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SEASON PREVIEW
TRACK & FIELD
The Saint John’s University track and field team will not be lacking in experience as the Johnnies look to regain their spot atop the MIAC in 2025.
After sweeping the conference indoor and outdoor titles in 2022, and earning the outdoor championship again in 2023, SJU finished second at both the MIAC indoor and outdoor meets a year ago.
But the Johnnies return 64.9% (24 of 37) of their individual All-MIAC (topthree) performances from those two competitions, including three athletes who won a total of five individual events. In regard to team scoring, the Johnnies return 60.8% (87 of 143) of their indoor points and 58.9% (99 of 168) of their outdoor points from 2024.
Jack Mack is Back Senior Jackson
McDowell (Centennial, Colo./Arapahoe) became the third Johnnie to earn AllAmerica honors in the high jump outdoors with an eighth-place finish last May, joining Jim Holmes ‘69 in 1968 (fifth) and Maguire Petersen ‘22 in 2021 (t-eighth).
He broke the SJU record to win the MIAC outdoor title in the high jump with a leap of 2.10 meters and ended the regular season No. 3 in Division III in the event with the top mark in the North Region for All-Region distinction.
The previous record of 2.09 meters was set by Nick Welshons ’15 in 2014 and the outdoor title was SJU’s first in the event since Raleigh Woodruff ’04 in 2002. McDowell was the MIAC runnerup in the high jump indoors last season with a mark of 1.96 meters and also placed eighth outdoors in the javelin (50.18 meters). The 2024 season was the first in track and field for McDowell,
who spent his first two years at SJU as a pitcher on the baseball team.
Multi-Talented Duo
SJU also returns a pair of multievent stars in seniors Max Lelwica (Brainerd, Minn.) and Anthony Thurk (St. Bonifacius, Minn./Waconia).
Lelwica qualified for the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships in the decathlon, where he finished 19th. He qualified for nationals with 6,526 points – the 12th-best point total in Division III – and just missed All-Region honors, which are awarded to the top five in individual events and top three in relays, in sixth. Lelwica earned All-MIAC honors in both the heptathlon (third; 4,634 points) and decathlon (second; 6,432 points) for the second-straight season in 2024.
Thurk, meanwhile, just missed AllMIAC honors with a fourth-place finish (4,587 points) in the heptathlon for the second-consecutive season. He also
took seventh in the triple jump (12.94 meters). Outdoors, Thurk totaled 14 team points with top-eight marks in four events: fourth place in the high jump (1.96 meters), fifth in the long jump (6.62 meters), sixth in the decathlon (6,269) and seventh in the triple jump (12.94).
King of the Long Jump Pit
Senior Zach Schaffer (Chaska, Minn.) returns after claiming both the indoor (6.93 meters) and outdoor (7.23 meters) MIAC championships in the long jump for the second-straight season. He also scored team points for the Johnnies in the triple jump (third indoors and eighth outdoors).
Tommy Time
Senior Tommy Allen (Woodbury, Minn./ St. Paul Academy) returns for a fifth year thanks to the NCAA’s extra year of eligibility granted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He became the first Johnnie to win the 800 meters indoors in 10 years (Thomas Feichtinger ‘16 in 2014) at last February’s MIAC Indoor Championships and followed up the title with an incredible comeback to win the 1,000 meters – the first title by a Johnnie in the indoor 1,000 in program history – by 0:00.10.
He won the MIAC title in the 800 outdoors as a sophomore in 2022 and is a seven-time All-MIAC (top-three) honoree: four indoors, two outdoors and one in cross country.
Off the track, Allen was named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America cross country/ track and field third team in July. He graduated in May with a perfect 4.0 GPA in biochemistry (pre-medicine emphasis) and is a five-time MIAC Elite 22 Award recipient (twice each
TRACK & FIELD
in indoor and outdoor track and once in cross country), which is awarded to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA among the All-MIAC honorees.
Underclassmen Points
A number of Johnnies return after contributing to SJU’s point total as freshmen or sophomores last season.
Junior Nick St. Peter (Maple Grove, Minn.) recorded his first individual All-MIAC honor and third overall with a third-place time of 1:54.90 outdoors in the 800 meters and claimed fifth indoors in the 1,000 meters (2:31.69). Four other juniors return after scoring at the MIAC Championships a year ago. Kole Guth (St. Peter, Minn.) followed top-four finishes in the pole vault as
2025 Schedule
Jan
a freshman with a fifth-place height (4.45 meters) indoors and a mark of 4.30 meters to take sixth outdoors. Josh Johnston (Cold Spring, Minn./ Rocori) was right behind him outdoors in seventh (4.15 meters). Owen Montreuil (Jordan, Minn.) crossed the finish line eighth in the indoor 600 meters (1:23.47) and Aiden Blaeser (St. Michael, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville) was eighth outdoors in the 400-meter hurdles (59.76).
Six fresh faces joined the Johnnies’ ledger as freshmen last spring at the conference meets. Cooper Smith (Alvarado, Minn./East Grand Forks) and Wyatt Witschen (Monticello, Minn.) led the way with fifth-place times outdoors in the 400-meter hurdles (54.63) and 400-meter dash (49.23), respectively, while Vincent Kaluza (Cold
Spring, Minn./Rocori) was seventh in the steeplechase (9:35.63) and Kieran Murnan (Lakeville, Minn./Holy Angels) took seventh in the 100-meter dash (11.10).
Indoors, Andrew Withuski (Wahpeton, N.D.) placed seventh in the pole vault (4.20 meters) and Matt Hansen posted an eighth-place distance in the long jump (6.27 meters).
SJU also returns all but one participant from the three indoor and outdoor relays. The Johnnies finished second indoors in the 4x200 and fourth in both the 4x400 and distance medley. Outdoors, SJU recorded the secondplace time in both the 4x100 and 4x800, and third in the 4x400.
Feb 8 11 a.m. at Minnesota Classic Minneapolis, Minn.
Feb 15
Feb
Feb 27-28 2 p.m./10 a.m. vs MIAC Heptathlon
Feb 28-Mar 1 3:30 p.m./10 a.m. vs MIAC Indoor Championships
Collegeville, Minn. The Donald McNeely Spectrum
Collegeville, Minn. The Donald McNeely Spectrum
Mar 7-8 TBA at Wartburg Last-Chance Meet Waverly, Iowa
Mar 14-15 ll Day at NCAA Indoor Championships Rochester, N.Y.
Mar 29 11 a.m. vs Saint John’s Optimistic Invitational Collegeville, Minn. Clemens Stadium
Apr 5 11 a.m. at Hamline Invitational St. Paul, Minn.
