BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – UW-Superior's Garrett Lynch (Portage, Wis./Portage) entered the 2023 NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships as the No. 18 seed in the men's heptathlon. For the uninformed, the heptathlon is what is known as a "multi," where an athlete will compete in seven events over multiple days, and accumulate points with each result. In the end, the athlete who accumulates the most points is crowned the winner.
 
So being seeded No. 18, that means Lynch was the 18th best heptathlete in NCAA Division III. In the first day of competition Friday, Lynch totaled up 2,522 points and jumped up three spots to No. 15.

What would he do for an encore Saturday at the Birmingham CrossPlex?
 
With three events on day two – 60-meter hurdles, pole vault and 1,000 meter run, Lynch dug in and dialed up a pair of personal records to finish the 2023 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, bringing his point total to 4,638 points and bumping him one spot, giving him a 14th place finish in the nation.
 
Not bad for a guy competing in the heptathlon for just the third time.
 
Also in action Saturday was Gage Stankiewicz (Esko, Minn./Esko). The sophomore thrower, who was a spectator Friday, finally got his chance to compete Saturday, after qualifying for the NCAA Championships in the shot put. A year ago as a freshman, Stankiewicz qualified for nationals and placed 12th. Things were a little different this year, however, as Stankiewicz, who hit his qualifying mark Jan. 28, has recently been battling an injury.
 
Entering action as the No. 20 seed, Stankiewicz moved up one spot Saturday, finishing the championships with a mark of 14.81 meters, placing him 19th in NCAA Division III. With two years as a collegiate athlete, and two trips to nationals, Stankiewicz has made his mark as one of the best throwers in the nation.
 
The story of the weekend for UW-Superior, however, was Lynch.
 
Day two for Lynch started with the 60-meter hurdles, and Lynch clocked in at 8.90 seconds. The mark wasn't a personal record, but it also wasn't far off. Lynch followed that performance with a new personal record in the pole vault, where he posted his best finish of the weekend. Lynch cleared the bar at a height of 4.40 meters, bettering his previous mark by a tenth-of-a-meter. He placed third in the pole vault.
 
In the final event, Lynch brought home another personal record, shaving six seconds off his previous best, clocking a time of 3:04.98.
 
Lynch's strong finish was still outside the window to be named All-American, however, as only the top eight finishers are named All-American.
 
The indoor season has come to an end, and now the Yellowjackets will have some down time until the start of the outdoor season. The first competition is the Hamline Invitational, scheduled for Saturday, April 1.