The Warhawk men will be represented in four events, including two in one, in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III Indoor Track and Field Championship March 6-7 at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana.  The men's squad will compete in  the 800 meters, the high jump, the 4x400 relay, and the distance medley relay. See Warhawk Championship Central for more information.

Aron Kehoe (Monroe/Monroe), who holds UW-W indoor records in the 600, 800 and 1000, has earned a spot in the 800 in the NCAA meet.  Kehoe's time, 1:52.62, is the school record and the third fastest among qualifiers.  David Litsheim of UW-Stevens Point is the top qualifier at 1:51.70.  Jimmy O'Brien of Ohio Northern won the 800 last year in 1:53.34, and Matt Groose of UW-Oshkosh is the D III record holder with a 1:49.73 in 2002.

Kehoe has national championship experience, earning All-America honors with a sixth place finish in this event last year.  He also qualified for the national meet in 2008, and he earned a NCAA III cross country championship berth in the fall of 2009.

The 800 is set for 5:45 Friday for the preliminaries and 3:35 Saturday for the finals.

Whitewater will double up in the high jump, with Luke Buchholz (Whitewater/Whitewater) and Travis Morehouse (Cottage Grove/Monona Grove) both earning a spot in the field, with identical marks of 6-8.75, tied for eighth among the entrants.  Buchholz and Morehouse finished 1-2 in the 2010 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference indoor meet.  Buchholz was a 2009 All-America with an eight place finish indoors.  Buchholz has additional NCAA championship competition experience, as a member of the UW-W men's soccer team. John Kimmel of Manchester College lead the entries with a mark of 6-10.75, with the Division III record held by former Whitewater High School standout, later at Saint Olaf College, Ken Hoffman at 7-3.75 in 1993.  Cody Stelzer of Whitworth won the high jump at 6-11 last year, the same height Dean Bohlman achieved in 1984 to set the UW-Whitewater indoor record.

Buchholz and Morehouse will compete at 3:30 Saturday.

Kehoe is also a member of the distance medley relay.  Joining him will be Jeremie Bogard (Racine/Horlick), Joe Dixon (Milwaukee/Rufus King), and Brakken Kraker (West Allis/West Allis Central).  The qualifying time of 10:00.0 is sixth fastest in the field, which is led by UW-Stevens Point at 9:56.85.  The school record of 9:58.47 was set in 2004, and the NCAA III record of 9:56.79 was set by UW-Oshkosh in winning the event last year.  Like Kehoe, Kraker has championship experience, earning All-America honors with three different teammates in this event last year, finishing fifth.

The distance medley relay is set for 6:05 Friday.

Whitewater's 4x400 unit, the school record holders, includes Joe Bailey (Hartford/Hartford Union), Brian Martinezdelacotera (Franklin/Franklin), Tim Prelletz (Crystal Lake, IL/Prairie Ridge), and Peter Schroeder (Ripon/Ripon).  Their 3:18.96 is eighth in the field, which is led by a quartet from UW-La Crosse at 3:16.93.  The 1600 meter relay winners last year, New York-Oneonta, went 3:17.19, and the NCAA III record is 3:12.79, set by UW-La Crosse in 2004.

The 1600 relay will compete at 4:40 Saturday.

The UW-W men's track and field team has nine top ten finishes in the NCAA III indoor meet in school history, including four of the last five years.  The 2004 team tied for second place, the highest finish ever for a Warhawk track and field team.


For additional information:  Mike Johnson (Marshall/Marshall), UW-W coach