Apr 12 11 a.m. at Minnesota State Open Mankato, Minn.
Apr 17 11 a.m. vs Saint John’s Invitational
Collegeville, Minn. Clemens Stadium
Apr 23 11 a.m. at Minnesota Invitational Minneapolis, Minn.
Apr 26 10:30 a.m. at Gustavus Adolphus Drake Alternative St. Peter, Minn.
Apr 30 3 p.m. at Hamline Meet of the Unsaintly St. Paul, Minn.
May 1-2 12 p.m./10:30 a.m. at MIAC Decathlon
May 3 12 p.m. at St. Olaf Open
Northfield, Minn. (CAR)
Northfield, Minn.
May 9-10 2 p.m./12 p.m. at MIAC Outdoor Championships St. Paul, Minn. (MAC)
May 15 3 p.m. at UW-La Crosse Qualifier La Crosse, Wis.
May 22, May 24 All Day at NCAA Outdoor Championships Geneva, Ohio
Sports coverage to yo u . J o h n n i e s
ANDY RENNECKE Sports Editor
TRACK & FIELD
NAME YR EVENT(S) HOMETOWN/HIGH SCHOOL
Andrew Adams Sr. Pole Vault Plymouth, Minn. / Wayzata
Tommy Allen Sr. Distance Woodbury, Minn. / St. Paul Academy
Bashir Amoud So. Hurdles St. Paul, Minn. / Harding
Dylan Bartness Sr. Distance Plymouth, Minn. / Robbinsdale Armstrong
Jacob Becker Jr. Sprints Lincoln, Neb. / Mount Michael Benedictine
Collin Berg Fr. Distance Buffalo, Minn. / Buffalo
Noah Besemann So. Pole Vault New Brighton, Minn. / Irondale
Woody Bien-Aime Jr. Sprints Naples, Fla. / Golden Gate
Aiden Blaeser Jr. Hurdles St. Michael, Minn. / St. Michael-Albertville
Brennan Blake Jr. Sprints Minneapolis, Minn. / Totino-Grace
Isak Brandt So. Hurdles Eagan, Minn. / Eagan
Connor Brynteson So. Throws Minneapolis, Minn. / Robbinsdale Cooper
Thomas Cass Fr. Hurdles Stillwater, Minn. / Stillwater Area
Eamon Cavanaugh Sr. Distance Oak Park, Ill. / Oak Park and River Forest
Ryan Conzemius Sr. Sprints La Crosse, Wis. / Aquinas
Jalen Crowley Fr. Sprints St. Paul, Minn. / East Ridge
Mitchell Degen Jr. Throws Brainerd, Minn. / Brainerd
Connor Dow Fr. Distance Ramsey, Minn. / Anoka
Logan Eisele Fr. Sprints Becker, Minn. / Becker
Bailey Evans Fr. Multi Breckenridge, Minn. / Breckenridge
Anthony Ferrante Fr. Sprints Prior Lake, Minn. / Prior Lake
Aaron Freier So. Distance Red Wing, Minn. / Red Wing
Joe Gathje Sr. Distance Bloomington, Minn. / Jefferson
Jalen Graham Fr. Throws Minneapolis, Minn. / Champlin Park
Kole Guth Jr. Pole Vault St. Peter, Minn. / St. Peter
Arthur Hank Fr. Sprints Cascavel, Brazil / Colegio Passo Certo
Matt Hansen So. Jumps/Sprints Longmont, Colo. / Niwot
Sebastian Hanson Fr. Distance Minneapolis, Minn. / Two Rivers
Jack Johnston So. Distance Maple Grove, Minn. / Maple Grove
Josh Johnston Jr. Pole Vault Cold Spring, Minn. / Rocori
Bangaly Kaba So. Hurdles/Jumps St. Cloud, Minn. / Apollo
Vincent Kaluza So. Distance Cold Spring, Minn. / Rocori
Colin Kaster So. Distance Eden Prairie, Minn. / Holy Angels
Aiden Langheim Jr. Mid-Distance Jordan, Minn. / Jordan
Max Lelwica Sr. Multi Brainerd, Minn. / Brainerd
Ethan Leonard Sr. Distance Chaska, Minn. / Chaska
John Maile Jr. Sprints Eden Valley, Minn. / Eden Valley-Watkins
Jacob Malecha Jr. Distance Lonsdale, Minn. / New Prague
Adam Marable Fr. Distance Crystal, Minn. / Robbinsdale Armstrong
Peyton Martinek So. Distance Coon Rapids, Minn. / Coon Rapids
Max McCoy So. Distance Bennington, Neb. / Mount Michael Benedictine
Owen McCue Fr. Sprints Hopkins, Minn. / Mound-Westonka
TRACK & FIELD
NAME YR EVENT(S) HOMETOWN/HIGH SCHOOL
Jackson McDowell Sr. Jumps Centennial, Colo. / Arapahoe
Joe Mensen Sr. Throws Hudson, Wis. / Hill-Murray
Jack Meyer Sr. Javelin/Sprints Iowa City, Iowa / Regina
Grady Minnerath Fr. Throws Cold Spring, Minn. / Rocori
Joey Moberg Sr. Sprints St. Paul, Minn. / Johnson
Hunter Mohr Fr. Mid-Distance Alexandria, Minn. / Alexandria
Lars Molenkamp So. Distance Almere, Netherlands / Oostvaarders College
Sam Mollet Jr. Throws Jefferson, S.D. / Bishop Heelan (Iowa)
Jack Montgomery Fr. Distance Long Lake, Minn. / Orono
Owen Montreuil Jr. Mid-Distance Jordan, Minn. / Jordan
Aidan Morey Jr. Sprints Omaha, Neb. / Creighton Prep
Kieran Murnan So. Sprints Lakeville, Minn. / Holy Angels
Connor O’Brien So. Distance Belle Plaine, Minn. / Belle Plaine
A.J. Olesen Fr. Distance Wrenshall, Minn. / Carlton
Emanuel Popoca Sr. Sprints Minneapolis, Minn. / Bloomington Kennedy
Vincent Pyne So. Sprints Rosemount, Minn. / Rosemount
Evan Raske Fr. Distance Becker, Minn. / Monticello
Max Reis Fr. Jumps/Sprints Fargo, N.D. / Spectrum
Nate Rohrer Fr. Jumps St. Paul, Minn. / Two Rivers
Noah Rose So. Jumps Excelsior, Minn. / Minnetonka
Bode Russell Fr. Hurdles Buffalo, Minn. / Buffalo
Jaxon Sawyer So. Sprints San Jose, Calif. / Bellarmine College Prep
Zach Schaffer Sr. Jumps Chaska, Minn. / Chaska
Abdul Sesay Jr. Sprints St. Paul, Minn. / Harding
Liam Sheeley Sr. Distance Edina, Minn. / Holy Angels
A.J. Skinner Sr. Distance Rogers, Minn. / Rogers
Anthony Sletta Fr. Jumps St. James, Minn. / St. James
Cooper Smith So. Hurdles Alvarado, Minn. / East Grand Forks
Nick St. Peter Jr. Distance Maple Grove, Minn. / Maple Grove
Cole Stencel So. Distance Mapleton, Minn. / Maple River
Jacob Sterk Fr. Hurdles St. Michael, Minn. / St. Michael-Albertville
Walker Stone Fr. Pole Vault Chanhassen, Minn. / Minnetonka
Aidan Thomas Sr. Distance Blaine, Minn. / Totino-Grace
Anthony Thurk Sr. Multi St. Bonifacius, Minn. / Waconia
Rylan Turqueza So. Throws Ewa Beach, Hawaii / Radford
Alec Ungar Sr. Jumps Eden Prairie, Minn. / Chanhassen
Takhi Vaughn So. Sprints Eden Prairie, Minn. / Eden Prairie
Andy White Fr. Sprints Sioux Falls, S.D. / O’Gorman
Alex Wimmer Fr. Throws Ramsey, Minn. / Anoka
Andrew Withuski So. Pole Vault Wahpeton, N.D. / Wahpeton
Wyatt Witschen So. Sprints Monticello, Minn. / Monticello
TRACK & FIELD
JEREMY KARGER-GATZOW
Jeremy Karger-Gatzow is in his 10th season as the Johnnies’ head track and field coach in 2025. He replaced Tim Miles, who announced his retirement as head track and field coach following the 2015 season after 36 seasons at SJU.
