WHITEWATER, Wis. – The Yellowjacket men's track and field team competed at the Drake Alternative, hosted by UW-Whitewater, the final tune-up for the team heading into the upcoming Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Championships.
 
For the first time in the outdoor season, the Yellowjackets were able to compete in optimal outdoor weather, and it's safe to say they took advantage of the chance to compete in the best conditions they've seen this year.
 
Ben Babcock (Blue Earth, Minn./Blue Earth Area) had  great day for the Yellowjackets in the horizontal jumps. Babcock placed fifth in the long jump with a mark of 6.18 meters. In the triple jump Babcock placed seventh with a mark of 12.58 meters. Both marks represented personal records for Babcock.
 
Staying in the field events, senior Nate Ohman (Lake Nebagamon, Wis./Northwestern) had another strong day in the throws. Ohman set a new personal record and placed fourth in the shot put with a mark of 14.85 meters. Ohman also had a 14th place finish in the hammer throw with a heave of 44.47 meters. He closed his day with a mark of 35.08 meters in the javelin.
 
On the track, David Collins (Ironwood, Mich./Luther L. Wright) won his heat in the 800 meter run, coming in with a time of 2:01.85. For Collins, the time represented a new personal record.
 
As he has done throughout the season, both indoors and outdoors, Ethan Westimayer (Laona, Wis./Laona) put in another solid day of work on the track. Westimayer placed seventh overall with a time of 22.29 seconds. The time set a new personal best for Westimayer.
 
Westimayer also played a key role on the Yellowjacket 4-x-100-meter relay team. The Yellowjackets placed third with a time of 44.04 seconds. Westimayer was joined on the team by Steven Pearson (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior), Ethan Boew and Garrett Lynch (Portage, Wis./Portage).
 
In total, the Yellowjackets placed 13 personal records Friday.

Up next for the Yellowjackets is the 2023 UMAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships, scheduled for May 5-6 at the University of Minnesota Morris.