Royal Purple

Issue date: 1/30/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Joy Kowald Warhawk teammates pass the baton during a relay race in Saturday's UW-Whitewater Invitational. The 'Hawks took second place in its first home event of the 2008 season, falling just short of the invitational's winner, UW-Stevens Point.

Senior Jon Schellin broke his own indoor record to lead the Warhawk men's track and field team to a strong second place finish at the UW-Whitewater Invitational.

The event featured many teams from Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa, and was the first home meet of the year for the Warhawks. UW-Stevens Point totaled 124 points to earn first place, while UW-Whitewater fell just short of the top spot, finishing with 112.5 points.

Schellin, a senior captain, set a new indoor mark in the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 7.51 seconds. The previous mark was 7.56, a record Schellin set last year. While his name is the one that is written in the record books, Schellin said he wasn't alone in the achievement.

"It feels good, but a lot of the credit has to go [to] coach Mike Johnson," Schellin said.

Fellow senior Derek Stanley also had a strong showing. Stanley won the long jump event with a distance of 7.01 meters, edging out sophomore teammate Bruce Zalud, who leapt 6.93 meters. Schellin and senior Kyle Ewing also finished in the top six.

Head Coach Darren Schneider is more than happy to have Stanley back.

"It's nice to see him back," Schneider said. "He's only been practicing for about a week, so we hope he keeps improving. I think he will."

Continued improvement is what Schneider said would be the main focus of not only Stanley, but of the entire UW-Whitewater team.

"We'll try to improve week to week," Schneider said. "If that happens we will accomplish a lot and be a tough team to beat."

The improvement Schneider spoke of applies to everyone, from freshmen to seniors. One freshman, Aron Kehoe, may not have to make too many adjustments, as he won the 800-meter dash with a time of 1:55.72. Returning All-American Brian Butzler finished barely behind Kehoe with a time of 1:55.88.

Because of the combination of veterans like Schellin and young talent like Kehoe, Schneider believes the 'Hawks have a strong team for the 2008 season.

"We have a good mix. There are older guys who have been through the program awhile, and we also have some younger guys who have lots of potential," Schneider said.

The 'Hawks travel to Minnesota on?Friday for the Mankato Open.

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