Awards & Honors
National Champions (2)
All-Americans (29)
All-Region (91, 31 indoors and 60 outdoors)
All-MIAC (219, 87 indoors and 132 outdoors)
Academic All-Americans (78)
Academic All-District (14)
MIAC’s Elite 22 Award (7): Carter Grove in 2023 (indoors and outdoors), Tommy Allen in 2022 (indoors and outdoors), Matthew Burgstahler in 2018 (outdoors); Tommy Allen (indoors and outdoors)
COACHING STAFF
Accomplishments
Karger-Gatzow was named the MIAC Indoor Track & Field Men’s Coach of the Year in 2022 and the MIAC Outdoor Track & Field Men’s Coach of the Year in 2016, 2019, 2022 and 2023. Ryan Bugler ‘17 won SJU’s fifth individual national championship outdoors in the steeplechase in 2016 and finished fourth in the event in 2017. The Johnnies’ 4x100-meter relay team won the NCAA Division III title in 2019 and Ryan Miller ‘21 finished second in the 100-meter dash.
Past Experience
A 2000 graduate of Hamline, KargerGatzow was a four-year sprinter on the Pipers’ track and field team. He was a seven-time Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) coach of the year at Minnesota-Morris and sent 13 student-athletes to the national meet during his tenure, in which six earned
ASSISTANT COACHES
NCAA Division III All-America honors. He built Morris’ co-ed track and field roster from 12 in his first season to over 50 in 2015. In addition to his coaching duties, he taught various courses in the sport studies and athletic departments.
Karger-Gatzow served as an assistant track and field coach at Bryant University in Rhode Island for two seasons from 2000-02 before leaving to enroll in graduate school at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He was a teaching assistant in various anatomy and kinesiology courses there and completed his master’s degree in movement sciences in 2005.
Personal A native of Glenwood, Minn., Karger-Gatzow was a 1996 graduate of Minnewaska Area High School. He and his wife, Erica, have two children.
Tim Miles
Saint John’s 1976 grad Tim Miles coached at Cretin High School in St. Paul from 1976 through 1979, then returned to Saint John’s in 1979 as head coach of cross country and track and field. Miles led the track and field team for 36 seasons (1980-2015) and still assists with the program.
Joe Vardas
Joe Vardas is a 1994 graduate of St. Cloud State University where he also completed his master’s degree in exercise physiology in 1997. Vardas excelled in the short sprints and especially in the triple jump as a collegian. His knowledge of biomechanics makes him an excellent technician and teacher. He is a USA Track and Field level II coach in the jumps and a certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). Vardas has coached eleven All-Americans in the longa and triple jumps and javelin.
Vardas was the 2020 Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year for his outstanding work with his athletes.
John Pollack
John Pollack is a 2010 graduate of the University of Minnesota and returned to earn a master’s degree in education. Pollack has been coaching the Saint John’s and Saint Ben’s pole vaulters since 2015. His vaulters continue to break the school records and routinely qualify for National Championship meets. Pollack, the former Mounds View vault coach, continues to work with high school athletes by conducting a winter pole vault clinic. In his spare time, Pollack enjoys watching his favorite movie, “Willow.”
Maxwell Kuzara
Saint John’s 2017 grad Maxwell Kuzara returned as an assistant coach in the spring of 2021 and was very well received as he brings a wealth of experience, knowledge and passion. Kuzara was named SJU’s head cross country coach in 2023. Kuzara was an assistant coach at Minnetonka High School, his alma mater, for four years before returning to Saint John’s. At Minnetonka he ran for and coached alongside distance running legends Jeff Renlund, Steve Hoag and Jerry McNeal.
TRACK & FIELD
MILES TRACK AT CLEMENS STADIUM
An incredible setting named after a true legend. That perfectly describes Miles Track at Clemens Stadium on the campus of Saint John’s University. The regulation-sized, eight-lane, 400-meter track was installed inside the “natural bowl” setting of historic Clemens Stadium as part of a facelift to the facility in 1997 that also included the construction of a new press box and concession area. In May of 2019, the track was named in honor of Tim Miles, the longtime head cross country and track and field coach at the school. Miles stepped down as head track coach in 2015 after 36 seasons on the job. During that time, he won MIAC Outdoor Coach of the Year honors six times (1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2011). Thirty-eight Johnnies won conference titles at the MIAC indoor meet and his athletes collected 94 titles outdoors. At the national level, Johnnie athletes put together 61 NCAA Division III All-America performances under his watch. He remained as head cross country coach until announcing his retirement in August of 2023.
THE DONALD MCNEELY SPECTRUM
Since its construction in 1998, the Donald McNeely Spectrum has been the primary indoor home for Saint John’s University track and field. The 60,000-square-foot facility, designed by Ellerbe Becket Architects, features an eight-lane, 200-meter track. The facility has been upgraded in recent years, including the installation of new video and record boards prior to the start of the 2024 season.
