University of Wisconsin-Superior’s Katie Capriglione and freshman Kenny McGee, were named the WIAC Women’s and Men’s Field Athletes of the Week, respectively.
Capriglione picked up a first- place finish, her first of the season, in the weight throw at last weekend’s Warren Bowlus Invitational, hosted by UW-Stout in Menomonie.
Capriglione had a throw of 17.19 meters (56 feet-4.75 inches), which shattered the school record she had previously set. The throw currently ranks her No. 5 among all NCAA Division III throwers.
“Katie is a very skilled thrower and has worked tremendously hard to make herself one of the best, not only in the WIAC but in the entire nation,” UWS coach Glen Drexler said. “She has so much natural ability that I’m really looking forward to seeing where her season goes. With the time and hard work she’s putting in, she has a chance to really shine on a national level.”
Capriglione also had an eighth-place finish in the shot put, coming in with a mark of 12.06 meters (39-7).
Capriglione qualified for the 2011 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships as a sophomore. That same year she narrowly missed qualifying for the indoor championships as well.
“With her mark last weekend, she’s in pretty good position to qualify for nationals,” Drexler said. “Obviously nothing is certain, especially this early in the season, but based on her mark and where qualifying has been in the past, she’s right in the mix to be throwing at the championships in March.”
McGee enjoyed another tremendous weekend of competition, bringing home first-place honors in the long jump at each of the first two meets of the season, and did the same thing again last weekend at the Warren Bowlus Invitational.
McGee won the event with a jump of 7.17 meters (23-6.25). The mark established a new school record and has him ranked No. 4 in NCAA Division III.
In addition to the long jump, McGee also was the top finisher in the triple jump, coming in with a mark of 14.33 meters (47-0.25), which was a full meter further than the next closest jumper. This jump also set a school record for McGee and has him ranked No. 9 in NCAA Division III.
“Kenny is a special athlete and he has gotten his college career off to a tremendous start. He’s only scratching the surface of how good he can be,” Drexler said. “We held him back a little bit, limiting his jumps this early in the season, but he made the most of the opportunities he did have as you can see with his results.”
McGee was also part of the first-place men’s 4x200-meter relay team, along with Derek Solarz, Kevin Danielson and Mike Sorensen. Their time of 1:34.94 was a season best for the unit.
“We’ve used him in sprints, in the jumps and the relays and everything we’ve asked him to do he’s done well,” Drexler said. “It’s exciting for me as a coach to have the chance to work with someone like Kenny, who obviously has a bright future at the college level.”
UWS will host the Border Battle Invitational Saturday in the Lydia Thering Fieldhouse (Marcovich Wellness Center). Field events begin at noon with running events getting underway at 12:30 p.m.
Also competing will be St. Scholastica, Bemidji State, Minot State and St. Mary’s.
Tags: sports, uws, yellowjackets, updates, running
More from around the web
RSS Feeds