That 400-meter relay team that was the fastest in the NCAA national championship preliminaries on Thursday was just that again when it really counted.
From their home track, on the last day of the three-day competition, Robert Willison, Ernest Winters, James Hoesley and Josh Koenecke led the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse’s 400 relay to a Division III national championship with a 40.47 winning time at Veterans Memorial Field.
It’s the third national crown in the event for UW-L (2004, 2015, 2018) and the 58th overall individual/relay title in school history, breaking a tie with Lincoln University (Pa.).
Winters ends his career with five NCAA Division III Outdoor All-American honors, including being part of second-place finishes in the 400 relay the past two seasons.
The Eagles finished tied for 27th place with 11.0 team points, after having won three consecutive national championships. The University of Mount Union (Ohio) won the title with 36.0 points.
This marked the fourth time UWL has hosted the NCAA III Outdoor Championships (1986, 1997, 2013, 2018).
UW-L’s Samuel Hinz finished eighth in the 800 Saturday (1:54.94).
Just out of the scoring for UW-L on Saturday: Zachary Shoemaker-Allen placed 12th (9:36.89) in the 3,000 steeplechase. Andrew Jarrett was 11th (183-6) in the hammer throw. Also in that event, Eli Temanson finished 12th (15-9) and Wes Evansen tied for 13th (15-9). Jacob Teunas finished 15th (47-1 1/2) in the triple jump.a
PHOTO: Jim Lund at CPCprintPromo.com