TEAM FINISHES
INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
1985 Third (10 teams, 72)
1986 Fifth (10 teams, 50)
1987 Fourth (10 teams, 62)
1988 Fourth (10 teams, 60.5)
1989 Fourth (10 teams, 61)
1990 Seventh (10 teams, 47)
1991 Sixth (10 teams, 50)
1992 Eighth (10 teams, 41.5)
1993 Sixth (11 teams, 67.5)
1994 Fifth (11 teams, 76.5)
1995 Sixth (11 teams, 79.5)
1996 Fifth (11 teams, 76)
1997 Second (11 teams, 153)
1998 Fourth (11 teams, 78)
1999 Fourth (11 teams, 104)
2000 Fifth (11 teams, 73)
2001 Seventh (11 teams, 61)
2002 Fifth (11 teams, 80)
2003 Fourth (11 teams, 95.5)
2004 Third (11 teams, 116)
2005 Third (11 teams, 104)
2006 Third (11 teams, 111)
2007 Second (11 teams, 124)
2008 Second (11 teams, 114.5)
2009 Fifth (11 teams, 75)
2010 Seventh (11 teams, 44)
2011 T-Fourth (11 teams, 72)
2012 Seventh (11 teams, 42.5)
2013 Fifth (11 teams, 73)
2014 Fourth (11 teams, 79)
2015 Fifth (11 teams, 61)
2016 Third (11 teams, 90)
2017 T-Fifth (11 teams, 63)
2018 Fifth (11 teams, 71)
2019 Third (11 teams, 103)
2020 Fourth (11 teams, 85)
2021 No Championships
2022 Champion (11 teams, 185)
2023 Second (11 teams, 141.5)
2024 Second (11 teams, 143)
OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
1930 Fifth (5)
1931 Unknown
1932 Unknown
1933 Unknown
1934 Fifth (Six teams, 16)
1935 Seventh (Seven teams, 10)
1936 Fifth (Seven teams, 9)
1937 Sixth (Seven teams, 13)
1938 Third (Four teams, 19)
1939 Champion (Six teams, 56.5)
1940 Fourth (Seven teams, 26)
1941 Sixth (Eight teams, 20)
1942 Third (Seven teams, 44)
1946 Second (Six teams, 36)
1947 Fifth (Seven teams, 15)
1948 Third (Nine teams, 32)
1949 Fifth (Nine teams, 11)
1950 Sixth (Eight teams, 6)
1951 Third (Eight teams, 27)
1952 Fifth (Eight teams, 23)
1953 Fifth (Eight teams, 22)
1954 Fourth (Eight teams, 24)
1955 Third (Eight teams, 37)
1956 Fourth (Eight teams, 34)
1957 Champion (Eight teams, 56)
1958 Champion (Nine teams, 54)
1959 Third (Eight teams, 34)
1960 Fourth (Eight teams, 21)
1961 Second (Eight teams, 36)
1962 Second (Eight teams, 56)
1963 Third (Eight teams, 34)
1964 Fourth (Eight teams, 28)
1965 Seventh (Eight teams, 11)
1966 Fourth (Eight teams, 22)
1967 Third (Eight teams, 39)
1968 Second (Eight teams, 78)
1969 Third (Eight teams, 53)
1970 Champion (Eight teams, 71.5)
1971 Champion (Eight teams, 102)
1972 Champion (Eight teams, 90)
1973 Champion (Eight teams, 77)
1974 Third (Eight teams, 57)
1975 Fifth (Nine teams, 79)
1976 Second (Nine teams, 115)
1977 Second (Eight teams, 104)
1978 Third (Nine teams, 69)
1979 Third (Nine teams, 87)
1980 Second (Nine teams, 92)
1981 Second (Nine teams, 128)
1982 Second (Nine teams, 121)
1983 Fourth (Nine teams, 84)
1984 Third (10 teams, 80)
1985 Third (10 teams, 90)
1986 Second (10 teams, 125.5)
1987 Third (10 teams, 120)
1988 Second (10 teams, 140)
1989 Second (10 teams, 121)
1990 Fourth (10 teams, 85)
1991 Second (10 teams, 116.5)
1992 Third (10 teams, 105.5)
1993 Second (11 teams, 136.5)
1994 Second (11 teams, 115.5)
1995 Second (11 teams, 134)
1996 Second (11 teams, 156.5)
1997 Champion (11 teams, 211)
1998 Second (11 teams, 163.5)
1999 Champion (11 teams, 217.7)
2000 Third (11 teams, 111.5)
2001 Third (11 teams, 117)
2002 Third (11 teams, 111)
2003 Second (11 teams, 148.5)
2004 Second (11 teams, 188)
2005 Champion (11 teams, 172.5)
2006 Second (11 teams, 161.3)
2007 Champion (11 teams, 225)
2008 Second (11 teams, 161.5)
2009 Second (11 teams, 125.0)
2010 Sixth (11 teams, 73.0)
2011 Champion (11 teams, 141.0)
2012 Fourth (11 teams, 101.0)
2013 Second (11 teams, 116.0)
2014 Fourth (11 teams, 108.0)
2015 Sixth (11 teams, 75.0)
2016 Second (11 teams, 156.5)
2017 Seventh (11 teams, 76.0)
2018 Third (11 teams, 114.5)
2019 Second (11 teams, 131.0)
2020 No Season
2021 Second (11 teams, 135.0)
2022 Champion (11 teams, 218.25)
2023 Second (11 teams, 216)
2024 Second (11 teams, 168)
MIAC INDOOR CHAMPIONS
2022
MIAC OUTDOOR CHAMPIONS
1939, 1957, 1958, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1997, 1999, 2005, 2007, 2011, 2022. 2023
2022 Team
4x400 3:21.40 Mike Frericks, Jeff Pribyl, Tom Frericks, Chuck Moorse
DMR 10:05.89 Tommy Allen, Brady Labine, Alexei Hensel, Mitch Grand 2022 Long Jump 7.06
Diley
Steeplechase 8:39.80 Jim Gathje
4x100 40.65 Jack Young, Kevin Arthur, Brady Labine, Ryan Miller 2022 4x400 3:14.02
Peter Allen, Mike Leither, Derek Johnson, Steve Dalhed 2007 4x800 7:38.60
Brian Racette, Bill Seidl, Greg Cook, Chuck Way
Diley
Sowada
Juba
Javelin 68.10 Brett Hague 2023 Decathlon 6932 Maguire Petersen
Juba
Javelin 67.80 Tom Engwall
Decathlon 69.32
Maguire Petersen
Kevin Horton
Eric Buss
Thomas Feichtinger
Shawn Schindler
ALL AMERICANS
Top Eight at National Meet; the top six were All-American through 1985)
NAIA
1959 Jerry Schoenecker (Fifth, two mile)
1960 Jerry Schoenecker (Third, steeplechase)
1968 Jim Holmes (Fifth, high jump)
Dave Lamm (Third, 200 meters)
1969 John Cragg (Second, six mile)
1970 Chuck Ceronsky (Second, steeplechase)
Don Kluk (Sixth, 120-yard hurdles)
NCAA
1970 Chuck Ceronsky (Second, steeplechase)
John Cragg (Second, six mile)
Don Kluk (Sixth, 120-yard hurdles)
NAIA
1971 Don Kluk (Indoor: Fourth, 60-yard hurdles)
