SUPERIOR, Wis. – The Yellowjacket men's track and field team, winners of the past seven Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) indoor track and field championships, opened up the 2024 portion of its schedule Saturday, hosting the Twin Ports Open at Lydia Thering Fieldhouse.
 
It was a strong day in both the track and field events for the Yellowjacket men, as they brought home 16 finishes in the top five, including three event wins.
 
Leading the way was standout Garrett Lynch (Portage, Wis./Portage). The junior won a pair of events Saturday, setting the stage for what could be his best year yet as a Yellowjacket. Lynch was the top finisher in the 60-meter hurdles, where he finished with a time of 8.69 seconds, which established a new personal record. Lynch was also victorious in the pole vault, finishing with a mark of 4.10 meters.
 
The other Yellowjacket first-place finish came from Ben Babcock (Blue Earth, Minn./Blue Earth Area), who won the triple jump with a mark of 12.24 meters. Babcock added a runner-up finish in the long jump, placing second with a mark of 6.56 meters.
 
Staying in the field events, thrower Nate Ohman (Lake Nebagamon, Wis./Northwestern) had a pair of fifth-place finishes. Ohman had marks of 15.25 meters in the shot put and 15.54 meters in the weight throw.
 
In the running events Ethan Westimayer (Laona, Wis./Laona) placed second in the 200-meter dash, coming across the line with a time of 23.17 seconds. Edward Hakanson (Foxboro, Wis./Superior Senior) earned a fourth-place finish in the 60-meter dash, coming in with a time of 7.24 seconds, setting a new personal record.
 
Michael Butterfield (Bovey, Minn./Greenway) and Zach Reese (Zimmerman, Minn./Spectrum) were neck-and-neck in the mile, placing fourth and fifth, respectively. Butterfield had a time of 4:34.83, while Reese finished in 4:35.13.
 
Meet Notes

• St. Scholastica, Minnesota Duluth and Lakehead also competed Saturday in addition to the Yellowjackets.
• The Yellowjackets had 18 personal records and 11 season bests Saturday.
• Lynch also had a fifth-place finish in the long jump.
• Ohman set a personal record in the weight throw, and his mark in the shot put ranks him first in the UMAC, sixth in the NCAA North Region and 21st in NCAA Division III.
• The 4-x-400-meter relay team, consisting of Bryce Boldt (Waupaca, Wis./Waupaca), Reese, Ben Plackner (Bovey, Minn./Greenway) and Hakanson placed second with a time of 3:44.24.
• The 4-x-200-meter relay earned a third-place finish with a time of 1:36.06. The unit consisted of Hakanson, Ethan Defoe, Boldt and Westimayer.
• Other top-five finishes came from Marshall Swanson (Ashland, Wis./Ashland) in the 400-meter dash (57.75 seconds), Jordan Goldfine (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) in the long jump (6.43 meters – personal record), Jason Thomas (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) and Isaac Hanson (Hayward, Wis./Hayward) in the pole vault. Thomas cleared a mark of 3.80 meters and Hanson set a personal record with a mark of 3.35 metetrs.

The Yellowjackets will travel to UW-Stout to compete in the two-day Warren Bowlus Invite. The events will begin Friday afternoon at the Sports and Fitness Center in Menomonie, Wis.