RIPON, Wis. – Saturday marked the final opportunity for athletes to qualify for the 2024 NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships. For Yellowjacket athletes, that meant a trip to Ripon Final Qualifier.
 
The Yellowjackets had eight athletes competing on the men's side, covering a range of events in both track and field. Despite some strong performances, none of the Yellowjackets were able to improve their marks enough to qualify for the national meet.
 
Ben Babcock (Blue Earth, Minn./Blue Earth Area) had a big day for the Yellowjackets Saturday. He blew away the rest of the competition in the long jump, placing first with a leap of 6.69 meters. Babcock's mark was .29 meters longer than the runner up. In the triple jump Babcock placed eighth, reaching a mark of 11.72 meters.
 
Michael Butterfield (Bovey, Minn./Greenway), who last week claimed three conference championships, placed second in the 5,000 meters with a time of 15:43.96. The time was just shy of a personal record for Butterfield. Kieran Johnson (South Range, Wis./Northwestern) was a little over a minute behind Butterfield in the event, placing fourth with a time of 16:55.17. Johnson was seconds away from setting a new personal record.
 
In the mile, Zach Reese (Zimmerman, Minn./Spectrum) earned a fourth-place finish, coming in with a time of 4:30.71. Reese's time set a new personal record.
 
Closing out the distance races was David Collins (Ironwood, Mich./Luther L. Wright), who placed eighth in the 3,000 meters with a time of 9:07.08.
 
Sprinter Ethan Westimayer (Laona, Wis./Laona) placed fifth in the 200-meter dash, coming in with a time of 23.28 seconds.
 
In the rest of the field, Garrett Lynch (Portage, Wis./Portage) competed in a pair of events. Lynch placed fifth in the high jump, clearing the bar at a height of 1.76 meters. In the pole vault Lynch was sixth, hitting a mark of 3.97 meters.
 
Nate Ohman (Lake Nebagamon, Wis./Northwestern) earned a top-five finish in the shot put, placing fifth with a heave of 14.67 meters.
 
Today was the final event of the 2023-24 indoor season. Next up for the Yellowjackets is a trip to Virginia Beach, Va. for the Virginia Beach Spring Break Invitational March 13-17.