NCAA
1971 Don Kluk (Third, 120-yard hurdles)
NAIA
1972 Mike Kremer (Fifth, steeplechase)
Joe Skaja (Indoor: Fifth, two mile)
NCAA
1972 Mike Kremer (Fourth, steeplechase), Joe Skaja (Third, 5000 meters)
NCAA DIVISION III
1974 Rudy Sawyer (Second, triple jump)
Greg Traxler (Fifth, 440-yard hurdles)
1975 Mike Bauer (Fifth, 440-yard hurdles)
NAIA
1978 Joe Perske (Fourth, marathon)
NCAA DIVISION III
1979 Nort Hatlie (Second, steeplechase)
Joe Metzger (Second, 10,000 meters)
1980 Mike Frericks (Sixth, 400-meter hurdles)
1981 Mike Frericks (Fifth, 400-meter hurdles)
Chuck Moorse (Sixth, 800 meters)
1982 Doug Clark (Sixth, steeplechase)
Brian Smith (Second, 5000 meters)
1983 Brian Smith (National Champion, 5000 meters)
John Sowada (Fourth, discus)
1984 Jim Gathje (Fourth, steeplechase)
John Gathje (Fourth, 5000 meters)
Charlie Mahler (Seventh, 10,000 meters)
1985 Jim Gathje (National Champion, steeplechase)
Charlie Mahler (Third, 5000 meters)
1986 Dean Daninger (Indoor: Sixth, shot put)
Jim Gathje (National Champion, steeplechase)
Wade Weisz (Fourth, javelin)
1987 Joe Bohlke (Eighth, 10,000 meters)
Dean Daninger (Indoor: Third, shot put)
Dean Daninger (Fourth, shot put)
1988 Joe Bohlke (Sixth, 10,000 meters)
Dean Daninger (Indoor: Fifth, shot put)
Dean Daninger (Sixth, discus)
Pat Jennrich (Indoor: Fifth, 35-pound weight)
Wade Weisz (Seventh, javelin)
1989 Kraig Runquist (Seventh, 1500 meters)
1990 Scott Lindell (Fifth, steeplechase), Kraig Runquist (Fifth, 1500 meters)
1994 Paul Chestovich (Eighth, 1500 meters)
1995 Dan Besemann (Seventh, decathlon)
1996 Jeb Myers (Seventh, steeplechase)
1999 Darwin Dumonceaux (Indoor: Fourth, shot put)
Darwin Dumonceaux (National Champion, shot put)
John Guertin (Seventh, steeplechase)
Steve Kimble (Sixth, decathlon)
2000 John Krueger (Third, 10,000 meters)
2003 Tom Engwall (Fourth, javelin)
Mike Marschel (Sixth, 800 meters)
John Mathews (Indoor: Fourth, 1500 meters)
2004 Paul Ferber (Fifth, triple jump)
Mike Marschel (Indoor: Fifth, 800 meters)
2005 Paul Ferber (Indoor: Eighth, triple jump)
2006 Derek Johnson (Seventh, 400-meter hurdles)
2007 Eric Buss (Seventh, triple jump)
Erik Diley (Fifth, long jump)
Chris Erichsen (Second, steeplechase)
Chris Erichsen (Indoor: Fourth, 5000 meters)
Chris Erichsen (Fourth, 5000 meters)
Michael Leither (Second, 400-meter hurdles)
2008 Eric Buss (Indoor: Third, triple jump)
Eric Buss (Seventh, triple jump)
Erik Diley (Fifth, long jump)
Chris Erichsen (Second, steeplechase)
Chris Erichsen (Second, 5000 meters),
Chris Erichsen (Indoor: Sixth, 5000 meters),
Kelly Fermoyle (Eighth, 10,000 meters)
2009 Eric Buss (Indoor: Third, triple jump)
Eric Buss (Sixth, triple jump)
Erik Diley (Indoor: Seventh, long jump)
Brayden Wagner (Sixth, decathlon)
Brayden Wagner (Eighth, pole vault)
2011 Tom Hoffman (Fourth, 800 meters)
Tim Juba (Fifth, hammer throw)
2013 Thomas Feichtinger (Eighth, 800 meters)
2016 Ryan Bugler (National Champion, steeplechase)
2017 Ryan Bugler (Fourth, steeplechase)
2019 Nick Gannon (National Champion, 4x100-meter relay)
Brady Labine (National Champion, 4x100-meter relay)
Ryan Miller (National Champion, 4x100-meter relay)
Ryan Miller (Second, 100-meter dash)
Drew Schoenbauer (National Champion, 4x100-meter relay)
2020* Drew Dockendorf (Indoor, pole vault)
Ryan Miller (Indoor, 60-meter dash)
Maguire Petersen (Indoor, high jump)
Michael Wallace (Indoor, triple jump)
Collin Trout (Indoor, triple jump)
2021 Kevin Arthur (Fourth, 4x100-meter relay)
Drew Dockendorf (Sixth, pole vault)
Brady Labine (Fourth, 4x100-meter relay)
Ryan Miller (Third, 100-meter dash)
Ryan Miller (Fourth, 4x100-meter relay)
Maguire Petersen (T-Eighth, high jump)
Shawn Schindler (Fourth, pole vault)
Jack Young (Fourth, 4x100-meter relay)
2022 Brett Hague (Fourth, javelin)
Maguire Petersen (Indoor: Sixth, heptathlon)
Maguire Petersen (Fifth, decathlon)
2023 Kevin Arthur (Seventh, 100-meter dash)
Brett Hague (Seventh, javelin)
2024* Kevin Arthur (Fifth, 100-meter dash), Kevin Arthur (second team; 11th, 200-meter dash), Kevin Arthur (Indoor: second team; 15th, 60-meter dash), Jackson McDowell (Eighth, high jump)
*the USTFCCCA awarded All-America honors to all national qualifiers due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Prior to 1973 the NCAA was divided into the University and College Divisions. College Division schools were those which would be either Division II or Division III today. Beginning in 1985, All-American honors were given to the top eight finishers at the NCAA III outdoor championship rather than the top six. Saint John's athletes who finished 7th or 8th prior to 1985 include: Chuck Moorse, 1980, 800 meters, 7th; 4x400-meter relay team (Mike Frericks, Chris Longbella, Tom Frericks, Chuck Moorse), 1981, 7th; Bob Morris, 1982, steeplechase, 7th; Jim Gathje, 1983, steeplechase, 8th; Charlie Mahler, 1984, 10,000 meters, 7th…
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SPONSOR AND CONTRACTOR FOR JOHNNIE
ATHLETICS
SENIOR SPOTLIGHT
Andrew Adams Pole vault, Wayzata High School
What is your best memory of your time here – on or off the track?
