VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (www.bluoglds.com) – The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's and women's track & field teams began their quest for the crowns on Friday as they competed during day one of the 2024 NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships on the campus of Norfolk State. A solid first day for the Blugolds found multiple competitors on the podium and several others qualifying for the finals on Saturday. Both squads earned four points each from podium finishes on the day as the men are tied for 19^th and the women are tied for 22^nd.
 
Yakob Ekoue (Sr. – Hopkins, Minn.) got things started for UW-Eau Claire with a 5^th place finish in the men's weight throw. Ekoue's heave of 19.85 meters added four points to the team's total. The women's weight throw saw two Blugolds with podium finishes. Kayla Behnke (Jr. – Appleton, Wis./Kimberly) recorded a personal best throw of 18.36 meters and placed 6^th. Teagan Jones (Sr. – Lake Zurich, Ill.) tied her personal best with a 17.91-meter throw, to earn 8^th place out of 20 student athletes.
 
In the heptathlon, Mitch Stegeman (Sr. – Coleman, Wis./Suring) and Max Foland (Jr. – Middleton, Wis.) currently sit in 7^th and 8^th respectively as each Blugold earned a pair of top-5 finishes during day one of the multi-competition. The Blugold pair will look to jump up the leaderboard with the 60-meter hurdles, the pole vault, and the 1000 meter race on day two.
 
The men's distance duo of Sam Verkerke (Jr. – White Bear Lake, Minn.) and Mason Shea (Sr. – River Falls, Wis.) both earned themselves a second day of racing as both Blugolds qualified in their respective events. Verkerke finished 10^th in the 800m race and Shea recorded a personal best 4:08.65 during the mile to earn 4^th place.
 
The women's pentathlon held all five events during day one as Jane Kautz (Sr. – Port Washington, Wis.) placed 18^th with 3047 points and Emilee Booker (Jr. – Genoa City, Wis./Badger) placed 19^th with 2713 points. During the women's pole vault, Ayden Fleeharty (Sr. – Viola, Wis./Kickapoo) finished 12^th and Hayley Blagdon (Sr. – Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha North) finished 13^th as the two seniors reached the 3.62 mark.
 
Isaiah Bauer (Fr. – DeForest, Wis.) placed 19^th in the men's pole vault during his first trip to the NCAAs with a mark of 4.58.
 
The men's 4x400 relay team of Sam Schreiber (Jr. – Kimberly, Wis.), Colin McClowry (Jr. – Neenah, Wis.), Kevin Eisenzimmer (Sr. – Mineral Point, Wis.), and Josiah Ziebell (Sr. – Mauston, Wis.) punched their ticket to the finals after a relay best 3:13.93 finish and a 5^th place placement.
 
The Blugolds will be back at the Virginia Beach Sports Center for day two of the NCAA Championships on Saturday, March 9^th. First events are scheduled for 10 a.m. EST/9 a.m. CST.
 
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