Two Falcons set school records at WIAC track and field championships

The UW-River Falls men's and women’s track and field teams competed at the WIAC Outdoor Championships on May 1-2 in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

The championships took place over two days where both the men and women had good performances on each side. The men were led by two strong performances from junior David Paynotta and senior Jordan Crockett.

Paynotta continued his impressive streak of performances by breaking the school record in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.34. The time helped him place second in the event. Paynotta also placed third in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.22, which was a season best for him in the event. Paynotta knew before the event that he had to perform at his very best in order to do well at the championships.

“I did know that I would have to run personal best times to do well at the meet," Paynotta said. "Our conference is the best Div. III conference in the nation. There are a number of sprinters from our conference that are going to be participating in this year’s national meet.”

Paynotta was not the only one who broke a school record at the WIAC Outdoor Championships. Crockett broke the school record in the 200-meter dash with a time of 20.94. The time helped Crockett place second in the event. Crockett also placed seventh in the 100-meter dash. For Crockett, breaking the school record was an example of his hard work paying off.

“Before the season began I set some goals for myself and one of them was to hit a time in the 200-meter dash of 21.3," Crockett said. "Which I accomplished this weekend. As a senior it is a great feeling to see all of my hard work and dedication payoff.”

Junior Daniel Borash and junior Matt Griffin both had season-best times at the meet. Borash placed sixth with a season-best time in the 5000-meter run with a time of 15:32.54. Griffin placed fourth in the 400-meter hurdles with a season best time of 54.59.

Sophomore Sherahlynn Linkert had the best finish out of all the women. She placed fifth in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:04.37. The women’s 4x100-meter relay team placed sixth with a time of 49.38. The team consisted of Linkert, freshman Angie Reed, sophomore Grace Curran and freshman Jacinta Roggenbuck.

Junior Nicole Manteuffel placed eighth in the high jump with a leap of 5-2 1/2 which was a season-best leap for her.

“I think that my team performed to the best of their ability," Linkert said. "Everyone knew that this was the time to shine and to show their hard work off from the training we have been doing since the beginning. To compete at the WIAC is a great experience.”

Both the men and women placed eighth at the meet. The men had a score of 41 1/3 points while the women finished with 16 1/3 points.

The Falcons had two individuals who were named to the WIAC All-Sportsmanship team. Senior Anna Reimer and junior Matt Pechacek both were named to the team during the meet.

The men's and women’s track and field teams will compete in the UW-La Crosse Eagle Open on May 8.