My best memory has to be my most recent pole vault PR (personal record). I jumped 4.04 meters (13-feet-3) at MSU-Mankato, which was my first time over 4 meters and my first time over 13 feet. This wasn’t long after coming back from a back injury that ended my indoor season, so being able to hit a milestone like that with my dad in attendance was super special.
What is your favorite spot on campus and why?
The (Arboretum). I love walking the trails if I have free time, and it’s a great place to get fresh air even when it’s cold out.
What is something most people wouldn’t know about you?
I want to learn how to build a log cabin by hand. I came across some YouTube videos about it and I was instantly obsessed.
Joe Gathje Distance, Bloomington Jefferson High School
What is your major and why did you choose it?
Economics because I like working with numbers and trying to make the most out of any given set of circumstances.
What is your favorite song/singer?
Song: “Tipsy” by Shaboozey; Artist: Jim Croce.
Who is someone you really admire and why?
My older siblings. They’re always there for me and they showed me what it means to work hard to achieve success.
Ethan Leonard Distance, Chaska High
School
What made you decide to come to Saint John’s?
I wanted to continue my running career, and I was quite fond of the Johnnie Network for (postgraduation) opportunities.
What are some of your hobbies?
I enjoy watching sports, hiking and listening to music.
If you were trapped on a desert island, what teammate would you want with you and why?
Colin Kaster. He knows how to play the guitar beautifully.
Alec Ungar Jumps, Chanhassen High School
What made you decide to come to Saint John’s?
Almost everyone on my dad’s side of the family has come here.
What is your major and why did you choose it?
Psychology because I’m going to be a child life specialist.
If you were trapped on a desert island, what teammate would you want with you and why?
Tommy Allen because he has a lot of gadgets and gizmos.
Max Lelwica Multi-events, Brainerd High School
What is your favorite spot on campus and why?
The track because I love training, practicing and being with my teammates.
What is the most interesting place to which you’ve traveled?
I went to Cairo, Egypt to see the pyramids.
If you were trapped on a desert island, what teammate would you want with you and why?
Anthony Thurk no doubt because that’s my guy. We’re getting off that island.
Joe Mensen Throws, HillMurray High School
What is your best memory of your time here – on or off the track?
The thrower squad dinners we have the night before meets. We meet up at our teammate Jaeden Frost’s house and grill steaks.
What is your favorite food?
Lemon poppyseed muffins.
Who is someone you really admire and why?
My father, Scott Mensen. He was the person who introduced me to the throwing events, and he was my first coach. He was also a thrower on the SJU track and field team, so I think it’s really cool I get to follow in his footsteps.
SENIOR SPOTLIGHT
A.J. Skinner
Distance, Rogers High School
What is your funniest memory from track and field at SJU?
Going to Olive Garden and playing trivia at the table with (coaches) Tim (Miles), Maxwell (Kuzara) and some of the other distance guys before the Last Chance meet at Augustana (Illinois) my junior year.
What is the most interesting place to which you’ve traveled?
Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.
What is your major and why did you choose it?
Environmental studies. I chose it because I’ve always had an interest in habitat restoration.
Zach Schaffer
Jumps, Chaska High School
What is your favorite food?
Sushi. Specifically all you can eat from Yamato.
What is your funniest memory from track and field at SJU?
The bus ride back after winning the (MIAC) outdoor championship in 2023. What is your best memory of your time here - on or off the track?
Meeting my friends.
Anthony Thurk Multi-events, Waconia High School
What is your favorite spot on campus and why?
The raft on Lake Sag (Sagatagan). My friends and I enjoy nice days on the lake.
What is something most people wouldn’t know about you?
I’ve spent over 3,000 hours across multiple basketball video games.
If you were trapped on a desert island, what teammate would you want with you and why?
(Former teammate) Brett Hague. He’s quite the outdoorsman and I think he would give us the highest chance of survival.
Jackson
McDowell Jumps, Arapahoe (Colorado) High School
What is your best memory of your time here - on or off the track?
Studying abroad in Greece in the fall of 2023. I had the opportunity to visit a lot of awesome places with great friends.
What is something most people wouldn’t know about you?
I don’t have a belly button.
What is your favorite song/singer?
I’m quite the Post Malone fan.
LAST SEASON IN PICTURES
SJU Soccer at Gustavus in MIAC Quarterfinals (image courtesy of Graham Miller).
Defender Noah Hermanson, scored what proved to be the gamewinning goal in the 72nd minute on Oct. 11. (image courtesy of Graham Miller).
SCHOLARSHIP FEATURE Scholarships help Deutschman thrive at SJU
It was one of his high school coaches who first put Saint John’s University on Jacob Deutschman’s radar.
Ben Sieben – an All-MIAC standout at wide receiver for the Johnnies in the late 1990s – is now an assistant coach at Anoka High School where Deutschman was the starting quarterback before graduating in 2022.
“I didn’t know much about Saint John’s before that,” Deutschman said. “But (Sieben) went here and he talked to me about it. So I took a visit and I really enjoyed the campus. When I discovered more about the quality of education that’s offered here, I knew this was where I wanted to be.”
And it was scholarships that helped make that possible. Deutschman – an exercise and health science major who will be a junior this fall –currently receives the Agee Family Scholarship, as well as an academic achievement scholarship.
“It takes away so much stress when you know you have scholarships in place to help make everything work financially,” said Deutschman, who hopes to one day pursue a chiropractic career. “It allows you to focus your energy on academic success.”
Deutschman is doing just that while continuing as a member of the SJU football team.
