Cole Oleson high jumping
©Steve Woltmann

Men's Track and Field

Oleson’s High Jump Win Highlights Squig Converse Invite

Contact: Taiah Gallisath, Associate Director of Athletics Communication, 630-637-5302

Squig Converse Results
Meyo Invitational Results

WHITEWATER, Wis. (Jan. 30, 2026) - The North Central College men's track and field team competed at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater on Friday evening, where the Cardinals came away with one event win by Cole Oleson in the high jump and 11 top-five performances. 

In the high jump, Oleson cracked the two-meter barrier for the first time this season, clearing 2.06 meters (6'9") to edge the field by two inches for the win. The mark puts him tied for fourth in Division III this season. Isaiah Shephard matched his season best of 1.81m (5'11.25") to finish in a three-way tie for ninth. 

North Central had three advance to the 60-meter hurdle finals, led by Matthew Vergamini who clocked an 8.65-second run in prelims to take the third-seed in the finals. He ultimately improved his placing, finishing as the runner-up in a time of 8.57 seconds. Daniel Nwatu produced back-to-back personal bests, first clocking an 8.77 in the prelims before following it up with a 8.67 in the final where he finished fifth overall. Giovanny Hernandez turned in an 8.95 in the prelims and a 9.19 in the final to finish seventh overall. 

Micah Mendoza posted a personal best effort of 4:37.73 to finish as runner-up in the mile. Teammate Ethan Aiccholz recorded a top-10 finish in the event with a time of 4:43.26. Ryan Breese turned in a runner-up finish in the 5,000m in a time of 17:00.13.

Running his first 3,000m of the season, BJ Sorg clocked a personal best time of 8:24.73 to finish third in the field. Prior to the banked-track conversion, Sorg's time sits 29th in Division III this season. Aidan Armstrong also produced a personal best performance in the 3k with a time of 8:32.04 which was good for fifth overall. 

Jake Juneau and Gabe Parker finished fourth and fifth in the 400m dash. Juneau crossed the finish line in 50.79 seconds with Parker just behind in 50.97 seconds. In the 200m dash, Travis Hoffman was the highest placing Cardinal in fifth-place with a season best time of 22.78 seconds. Zach Anderson earned an eighth place finish in the field with a 23.09 effort. 

Luke Hemmersmeier turned in a fourth-place finish in the long jump with a distance of 6.65m (21'10"). Grant Sarris was the top vaulter for the Cardinals today, placing 10th in the field with a 3.81m  (12'6") clearance. 

In the shot put, Ben Balboa entered finals as the fourth seed and ultimately finished fifth in the field as his first throw of the day, a 15.04m () toss, remained his best mark throughout the competition. 
Additionally, over in South Bend, Ind., Randy Reed competed at the University of Notre Dame's Meyo Invitational where he turned in a time of 21.86 in the 200m to finish fourth in the Division I field. 

North Central is back in action on Saturday, Feb. 7 as the Cardinals head to Illinois Wesleyan University for the Keck DIII Select to get a preview of this year's College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Championship site. 
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Players Mentioned

Zach Anderson

Zach Anderson

Sprints
Sophomore
Aidan Armstrong

Aidan Armstrong

Distance
Junior
Ben Balboa

Ben Balboa

Throws
Sophomore
Luke Hemmersmeier

Luke Hemmersmeier

Jumps
Sophomore
Jake Juneau

Jake Juneau

Sprints
Sophomore
Cole Oleson

Cole Oleson

Sprints/Jumps
Junior
Grant Sarris

Grant Sarris

Pole Vault
Sophomore
BJ Sorg

BJ Sorg

Distance
Sophomore
Ryan Breese

Ryan Breese

Distance
Freshman
Daniel Nwatu

Daniel Nwatu

Hurdles
Freshman
Gabe Parker

Gabe Parker

Jumps/Sprints
Junior
Randy Reed

Randy Reed

Sprints
Junior

Players Mentioned

Zach Anderson

Zach Anderson

Sophomore
Sprints
Aidan Armstrong

Aidan Armstrong

Junior
Distance
Ben Balboa

Ben Balboa

Sophomore
Throws
Luke Hemmersmeier

Luke Hemmersmeier

Sophomore
Jumps
Jake Juneau

Jake Juneau

Sophomore
Sprints
Cole Oleson

Cole Oleson

Junior
Sprints/Jumps
Grant Sarris

Grant Sarris

Sophomore
Pole Vault
BJ Sorg

BJ Sorg

Sophomore
Distance
Ryan Breese

Ryan Breese

Freshman
Distance
Daniel Nwatu

Daniel Nwatu

Freshman
Hurdles
Gabe Parker

Gabe Parker

Junior
Jumps/Sprints
Randy Reed

Randy Reed

Junior
Sprints