Men's Track and Field Posts a Great Year
MEQUON, Wis. - The CUW men's track and field team put together another solid season during the 2023 outdoor and indoor seasons as they competed in 14 different events through the winter and spring.
As a team, the Falcons placed a season-best fifth on three separate occasions. Individually, CUW athletes etched their names into the Concordia track and field record books throughout both seasons, as many placed inside the top 10 in program history for their event.
On January 14, the Falcons traveled to Carthage to compete in the Firebird Opener, where the team claimed fifth place with 23.5 team points. In that competition, sophomore Bernie Van Den Heuvel (Valdres, Wis.) placed fourth in the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 8.67 seconds. Van Den Heuvel's time was good enough for 10th all-time in program history for the 55-meter hurdles as his score also earned the Falcons five points.
A week later, on January 21, at the Wisconsin-Whitewater Karl Schlender Invitational, the Falcons claimed fifth place with 26.5 points. Senior Isaach Zahrt (Kronenwetter, Wis.) contributed the most points for CUW as he took third in the triple jump, reaching a distance of 12.19 meters. Meanwhile, sophomore Mitchell Moeller tallied four-and-a-half more points to the Falcons' total in the weight throw as he threw a distance of 15.56 meters, placing him fourth all-time for the weight throw in CUW men's track and field program history. Moeller also added three more points in the shot put as he threw a distance of 12.83 meters.
On February 18, junior Tim Brey (Cedarburg, Wis.) entered his name into the record book as he ran the 800-meter run and clocked a time of 2:00.21 at the Oshkosh Titan Challenge, placing him fourth all-time in program history in that event.
The Falcons traveled back to Ripon College to close out the indoor season. As a team, the Falcons finished the NACC Indoor Track & Field Championships in sixth place. Tim Brey took the crown in the 3000-meter dash with a time of 8:51.77, while senior Konnor Kingsmore (Colorado Springs, Colo.) won the silver medal in the triple jump at 13.21 meters. Bernie Van Den Heuvel again entered the top 10 in program history, this time in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.78 as he finished fourth place overall. Other top 10 finishers included senior Seth Day (Sunset Hills, Mo.) placed eighth in the shot put with a throw of 12.84 meters, while fellow senior Dane Tischendorf placed 10th in the 400-meter dash at 53.45.
At the Beloit Relays, which took place on April 15, the Falcons experienced great success from their throwers. Mitchell Moeller earned the Falcons 12 total team points as he placed third in the shot put with a throw of 13.61 meters. That throw also placed Moeller in sixth all-time for the shot-put in CUW program history. The sophomore also placed third in the hammer throw with a throw of 48.93 meters. Moeller also took second in the discus with a throw of 45.07 meters. Seth Day also placed inside the top 10 in shot put, as he threw a distance of 12.65 meters, good enough for ninth place. Day also placed seventh in the javelin with a distance of 44.69 meters.
The following week, on April 22, at the Marquette Invite, the Falcons claimed a season-high 78 points and took fifth place while competing against teams from NCAA Divisions I, II, and III and NAIA programs. One of the many highlights from that competition was Mitchell Moeller, who broke the school record in the discus throw with a distance of 45.61 meters. Moeller also placed third in the shot put and hammer throw. Seth Day was the individual champion in the javelin throw with a distance of 48.08 meters. Tim Brey took fifth place in the 5000-meter run and ran a personal-best time of 15:15.26. With his time, Brey claimed the third spot in CUW men's track and field program history in that event. Also entering his name into Concordia's track and field top 10 list was sophomore Nate Waech (West Bend, Wis.), who took fourth in the pole vault at 3.83 meters, which claimed the sixth spot all-time in CUW track history.
On May 6, the Falcons closed their 2023 season at the NACC Track and Field Outdoor Championships as they took sixth. For the third-straight year, Seth Day claimed first place in the javelin throw on his final attempt when he threw a personal best distance of 50.83 meters. Furthermore, Day's mark also put him fourth all-time in program history for javelin. Meanwhile, Isaac Zahrt took the bronze medal in the javelin with a throw of 46.45 meters, putting him into the record books as ninth all-time. Konnor Kingsmore also took third place in the triple jump, leaping a distance of 13.09 meters. Tim Brey continued his strong outdoor season and took fourth place in the 10,000-meter run with a time of 32:27.29, putting him in third place all-time in CUW track and field history. The Falcons also experienced success in the two hurdle events as Bernie Van Den Heuvel took fifth in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 16.08 seconds. Meanwhile, senior Paul Witto (Charleston, Ill.) took fifth 400-meter hurdles with a time of 59.68 seconds, a mark that placed him 10th all-time in program history for that event.
The Falcons will look to improve upon their 2023 indoor and outdoor seasons and bring the experience they gained into their 2024 campaign.
