley Lutheran |
| Isaac Boedigheimer |
Distance Medley Relay (1st) |
St. Scholastica |
Sr. |
Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet |
| Lucas Bourgeault |
Distance Medley Relay (1st) |
St. Scholastica |
So. |
Esko, Minn./Esko |
| Devon Byers |
Distance Medley Relay (1st) |
St. Scholastica |
So. |
Ironwood, Mich./A.D. Johnston |
| Samuel Eben Ebai |
60-meter Dash (2nd) |
St. Scholastica |
So. |
Yaounde, Cameroon/P.S.S. Mankon |
| Tyler Finger |
800-meter Run (1st), Mile Run (2nd) |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Sr. |
Clintonville, Wis./Clintonville |
| Brett Goplen |
60-meter Hurdles (1st), High Jump (2nd) |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Sr. |
Hugo, Minn./St. Croix Lutheran |
| Andrew Grabarkewitz |
Pole Vault (1st), 400-meter Dash (2nd) |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Fy. |
Grand Rapids, Minn./Grand Rapids |
| Dylan Kennedy |
4 x 400-meter Relay (1st) |
Bethany Lutheran |
So. |
Fairmont, Minn./Fairmont |
| Cameron Larson |
5,000-meter Run (2nd) |
Northwestern |
Jr. |
Long Prairie, Minn./Long Prairie-Grey Eagle |
| Tanner Lee |
Weight Throw (2nd) |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Jr. |
Siren, Wis./Siren |
| Malcolm Lumsden |
60-meter Dash (1st), 200-meter Dash (1st) |
St. Scholastica |
Sr. |
Kingston, Jamaica/Kingston College |
| Jake Marzinske |
Triple Jump (1st), High Jump (1st), 4 x 400-meter Relay (1st), 60-meter Hurdles (2nd), Long Jump (2nd) |
Bethany Lutheran |
So. |
St. Paul, Minn./St. Croix Lutheran |
| Derrick Moe |
800-meter Run (2nd) |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Sr. |
Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet |
| Cody Nye |
Shot Put (2nd) |
Minnesota Morris |
So. |
Soldotna, Alaska/Soldotna |
| Josiah Otis |
Pole Vault (2nd) |
Northwestern |
Sr. |
Freeport, Maine/Homeschool |
| Steven Pearson |
4 x 200-meter Relay (1st) |
Wisconsin-Superior |
So. |
Superior, Wis./Superior |
| Jericho Peterson |
400-meter Dash (1st), 200-meter Dash (2nd) |
St. Scholastica |
So. |
Mountain Iron, Minn./Mountain Iron-Buhl |
| Mitchell Peterson |
4 x 200-meter Relay (1st) |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Fy. |
Foley, Minn./Foley |
| Travaris Ricks |
Long Jump (1st), Triple Jump (2nd) |
Northwestern |
So. |
Brooklyn Center, Minn./Maranatha Christian Academy |
| Justin Robinson |
Shot Put (1st), Weight Throw (1st) |
Minnesota Morris |
Jr. |
Zimmerman, Minn./Zimmerman |
| Nathan Smoller |
Distance Medley Relay (1st) |
St. Scholastica |
Fy. |
Montpelier, Vt./U-32 |
| Lennon Shimon |
4 x 200-meter Relay (1st) |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Jr. |
Albert Lea, Minn./Albert Lea |
| Grant Strukel |
3,000-meter Run (2nd) |
Minnesota Morris |
Fy. |
Forest City, Iowa/Blue Earth |
| Jeremiah VanAcker |
Mile Run (1st), 3,000-meter Run (1st),
5,000-meter Run (1st) |
Crown |
Fy. |
East Bethel, Minn./Forest Lake |
| Ethan Westimayer |
4 x 200-meter Relay (1st) |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Fy. |
Laona, Wis./Laona |
| Nathan Wildauer |
4 x 400-meter Relay (1st) |
Bethany Lutheran |
Fy. |
Port Washington, Wis./Luther Prep |
UMAC Individual Event Champions
| Name |
Event(s) |
School |
Year |
Hometown/High School |
| Jakin Anderson |
4 x 400-meter Relay |
Bethany Lutheran |
Jr. |
Belle Plaine, Minn./Minnesota Valley Lutheran |
| Isaac Boedigheimer |
Distance Medley Relay |
St. Scholastica |
Sr. |
Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet |
| Lucas Bourgeault |
Distance Medley Relay |
St. Scholastica |
So. |
Esko, Minn./Esko |
| Devon Byers |
Distance Medley Relay |
St. Scholastica |
So. |
Ironwood, Mich./A.D. Johnston |
| Tyler Finger |
800-meter Run |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Sr. |
Clintonville, Wis./Clintonville |
| Brett Goplen |
60-meter Hurdles |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Sr. |
Hugo, Minn./St. Croix Lutheran |
| Andrew Grabarkewitz |
Pole Vault |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Fy. |
Grand Rapids, Minn./Grand Rapids |
| Dylan Kennedy |
4 x 400-meter Relay |
Bethany Lutheran |
So. |
Fairmont, Minn./Fairmont |
| Malcolm Lumsden |
60-meter Dash, 200-meter Dash |
St. Scholastica |
Sr. |
Kingston, Jamaica/Kingston College |
| Jake Marzinske |
Triple Jump, High Jump, 4 x 400-meter Relay |
Bethany Lutheran |
So. |
St. Paul, Minn./St. Croix Lutheran |
| Steven Pearson |
4 x 200-meter Relay |
Wisconsin-Superior |
So. |
Superior, Wis./Superior |
| Jericho Peterson |
400-meter Dash |
St. Scholastica |
So. |
Mountain Iron, Minn./Mountain Iron-Buhl |
| Mitchell Peterson |
4 x 200-meter Relay |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Fy. |
Foley, Minn./Foley |
| Travaris Ricks |
Long Jump |
Northwestern |
So. |
Brooklyn Center, Minn./Maranatha Christian Academy |
| Justin Robinson |
Shot Put, Weight Throw |
Minnesota Morris |
Jr.. |
Zimmerman, Minn./Zimmerman |
| Lennon Shimon |
4 x 200-meter Relay |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Jr. |
Albert Lea, Minn./Albert Lea |
| Nathan Smoller |
Distance Medley Relay |
St. Scholastica |
Fy. |
Montpelier, Vt./U-32 |
| Jeremiah VanAcker |
Mile Run, 3,000-meter Run, 5,000-meter Run |
Crown |
Fy. |
East Bethel, Minn./Forest Lake |
| Ethan Westimayer |
4 x 200-meter Relay |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Fy. |
Laona, Wis./Laona |
| Nathan Wildauer |
4 x 400-meter Relay |
Bethany Lutheran |
Fy. |
Port Washington, Wis./Luther Prep |
UMAC Sportsmanship Awards
Team Award – Northwestern
Bethany Lutheran – Aaron Kabengele, Fy.
Crown – Colton Pausch, So., Pelican Rapids, Minn./Homeschool
Minnesota-Morris – Jeffrey McEarchern, Sr., Rochester, Minn./Rochester Century
North Central – Jack Campbell, Jr., Saint Paul, Minn./South Saint Paul
Northwestern – Josiah Otis, Sr., Freeport, Maine/Homeschool
St. Scholastica – Dylan Leff, Jr., Mountain Iron, Minn./Mountain Iron-Buhl
Wisconsin-Superior – Tyler Finger, Sr., Clintonville, Wis./Clintonville