Champion Yellowjackets lead UMAC Outdoor post-meet honors list
ST. PAUL, Minn.---The University of Wisconsin-Superior won the program's fifth Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Outdoor Track and Field Championship in program history Saturday and first since 2019. For their efforts, the Yellowjackets are being rewarded with four of the top postseason honors.
The Yellowjackets' Gage Stankiewicz was named the Field Athlete of the Meet and Rookie of the Year – honors he also collected during the indoor season – while Ethan Westimayer was tabbed the Track Athlete of the Meet and Earl Foster was Co-Top Point Scorer of the Meet. Jamon Howard of the University of Northwestern was the other Co-Top Point Scorer, and Martin Luther College's Doug Lange was voted Coach of the Year by his peers.
Stankewicz continued his dominant rookie season for the Yellowjackets with two event wins and a runner-up finish Saturday. The thrower won the shot put with a mark of 15.59 meters (51-1.75) that was 16 centimeters shy of the UMAC record and currently ranks just outside of NCAA Division III qualifying at 22nd-best. He also grabbed a win in the discus throw with a toss of 42.42 meters (139-2) that was six feet better than the next competitor in the field. Stankiewicz also earned a second-place finish in the hammer throw on Friday.
Westimayer was just as dominant on the track for the Yellowjackets as Stankiewicz was on the field. He scored 26 points across five different events. He placed first in the 400-meter dash with a time of 51.71 and was the runner-up in the 200-meter dash clocking 22.38. On Friday, the sophomore ran the second-fastest 100-meter dash prelim time of 11.12 before finishing sixth Saturday at 11.25. He also was part of both Yellowjacket first-place relays including the anchor leg of the 4 x 100-meter relay with a time of 43.72.
Foster and Howard tied for the most overall points in the meet with 29.5 points each. Foster helped the Yellowjackets to victory with a first-place performance in the javelin with a mark of 49.25 meters (161-3). The sophomore also won the 400-meter hurdles (1:00.75), was second in the 110-meter hurdles (16.29) and scored in the high jump. Howard earned an Eagle victory in the long jump with a mark of 6.75 meters (22-1.75) that was .03 meters off the UMAC record with a legal wind reading. The senior was second in the triple jump recording 13.32 meters (43-8.5) with wind-aid. He was also third in the 100-meter dash (11.07), fifth in the 200-meter dash (22.96) and place in the 4 x 100-meter relay.
Lange's Knights were impressive finishing second behind the ever-dominant Yellowjackets. The Knights were just 10.5 points behind following the first day of competition to put the pressure on the leaders. Lange's team improved from fourth to second in one season and was 88 points better than the 2021 finish. The Knights won two events and had three All-UMAC finishers, but scored most points with depth in multiple events.
The all-conference list includes individuals who placed first or second in an event and individuals of first-place relay squads. The were 12 individuals – including Foster, Howard, Stankiewicz and Westimayer – who earned at least two All-UMAC finishes. The other eight include Jakin Anderson (Bethany Lutheran College), Michael Butterfield (Wisconsin-Superior), Tyler Finger (Wisconsin-Superior), Jake Marzinske (Bethany Lutheran), Iain Matheson (Wisconsin-Superior), Carson Oestreich (Martin Luther), Steven Pearson (Wisconsin-Superior) and Will Schorr (Wisconsin-Superior).
North Central University 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.