“Jacob is a testament to the kind of young men that we have here at Saint John’s,” Johnnies head
coach Gary Fasching said. “As a member of our football team, Jacob has battled through a couple of injuries but has persevered. He had a very good spring for us, and we hope that he can carry that into the coming season.”
Deutschman is the oldest in a family of four children – two of whom are cousins whom his parents Brent and Sarah adopted after his aunt died of cancer and his uncle died of complications from ALS within a month of one another in 2016.
“That was a really rough moment to go through as a family,” he recalls. “My cousins lost their mother and father and we lost an aunt and uncle. It was hard, but we got through it, and it drew us even closer together.
“We’re a very tight-knit family.”
Those close familial ties are part of why he values so deeply the sense of community he’s found at SJU and the College of Saint Benedict.
“If I hadn’t been able to come here, I would have missed out on the bonding experiences I’ve had with my classmates, as well as the oneon-one relationships I’ve formed with my professors and coaches,” he said.
“I’ve made such great friends during my time here. I can’t imagine being anywhere else.”
Which is why he’s so appreciative of the assistance scholarships have provided, and so grateful to the donors who’ve helped make that possible.
“I want to say thank you for giving me this opportunity,” he said. “It’s meant so much to me to be here.”
TRACK & FIELD IN THE SJU J-CLUB HALL OF HONOR
JOHN MCDOWELL ’64
(Inducted 2019)
John McDowell ’64 holds the distinction of having played for not one, but two legendary head football coaches.
At Saint John’s University, the 1964 graduate was a two-time AllAmerican and two-time All-MIAC selection under the tutelage of John Gagliardi, who would go on to become college football’s all-time wins leader. McDowell was a key member of the 1963 Johnnie team that won the first of Gagliardi’s four national championships in Collegeville, playing on both the offensive and defensive line.
Then, after graduating, he went on to a six-season professional career in the NFL and Canadian Football League, the first season of which was spent with the Green Bay Packers – then led by legendary coaching icon Vince Lombardi. But it wasn’t just football where McDowell excelled. He was also a member of the Johnnies’ basketball team and a standout in track and field, winning four MIAC titles in the discus and two in the shot put.
JOHN CRAGG ’71
(Inducted 2019)
John Craig ’71 finished his collegiate career as a three-time AllAmerican in cross country and twice earned All-American honors in track and field.
He finished second in the nation in cross country as a sophomore and junior in 1969 and ‘70. Meanwhile, his time of 28:52.31 at six miles in track and field – recorded in 1970 – converts to a faster time in the 10,000 meters than any Johnnie runner has yet been able to achieve at that distance.
JIM GATHJE ’86
(Inducted 2021)
Jim Gathje ’86 had a standout career at SJU on both the trail and track. He finished in the top 10 at the MIAC meet in cross country twice, including a championship as a senior in the fall of 1985 – the same season in which he finished 19th at the Division III national meet.
But it was in track and field that he made his biggest impact, specifically in the steeplechase – an event that blends distance running, hurdling and water jumps.
That mixture proved uniquely suited to Gathje’s skill set. He finished in the top eight at the Division III national outdoor meet all four years during his time with the Johnnies, winning backto-back national titles in 1985 and ʼ 86. His best time in the event – 8:39.80 in 1985 – remains both a school and Division III record 35 years later.
CYRIL PAUL ’59
(Inducted 2022)
Cyril Paul ’59 was on one of the top sprinters in school history.
As a freshman in 1956, Paul joined with twin brothers Kevin ‘58 and Keith ‘58 Hughes to form the core of a mile relay team that went on to win three-straight MIAC titles. Paul ran the anchor leg. The team went through the 1956 season unbeaten, breaking the school record three times, including at the conference meet.
Paul won both the 100- and 220-yard dash as a sophomore in 1957 – helping SJU capture its first conference team title in 18 years. His time in the 100 that season (9.9 seconds) was a MIAC record, and his school records in both
events would stand until they were broken by Dave Lamm ʼ68 in the late 1960s.
DAVE LAMM ’68 (Inducted 2022)
Dave Lamm ’68 was a five-time MIAC outdoor champion sprinter who earned NAIA All-America honors in the 200-meter dash as a senior.
During his first season at SJU in 1966, he won the 100 at the MIAC meet, but had to settle for second in the 220 after a stumble. He returned to win both events as a junior in 1967, then repeated the feat as a senior in 1968 when he earned the Randy Bartholomaus Memorial Trophy as the meet’s most valuable performer. He set conference records in both events.
As a junior, Lamm qualified for the 100 at the 1967 NAIA national meet in Sioux Falls, South Dakota – failing to make the finals in an event won by Texas Southern’s Jim Hines who went on to win two gold medals at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City before playing briefly in the NFL.
He qualified for nationals in both the 100- and 200-meter dashes as a senior in 1968 (because it was an Olympic year, the NAIA national meet used the Olympic distances), finishing third overall in the 200 in a time of 21.3 seconds (hand timed), which stood as a school record until it was broken by current senior Kevin Arthur in 2022. His time in the 100 at the meet (10.4 seconds) stood as a program mark
Cragg
McDowell
Paul
Lamm
Gathje
TRACK & FIELD IN THE SJU J-CLUB
HALL OF HONOR
until 2018, when it was first broken by Ryan Miller ’22.
DARWIN DUMONCEAUX ’99
(Inducted 2023)
Darwin Dumonceaux ’99 earned All-MIAC honors in the shot put five times and All-American honors twice – including as a senior in 1999 when he won a Division III outdoor national championship with a throw of 57-10 ¼ (17.63 meters).
That made him the first SJU track and field athlete to capture a national title since Jim Gathje won the 3,000-meter steeplechase in both 1985 and ʼ 86.
The national championship capped a season in which he’d finished fourth in the shot put at the Division III indoor meet, then won the MIAC outdoor title after having finished as conference runner-up three times (1997 outdoor, 1998 indoor and 1999 indoor). He had previously won a conference indoor title in 1997.
CHRIS ERICHSEN ’08
(Inducted 2023)
Chris Erichsen ’08 is one of the most decorated cross country and track athletes in school history.
Erichsen finished third in the 800 at the MIAC indoor meet and third in the 1,500 at the MIAC outdoor meet as a freshman in 2005. And he was just getting started. As a sophomore, he won conference titles in the mile (indoors) and 1,500 (outdoors) while finishing second in the 800 (indoors). As a junior, he placed sixth at the MIAC cross country championships, then placed first in the 1,500 and 5,000 (outdoors) and second in the mile
(indoors) in track.
