COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – The Yellowjacket men's track and field team commenced the outdoor portion of their season Friday, taking part in the CSB/SJU Optimistic Invite. This meet was originally scheduled for Saturday, but with inclement weather anticipated throughout the Midwest, teams from across the region got to start the year 24 hours earlier.
 
The 'Jackets took advantage of the early start to the campaign, achieving multiple PR's and solidifying national rankings in multiple events throughout the day.
 
Meet Notes

• Beginning in the 110-meter hurdles, Garrett Lynch (Portage, Wis./Portage) finished the race in third in 15.56 seconds. This time now holds as NCAA Division III's 31st best mark.
• Grabbing fifth place in the 200-meter dash was Garrett Kroells (Green Isle, Minn./Sibley East), garnering a 23.09 second finish. His time in the 400-meter nearly cracked the top ten and served as a new personal record at 52.02 seconds.
• Zach Reese (Zimmerman, Minn./Spectrum) claimed the top spot in the 800-meter race. His time of 2:02.11 was over a second faster than the rest of the field.
• Dominick Meisner (Bloomer, Wis./Bloomer) (2:08.99), Maverick Hoogland (Catawba, Wis./Phillips) (2:10.21) and Deryck Parduhn (Ashland, Wis./Ashland) (2:11.17) finished sixth through eighth in the 800-meters, with Meisner and Hoogland garnering personal records. Also cracking the top ten was Marshall Swanson (Ashland, Wis./Ashland), crossing the line at 2:17.52.
• In the 1,500-meter race, the Yellowjacket duo of Dylan Uitto (Ashland, Wis./Ashland) and Aidan Doherty (Wild Rose, Wis./Wild Rose) finished in fifth and sixth place, respectively. Uitto's mark of 4:07.62 was good for a PR, while Doherty finished in 4:08.29.
• The only Yellowjacket to compete in the 10,000-meter race was Kieran Johnson (South Range, Wis./Northwestern). He finished the race in 33:35.73, setting a new high-water mark while ranking 91st in the nation.
• Carson Wilhorn (Necedah, Wis./Necedah) led off the fielding events with a new PR in the discus, finishing with a mark of 39.61 meters. He chucked the hammer 44.96 meters, setting a new high-water mark while ranking 67th in all of NCAA Division III.
• Bo Waletzko (Superior, Wis./Superior) set a new PR in the hammer throw, ranking tenth overall with a 41.98-meter heave.
• The javelin throws saw Earl Foster (Forest Lake, Minn./Spectrum) finish second overall, setting a new PR at 56.14 meters, while the long jump pit featured Will Schorr (Superior, Wis./Superior) finishing sixth with a leap of 6.33 meters.
• Chance Davis (Superior, Wis./Superior) took eighth place in the triple jump, finishing with a mark of 11.13 meters.
• Four Yellowjackets saw themselves rank nationally in the pole vault. Lynch finished second with a leap of 4.29 meters, ranking 46th overall. Jason Thomas (Superior, Wis./Superior) logged a fifth-place finish with a mark of 4.14 meters, ranking 63rd in the nation. Rene Sems (Ashland, Wis./Ashland) (3.99 meters) and Jackson Fiamoncini (Ashland, Wis./Ashland) (3.84 meters) rounded out the national rankings, taking tenth and 15th place respectively. Sems currently sits 86th in NCAA Division III while Fiamoncini sits in a four-way tie of 101st place.

 
Superior returns to action next Saturday, traveling to Klas Field to partake at the Hamline Invite. Events are set to start at 10 a.m. in Saint Paul, Minn.