Co-Top Scoring Athlete of the Meet Award – Earl Foster, So., Wisconsin-Superior
Co-Top Scoring Athlete of the Meet Award – Jamon Howard, Sr., Northwestern
Track Athlete of the Meet Award – Ethan Westimayer, So., Wisconsin-Superior
Field Athlete of the Meet Award – Gage Stankiewicz, Fy., Wisconsin-Superior
Rookie of the Year Award – Gage Stankiewicz, Fy., Wisconsin-Superior
Coach of the Year Award – Doug Lange, Martin Luther
UMAC All-Conference
| Name |
Event(s) |
School |
Year |
Hometown/High School |
| Jakin Anderson |
1,500-meter Run (2nd),
3,000-meter Steeplechase (2nd) |
Bethany Lutheran |
Sr. |
Belle Plaine, Minn./Minnesota Valley Lutheran |
| Riley Ashburn |
High Jump (2nd) |
Bethany Lutheran |
Fy. |
Renville, Minn./Renville County West |
| Derek Burgin |
400-meter Dash (2nd) |
North Central |
Fy. |
Moline, Ill./Moline |
| Michael Butterfield |
3,000-meter Steeplechase (1st),
5,000-meter Run (2nd) |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Fy. |
Bovey, Minn./Greenway |
| Tyler Finger |
800-meter Run (1st), 1,500-meter Run (1st) |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Sr. |
Clintonville, Wis./Clintonville |
| Earl Foster |
Javelin (1st), 400-meter Hurdles (1st),
110-meter Hurdles (2nd) |
Wisconsin-Superior |
So. |
Forest Lake, Minn./Spectrum |
| Jamon Howard |
Long Jump (1st), Triple Jump (2nd) |
Northwestern |
Sr. |
Fargo, N.D./Fargo South |
| Grady Larsen |
4 x 800-meter Relay (1st) |
Minnesota Morris |
So. |
Frazee, Minn./Frazee |
| Tanner Lee |
Discus Throw (2nd) |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Sr. |
Siren, Wis./Siren |
| Garrett Lynch |
Pole Vault (1st) |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Fy. |
Portage, Wis./Portage |
| Joel Knopp |
4 x 800-meter Relay (1st) |
Minnesota Morris |
Jr. |
St. Joseph, Minn./Apollo |
| Jake Marzinske |
Triple Jump (1st), 110-meter Hurdles (1st),
Long Jump (2nd) |
Bethany Lutheran |
So. |
St. Paul, Minn./St. Croix Lutheran |
| Iain Matheson |
4 x 100-meter Relay (1st), 4 x 400-meter Relay (1st) |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Fy. |
Superior, Wis./Superior |
| Josiah Nielsen |
400-meter Hurdles (2nd) |
Northwestern |
So. |
Roseville, Minn./Concordia Academy |
| Cody Nye |
Shot Put (2nd) |
Minnesota Morris |
Jr. |
Soldotna, Alaska/Soldotna |
| Carson Oestreich |
100-meter Dash (1st), 200-meter Dash (1st) |
Martin Luther |
Fy. |
Norfolk, Neb./Pierce Public |
| Steven Pearson |
4 x 100-meter Relay (1st), 4 x 400-meter Relay (1st) |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Jr. |
Superior, Wis./Superior |
| Luke Petersen |
Hammer Throw (1st) |
Minnesota Morris |
Sr. |
Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif./Trabuco Hills |
| Gregory Peterson |
4 x 800-meter Relay (1st) |
Minnesota Morris |
So. |
Nashwauk, Minn./Greenway |
| Will Schorr |
100-meter Dash (2nd) 4 x 100-meter Relay (1st),
4 x 400-meter Relay (1st) |
Wisconsin-Superior |
So. |
Superior, Wis./Superior |
| Zach Scheuerlein |
Javelin (2nd) |
Martin Luther |
Fy. |
Thiensville, Wis./Luther Prep |
| Micah Schibbelhut |
Pole Vault (2nd) |
Martin Luther |
Fy. |
Onalaska, Wis./Luther |
| Rory Shackelford |
4 x 800-meter Relay (1st) |
Minnesota Morris |
Jr. |
Sacred Heart, Minn./Yellow Medicine East |
| Gage Stankiewicz |
