Blaskowski sweeps 60 and 200 championships, Schoemann wins 800 and Gregg prevails in 3,000 for Eagles, who add to Division 3 legacy; Alley triumphs in pentathlon and high jump, with Seipel earning long jump victory for Loras, which holds off Washington and record-setting 800 by Kelley

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Photos by Phil Bond

Wisconsin-La Crosse’s path to the men’s team title last year was one of the most thrilling finishes in NCAA Division 3 Indoor Championships history, edging MIT by a half-point for the crown.

The Eagles’ journey to their record 20th men’s team championship was a runaway Friday and Saturday at the Virginia Beach Sports Center.

Wisconsin-La Crosse relied on Sam Blaskowski sweeping the 60-meter dash and 200-meter titles, along with Cael Schoemann capturing the 800 and Ethan Gregg securing victory in the 3,000 to triumph with 74 points, the highest score by the winning men’s team at the Division 3 indoor final since Wartburg accumulated 99 points in 2012.

The entire men’s podium represented the same state, with Wisconsin-Eau Claire placing second with 52 points, Wisconsin-Oshkosh taking third with 51 points and Wisconsin-Whitewater finishing fourth at 37 points.

RESULTS | PHIL BOND PHOTOS

Grace Alley led Loras College to its second women’s team championship in three years, winning the pentathlon and high jump crowns, in addition to placing fourth in the triple jump and contributing to a sixth-place finish in the 4x400 relay. Emma Seipel also added a long jump championship for Loras.

The Duhawks edged the 49-point effort from Washington University, led by Emma Kelley’s Division 3 record 2:04.13 in the 800. Johns Hopkins took third with 33 points, just ahead of Rochester at 32 points.

Kelley eclipsed the 2:05.39 performance achieved by Esther Seeland of Messiah in 2022. Emily Richards of Ohio Northern produced an oversized track effort of 2:05.28 in 2018.

Fiona Smith became the first female athlete in Division 3 history to achieve the distance double of winning the 3,000 and 5,000 in consecutive years. Smith clocked 9:25.97 in the 3,000, with Claremont-Mudd-Scripps’ Natalie Bitetti running 9:31.74.

Despite a late surge by NYU standout Grace Richardson (16:26.75), Smith held on for the 5,000 victory in 16:26.40.

Alley, the Division 3 record holder in the pentathlon, captured the championship with 3,843 points.

She also secured the high jump title with a first-attempt clearance at 5-8.50 (1.74m), in addition to her 39-8.50 (12.10m) effort in the triple jump and helping Loras clock 3:50.59 in the 4x400.

Alley also achieved a 10th-place leap in the long jump at 18-2.25 (5.54m).

Grace Hadley also won twice, setting a championship meet record in the mile with her 4:42.36 effort that lowered the mark of 4:43.17 achieved last year by Emory’s Annika Urban.

Hadley also delivered a dramatic comeback in the distance medley relay, helping WPI overcome an eight-second deficit on the anchor leg to triumph by an 11:34.53 to 11:34.73 margin against Central College.

Amelia Kokernak, Isabel Hallal and Elise Deshusses teamed with Hadley to capture the DMR crown.

Mount Union’s Kenadee Wayt demonstrated why she is the most well-rounded sprinter in the division, winning the 200 in 24.10 and prevailing in the 400 in 54.72. Wayt also finished second in the 60-meter dash final in 7.55, with Lauren Jarrett of Wisconsin-La Crosse taking the title in 7.41.

Alexis Boykin, a junior at MIT, won the shot put and weight throw championships.

Boykin delivered a sixth-round effort of 65-6.75 (19.98m) in the sixth round to triumph in the weight throw. She prevailed in the shot put with a fourth-round mark of 48-6.25 (14.79m).

Madeline O’Connell, Ashley Heffernan, Nora Chen and Megan Bell clocked 3:45.21 for Rochester to capture the 4x400 relay crown.

O’Connell also cleared 12-10.25 (3.92m) on her first attempt to win the pole vault title.

Natalia Sawyer of Buffalo State emerged victorious in the 60-meter hurdles in 8.55, in addition to finishing second in the 400 in 54.86.

Victoria Kadiri of Johns Hopkins and Seipel were involved in an exciting long jump final, both producing marks of 19-8 (5.99m) in the final round.

Seipel earned the victory based on a better second effort against Kadiri by a 19-5.50 (5.93m) to 19-5.25 (5.92m) margin.

Kadiri repeated in the triple jump with a 41-9.25 (12.73m) performance.

Blaskowski clocked 6.68 in the 60-meter final for Wisconsin-La Crosse, matching the championship meet record of Thurgood Dennis from Wisconsin-Eau Claire in 2014.

Blaskowski added the 200 title in 20.93.

Schoemann held off Sam Verkerke of Wisconsin-Eau Claire by a 1:50.56 to 1:50.59 margin in the 800.

Christian Patzka of Wisconsin-Whitewater and Gregg traded victories in the distance events.

Gregg clocked 8:07.80 in the 3,000, with Patzka placing second in 8:10.71.

Patzka earned the win in the 5,000 in 13:59.92 and Gregg was runner-up in 14:00.30.

Jake Gladieux of Trine held off Dubuque’s Blake Hardison 7.953 to 7.958 in the 60-meter hurdles.

Lance Jensen of SUNY Geneseo edged Puget Sound’s Alexander Rhodes by a 46.95 to 46.97 margin in the 400 final.

Bennett Both-Gent from Pomona-Pitzer triumphed in the mile in 4:04.23, with Eric Anderson of UC Santa Cruz clocking 4:05.57.

Mount Union’s Jared Storm, Justin Knoch, Haden Gibson and Matt McBride achieved the championship meet record by clocking 3:11.52, taking down the 3:11.64 effort from SUNY Geneseo last year.

Frank Csorba, Jacob Hodnett, Sam Llaneza and Chasen Hunt prevailed in 9:47.17 in the men’s DMR, eclipsing the championship meet record of 9:49.22 set last season by SUNY Geneseo.

Christian Pfeiffer of Baldwin Wallace cleared 6-10.75 (2.10m) on the third attempt to prevail in the high jump final.

Millikin’s Kyle Hensley cleared 17 feet (5.18m) on his first try to triumph in the pole vault.

Joshua Rivers from Wisconsin-Oshkosh achieved a first-round leap of 24-10.50 (7.58m) to capture the long jump title.

Wisconsin-Whitewater’s Shelvin Garrett II came through in the clutch with a sixth-round effort to secure the triple jump crown at 52-4.75 (15.97m).

Carthage’s Joseph White won the weight throw championship with a 71-foot (21.64m) performance in the fourth round.

Yakob Ekoue of Wisconsin-Eau Claire was victorious in the shot put with a sixth-round mark of 61-4.25 (18.70m), holding off White with a 60-4.50 (18.40m).

Mitch Stegman, Ekoue’s teammate, prevailed in a competitive heptathlon competition with 5,434 points, edging Jackson’s Anderson Williams at 5,419 points.