He finished fourth in the 5,000 at both the NCAA Division III indoor and outdoor national meet and finished second in the 3,000 steeplechase – an event he he’d just taken up that season.
Erichsen again finished second in the event as a senior in 2008 – capping a final year that saw him win the MIAC title in cross country and finish third nationally, then add conference track titles in the steeplechase, 1,500 (outdoors), mile (indoors) and 5,000 (indoors and outdoors). He also finished second in the 800 (indoors) and the 10,000 (outdoors). He placed sixth in the 5,000 at the Division III national indoor meet and second in the 5,000 outdoors.
His competitive drive didn’t dissipate when he graduated from SJU. Erichsen continued to pursue competitive distance running, qualifying for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials in the marathon where he finished 40th out of the 85 top runners in the nation.
CHUCK CERONSKY ’70 (Inducted 2024)
Chuck Ceronsky ʼ70 was the MIAC cross country champion in 1968, and the conference runnerup the following year. But he also had plenty of success in track-and-field, including in the steeplechase.
That was the event in which he earned All-American honors twice as a senior – first at the NAIA national meet in Billings, Montana, where he finished second overall, behind only Larbi Oukada of Fort Hays (Kansas) State who had already competed for Morocco in the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City.
He then finished third at the NCAA
college division meet held at Macalester in St. Paul.
Ceronsky also helped the Johnnies win the first of four straight MIAC outdoor track titles as a senior in 1970, snapping Macalester’s 11-year championship run.
TIM
MILES ’76 (Inducted 2024)
Tim Miles coached the SJU track and field team for 36 seasons (1980-2015) and led the Johnnies to five MIAC outdoor titles. He remained as head cross country coach at the school for 44 seasons, stepping down after the 2022 campaign. He led his teams to nine conference titles in that sport and 22 berths in the NCAA Division III national meet.
Miles was named MIAC track and field coach of the year four times (2004, ʼ05, ʼ07, ʼ 11) and conference cross country coach of the year on three occasions (1997, 2006 and ʼ07). His athletes earned All-American honors 18 times in cross country and 61 times in track and field.
That included four track and field national titles: Brian Smith in the 5,000 meters in 1983, Jim Gathje in the steeplechase in 1985 and ʼ 86 and Darwin Dumonceaux in the discus in 1999.
He has remained an assistant coach after stepping down in 2015 and helped coach Ryan Bugler to a national title in the steeplechase the following year. This past January, he was inducted into the USA Track and Field Minnesota Hall of Fame.
Dumonceaux
Erichsen
Miles
Ceronsky
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ATHLETE FEATURE: LEWLWICA, THURK AMONG MIAC’S BEST MULTI-SPORT EVENT COMPETITORS
If Max Lelwica is somewhere, there’s a pretty good chance Anthony Thurk is there too.
And vice versa.
It’s been that way since the senior multi-event competitors on the Saint John’s University track and field team were freshmen.
“We’re kind of each other’s shadow,” said Lelwica, a biochemistry major. “There are five of us on the team who room together, but with Thurk and I, it’s a whole different level. Since we both compete in the same events, we go to practice at the same time. We end up eating at the same time, we go for rehab (in the training room) at the same time. We sit together on car or bus trips.”
“Because of the way our schedules are, we even chill at the same time.”
“It’s a good thing we have different majors, or we’d be together 24 hours a day,” added Thurk, who is majoring in accounting. “Classes are really the only time we don’t see each other.”
That bond has helped make them two of the top multi-event competitors in the MIAC. Lelwica – a Brainerd High School graduate – finished third in the conference heptathlon (indoors) a year ago after finishing second as a sophomore in 2023.
He then placed second in the decathlon (outdoors), improving on a third-place showing the season before. Thurk, a Waconia High School alum, has finished fourth in the heptathlon the past two seasons, and placed sixth in the decathlon last spring.
“It seems like most years that we’ve had good decathletes, we’ve had a pair,” said SJU assistant coach Joe Vardas, who works with the team’s multi-event athletes. “It helps a lot because you’re practicing twice a day, and that other person is there to watch and offer critiques. They provide camaraderie during long competitions. It’s another set of eyes.”
“We train together, and we push each other,” Lelwica added. “I know the things he does well and the areas where he can get better, and he knows the same thing about me. We talk with each other all the time. It’s like having an extra mini-coach there when we’re competing.”
Which is why it felt like something was missing when Lelwica qualified for the NCAA Division III outdoor national championships last May and Thurk was not there alongside him.
Lelwica recorded a personal-best score of 6,526 at a Last Chance Decathlon at St. Olaf to secure his first trip to nationals. But Thurk – who was also in contention – suffered an injury early in the competition and had to withdraw.
“I tweaked my hamstring in the long jump, which is the second event out of 10, and I couldn’t push through it,” Thurk recalls. “That was frustrating.”
But his disappointment didn’t dim his pride at seeing Lelwica qualify, and when his friend needed him, he was there – even from 1,400 miles away.
“I felt like I had my worst meet of the year,” said Lelwica, who finished 19th overall at nationals with a score of 6,225. “It was the first time all season I hadn’t bettered my score. I was pretty angry with myself after the first couple events, which is when someone told me I needed to get to my phone. I don’t
so I figured I’d check it later. Then Joe came running over with his phone and said, ‘It’s Thurk.’”
“I felt like he might need a pick-me-up,” Thurk said. “The high jump was next. I had some advice I thought might help. So I made the call, and they got the phone to him.”
“He was there to give me a boost even when he wasn’t actually there,” Lelwica added.
The past couple of years, Lelwica and Thurk have been largely on their own when it comes to the multi-events. This year, though, they’re being joined by three sophomores and a freshman.
“We know those guys will be looking to us,” Thurk said. “But even last year, we’d already taken on leadership positions on the team. So it’s a role we’re comfortable with.”
The pair will go their separate ways following graduation in May. Thurk plans to move to Omaha where his girlfriend is in graduate school and pursue an accounting career. Lelwica expects to spend a year volunteering and preparing for medical school.
But they say they will remain in regular contact.
“There’s a group of us on this team who are pretty close, and I’m sure we’ll all get together pretty often,” Thurk said. “We’ll call and text. At the end of the day, Omaha is only a six-hour drive. So we’re going to keep in touch.”
But all that is still in the future. In the present, both Lelwica and Thurk have their eyes on qualifying for indoor nationals in the heptathlon and outdoor nationals in the decathlon.
“That’s the goal,” Lelwica said. “And if everything goes well, there’s no reason why both of us shouldn’t be in contention. It would be a great way to end our careers –competing at nationals together.”
Hyd ing S ude A hletes and F S in ce 1916 !