Shot put (1st), Discus Throw (1st),
Hammer Throw (2nd) |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Fy. |
Esko, Minn./Esko |
| Kayden Sund |
High Jump (1st) |
North Central |
Sr. |
Golden, Colo./Golden |
| Jeremiah VanAcker |
5,000-meter Run (2nd) |
Crown |
So. |
Scandia, Minn./Forest Lake |
| Ethan Westimayer |
400-meter Dash (1st), 4 x 100-meter Relay (1st)
4 x 400-meter Relay (1st), 200-meter Dash (2nd) |
Wisconsin-Superior |
So. |
Laona, Wis./Laona |
| Nathan Wildauer |
800-meter Run (2nd) |
Bethany Lutheran |
So. |
Port Washington, Wis./Luther Prep |
UMAC Individual Event Champions
| Name |
Event(s) |
School |
Year |
Hometown/High School |
| Michael Butterfield |
3,000-meter Steeplechase |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Fy. |
Bovey, Minn./Greenway |
| Tyler Finger |
800-meter Run, 1,500-meter Run |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Sr. |
Clintonville, Wis./Clintonville |
| Earl Foster |
400-meter Hurdles, Javelin |
Wisconsin-Superior |
So. |
Forest Lake, Minn./Spectrum |
| Jamon Howard |
Long Jump |
Northwestern |
Sr. |
Fargo, N.D./Fargo South |
| Grady Larsen |
4 x 800-meter Relay |
Minnesota Morris |
So. |
Frazee, Minn./Frazee |
| Garrett Lynch |
Pole Vault |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Fy. |
Portage, Wis./Portage |
| Joel Knopp |
4 x 800-meter Relay |
Minnesota Morris |
Jr. |
St. Joseph, Minn./Apollo |
| Jake Marzinske |
Triple Jump, 110-meter Hurdles |
Bethany Lutheran |
So. |
St. Paul, Minn./St. Croix Lutheran |
| Iain Matheson |
4 x 100-meter Relay, 4 x 400-meter Relay |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Fy. |
Superior, Wis./Superior |
| Carson Oestreich |
100-meter Dash, 200-meter Dash |
Martin Luther |
Fy. |
Norfolk, Neb./Pierce Public |
| Steven Pearson |
4 x 100-meter Relay, 4 x 400-meter Relay |
Wisconsin-Superior |
So. |
Superior, Wis./Superior |
| Luke Petersen |
Hammer Throw |
Minnesota Morris |
Sr. |
Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif./Trabuco Hills |
| Gregory Peterson |
4 x 800-meter Relay |
Minnesota Morris |
So. |
Nashwauk, Minn./Greenway |
| Will Schorr |
4 x 200-meter Relay |
Wisconsin-Superior |
So. |
Superior, Wis./Superior |
| Rory Shackelford |
4 x 800-meter Relay |
Minnesota Morris |
Jr. |
Sacred Heart, Minn./Yellow Medicine East |
| Gage Stankiewicz |
Shot Put, Discus Throw |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Fy. |
Esko, Minn./Esko |
| Kayden Sund |
High Jump |
North Central |
Sr. |
Golden, Colo./Golden |
| Jeremiah VanAcker |
5,000-meter Run |
Crown |
So. |
Scandia, Minn./Forest Lake |
| Ethan Westimayer |
400-Meter Dash, 4 x 100-meter Relay, 4 x 400-meter Relay |
Wisconsin-Superior |
So. |
Laona, Wis./Laona |
UMAC Sportsmanship Awards
Team Award – North Central
Bethany Lutheran – Jakin Anderson, Sr., Belle Plaine, Minn./Minnesota Valley Lutheran
Crown – Jeremiah Osterlund, Fy., Rochester, Minn./Rochester Area Association of Home Educators
Martin Luther – Jonas Landwehr, Jr., Miami Springs, Fla./Divine Savior Lutheran Academy
Minnesota-Morris – Conor Thornbrugh, Fy., Lee's Summit, Mo./Lee's Summit North
North Central – Jackson Omeja, Fy., Marshall, Wis./Marshall
Northwestern – Q Middleton, Sr., Lakewood, Colo./Green Mountain
Wisconsin-Superior – Ethan Westimayer, So., Laona, Wis./Laona