University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Wisconsin Windy City Invite
UNI track & field: Swistak wins shot put title in Windy City
2/15/2025 7:26:00 PM | Track and Field
CHICAGO --- Senior Sebastian Swistak led the UNI track and field team by picking up his first event win of the indoor season over the weekend as the Panthers competed at the Wisconsin Windy City Invite at the Dr. Conrad Worrill Track Center at Gately Park.
Competing at the same venue where they will run the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Indoor Championships in a few short weeks, the Panthers faced key competition from a number regional powers, including Indiana, Notre Dame, Louisville and Rutgers in their second-to-last meet of the regular season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Carter Morton led off the two-day meet on Friday with a second-place performance in the men's long jump (7.42m) with Josie Dunar finishing in sixth with a new season-best mark of 5.84 meters in the women's long jump. Carter Pheifer placed ninth in the men's pole vault after clearing 4.57 meters, as Nathan Wilde led a trio of UNI throwers in the men's weight throw with a seventh-place finish and a new personal-best toss of 17.82 meters. Carson Lineau (16.99m) and Justin Olson (16.61m) followed in tenth and 11th places respectively.
In Friday's sprints, Eva Van De Mortel clocked a new personal-best time of 7.59 seconds in the preliminary heats to finish in 14th, while Luke Meyers earned tenth-place in the men's 60 meters (6.79). Parker Kiewiet placed third in the men's 400-meter "Higginbottom" elite race (47.33), as Zach Fall ran the men's open 400 meters, placing 11th in 48.53 seconds.
Maya Williams clinched ninth place in the women's 400-meter dash (55.85) with Carlie Jo Fusco following in tenth (56.15). Chase Knoche meanwhile wrapped Friday's action with a new season-best time in the men's 800-meter meter run invite, clocking a 1:48.70 for a fifth place finish. Drake Hanson followed Knoche in the 800 meters with a time of 1:50.78 to place ninth.
Saturday's competition began for Northern Iowa as the Panthers put up a strong performance in both the men's and women's shot put competitions. Swistak threw for a career-best 17.51 meters to win the men's field with David Russell following in second with his own career-best mark of 17.13 meters and Sam Thomas placing fifth (16.85m). Katie Fare, the reigning MVC Women's Field Athlete of the Week, placed second in the women's shot put competition (16.65m)
Meyers (21.46), Kiewiet (21.47) and Deonte Dean (21.83) all placed third, fourth and 11th respectively in the men's 200-meter dash. Libby Wedewer meanwhile took home 26th place in the women's 200 meters in 24.84 seconds. In the semifinal heats of the men's 60-meter hurdles, Carter Accola clocked a time of 8.28 seconds to finish in 18th place. Paige Kisley finished sixth in the women's 60-meter finals in 8.50 seconds.
Caleb Schumaker and Emma Hoins posted a pair of sixth-place finishes for the Panthers in distance action, with Schumaker posting an 8:14.44 in the men's 3,000 meters and Hoins running a 4:50.81 in the women's mile. Kaylin Lacher followed Hoins in the mile in tenth place (5:08.11). Mary Kelly (2:14.31) and Kendra Nissen (2:16.36) also both ran the women's 800 meters, recording 16th and 24th place performances, as Jake Bosch clocked a 1:54.14 in the men's open 800-meter run.
In the field events, Breanna Hackman finished the women's shot put in fourth place with a toss of 13.99 meters, while Jorie Hannenburg took seventh with a toss of 13.45 meters. Rylie Todd and Josie Moreland both cleared 1.64 meters in the women's high jump, earning ninth and 13th place finishes respectively.
Brendan Safley earned a sixth-place finish in the men's pole vault as he cleared 5.32 meters, with Spencer Kessel (18.31m) and Lienau (17.90m) finishing in fifth and sixth place in the men's shot put invite. Morton also competed in the men's triple jump, finishing in fourth place (14.86m).
The Panthers wrapped up the weekend in the 4x400-meter relays, as the men's team of Fall, Meyer, Knoche and Hanson placed third with a time of 3:11.62, the fastest time by a UNI men's relay this season. In the women's relay, Joey Perry, Williams, Jersey Jones and Fusco finished in tenth place (3:48.45).
UP NEXT
UNI returns to action next Friday at the Iowa Open at the Iowa Indoor Track Building in Iowa City. Competition is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. CT.
UNI track and field action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Track and Field), X (@UNITrackFieldXC) and on Instagram (@uni_tf_xc). Schedules and rosters, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
Players Mentioned
