Michigan Tech distance runner Luke Pravecek runs the 5,000m during a heat Friday at the UW-Platteville Invitational in Platteville, Wisconsin. (Photo courtesy of Michigan Tech University)

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. — The Michigan Tech Huskies track & field squads had a successful two days at the UW-Platteville Invitational highlighted by 23 personal-bests and heat wins from junior Luke Pravecek (5,000m), freshman Evan Balko (1,500m), freshman Landon Pestrue (1,500m) and junior Brady Hager (800m).

“I am very happy with how we ran this weekend. We always identify our performers of the meet as a coaching staff and this was a hard meet to choose because we had so many great races,” said Huskies coach Robert Young. “The night of 5ks they do on Friday is one of the more special environments I’ve ever been to in our sport. It has to be such a fun experience to race in those conditions so it’s no wonder so many athletes have great races.

“We knew the weather hindered the performances on the stopwatch in Green Bay a couple weeks ago, so it was great to see so many show their hard earned progress this weekend.”

Day One

The Michigan Tech women’s 5,000m crew delivered a standout performance, with all three competitors recording personal-best times.

In the opening heat, freshman Bella Reimers and sophomore Linnea Gray made significant improvements, clocking 19:27.08 and 19:54.76, respectively. Gray shaved 25 seconds off her previous best, while Reimers dropped over 18 seconds.

Senior Alisa Teige continued the momentum in the third section, finishing sixth with a personal-best time of 18:28.55.

On the men’s side, sophomore Derin Apul led a strong showing in the third section of the 5,000m, placing third with a personal-best 15:11.04, an improvement of 15 seconds from his season opener. Sophomore Brayden Sobecki (15:18.65) and freshman Dylan Lydic (15:20.76) also recorded personal bests in the same heat.

In the following section, Pravecek surged to a convincing win, using a strong final lap to post a personal-best 15:08.49, cutting nine seconds off his previous mark. Senior Austin Smelker added another personal best with a time of 15:02.56 in the sixth section.

Senior Ingrid Halverson highlighted the women’s distance group by breaking the 18-minute barrier for the first time, running 17:49.53 in the fifth section, a personal-best improvement of over 46 seconds in a field of more than 200 runners.

The nightcap featured junior Colman Lenci and senior Michael Dennis, who both dipped under 14:40 for the first time. Lenci placed seventh in his section with a time of 14:39.15, while Dennis followed closely in 14:39.90 to take ninth.

Day Two

Day two opened with the 3,000m steeplechase, where fifth-year Stephen Loparo made his return to the event for the first time since 2023, clocking 10:04.63. Sophomore Finnian Stringer led the Huskies with a fourth-place finish in 10:00.84.

In the women’s 1,500m, sophomore Sam Shaver placed fourth in her heat with a time of 4:46.32. Senior Ingrid Seagren recorded a personal-best 4:52.93, while senior Hailee Zimpel also lowered her PR with a time of 4:54.76.

The men’s 1,500m highlighted the day, as the Huskies recorded two heat wins along with several top finishes. Balko set the tone with a dominant win in the opening heat (4:19.70). The duo of Pestrue (4:05.08) and freshman Jackson Lillywhite (4:08.83) finished first and third in their heat, while junior Ethan Hoff placed 10th in his debut at the distance (4:20.80).

Freshman Matthias Morse nearly added another heat win, finishing runner-up in 4:04.32. Junior Luke Morrison (4:04.99) placed fifth, while Pravecek doubled back from the 5,000m to run 4:06.96.

Lenci also returned to compete in the 1,500m, running 4:01.73 for eighth in his section, with senior Lucas Seng close behind in 4:03.06. In total, Balko, Lillywhite, Pestrue, Morse, Morrison, and Pravecek all recorded personal-best performances.

In the women’s 800m, sophomores Julia Moxey (2:21.05) and Adeline Gobble (2:25.74) each earned personal records.

The meet concluded with a strong showing in the men’s 800m, led by junior Brady Hager, who won his heat for the third consecutive meet. Hager used a 59.15-second lap to post a personal-best 1:56.42. Freshman Caden Karcher also broke the two-minute barrier with a personal-best 1:59.16, while junior Broderick Stewart followed with a 1:59.78. Morse closed out his busy day with a time of 2:02.59.

Up next

The Huskies will take a weekend off before returning to De Pere, Wisconsin, for the St. Norbert Invitational on April 25.