RS
Robert Starnes
  • physical education
  • Class of 2019
  • Green Bay, Wis.

Green Bay Native Starnes Qualifies for NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships

2015 May 18

Robert Starnes, a communication major and member of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater track and field program, is one of 15 members of the teams to qualify in 19 different events at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which take place Thursday-Saturday, May 21-23, at St. Lawrence University's Merrick-Pinkard Track and Field Complex in Canton, N.Y.

The Warhawk men enter the weekend ranked third in the nation by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association rankings. The women are slotted eighth by the USTFCCCA.

UW-Whitewater has filed nine entries on the women's side and 14 in the men's meet.

Seniors Shelby Mahr (Boyd, Wis./Stanley-Boyd) and Lexie Sondgeroth (Rochelle, Ill./Township) lead the women's team, qualifying for a combined six events.

For the second straight season, Sondgeroth is a qualifier in the 200-meter dash (24.34, 4th), 400-meter dash (55.08, 2nd) and long jump (18-10.75/5.76m, 9th). She is the defending national champion in the 400, and is a six-time All-American outdoors. Sondgeroth is now an 11-time outdoor national qualifier.

Mahr enters the meet ranked fourth in the shot put (48-01.25/14.66m), sixth in the discus throw (156-11/47.82m) and eighth in the hammer throw (178-01/54.29). The captain finished as an All-American in all three events last season and is now a seven-time outdoor qualifier.

Sophomore Genny Rose Stringer (Assumption, Ill./Assumption) will join Mahr in the discus with the team's top mark of 158-05/48.29m, good for No. 3 in the country. Stringer was an All-American in 2014, when she placed fourth in the event.

Senior captain Amanda Brom (Jefferson, Wis./Jefferson) tallied the top time in Division III in the 800-meter run at Friday's UW-La Crosse Qualifier, posting a school record of 2:08.21. Junior Candice Wayne (West Bend, Wis./West) is a first time individual qualifier with a personal-best 1:02.64 in the 400-meter hurdles, good for 20th in the nation.

Four freshmen on the men's team each qualified in two different events.

Parker Witt (Appleton, Wis./North) registered each of his qualifying times at Friday's UW-La Crosse Qualifier. He ranks 11th in the nation in both the 100-meter dash (10.61) and 200-meter dash (21.47).

Theron Baumann (Monona Grove, Wis./Monona Grove) enters the weekend fourth in the shot put (57-11.00/17.65m) and 15th in the discus throw (166-07/50.78). He was an indoor All-American in the shot put with an eighth-place finish in March.

Mike Cournia (Waukesha, Wis./South) and Robert Starnes (Green Bay, Wis./Preble) will compete in two jumping events apiece. Cournia is second in the triple jump (50-00.75/15.26m) and 16th in the long jump (23-08.75/7.23m). Starnes ranks seventh in the high jump (6-10.25/2.09m) and 11th in the long jump (23-09.50/7.25m).

Senior captain Dawson Miller (Whitewater, Wis./Whitewater) ranks No. 1 in the nation in the 3,000-meter steeplechase entering the national meet. His time of 8:56.82 is the second fastest of his career. Miller is a two-time All-American in the event, finishing as the national runner-up in 2014.

Senior captain Mike Judd (Chicago, Ill./St. Laurence) and senior Tony Urbanski (Spring Valley, Ill./Hall) will participate in the 110-meter hurdles and the 800-meter run, respectively. Judd enters with a 14.57, the No. 13 time in NCAA Division III, and is now a three-time qualifier in the event. Urbanski's result of 1:51.11 is the fastest of his career and is 12th in the field.

Senior Justin Bowers (Lake Geneva, Wis./Badger) and junior Alex Tassoul (Brussels, Wis./Southern Door) join Starnes and Cournia in the long jump. Tassoul owns the team's best mark of 23-10.00/7.26m, good for 10th in the country, and Bowers, a two-time outdoor All-American in the event, ranks 18th with a 23-08.25/7.22m.

Junior Zach Stockheimer (Mukwonago, Wis./Mukwonago) is a first time qualifier in any event after recording the 17th-best hammer throw, a 188-08/57.52m.

Mount Union (Ohio) is the defending champion on the men's side, while the Wartburg (Iowa) women have won the last three titles.

See below for a full schedule of UW-Whitewater participants. All times Eastern.

Thursday, May 21 (all times Eastern)

10:30 a.m.: Women's Discus (prelims and finals) - Shelby Mahr and Genny Rose Stringer

1:30 p.m.: Men's Discus (prelims and finals) - Theron Baumann

2:30 p.m.: Men's Long Jump (prelims and finals) - Justin Bowers, Mike Cournia, Robert Starnes, Alex Tassoul

4:20 p.m.: Women's 400-Meter Hurdles (prelims) - Candice Wayne

4:50 p.m.: Women's 200-Meter Dash (prelims) - Lexie Sondgeroth

5:05 p.m.: Men's 200-Meter Dash (prelims) - Parker Witt

5:30 p.m.: Women's Long Jump (prelims and finals) - Lexie Sondgeroth

5:50 p.m.: Men's 3,000-Meter Steeplechase (prelims) - Dawson Miller

Friday, May 22 (all times Eastern)

12 p.m.: Men's Hammer Throw (prelims and finals) - Zach Stockheimer

3 p.m.: Women's Hammer Throw (prelims and finals) - Shelby Mahr

5:30 p.m.: Men's 110-Meter Hurdles (prelims) - Mike Judd

5:45 p.m.: Women's 400-Meter Dash (prelims) - Lexie Sondgeroth

6:30 p.m.: Men's 100-Meter Dash (prelims) - Parker Witt

6:45 p.m.: Women's 800-Meter Run (prelims) - Amanda Brom

Saturday, May 23 (all times Eastern)

11:30 a.m.: Men's Shot Put (prelims and finals) - Theron Baumann

12:50 p.m.: Men's 3,000-Meter Steeplechase (finals) - Dawson Miller

2:05 p.m.: Men's 110-Meter Hurdles (finals) - Mike Judd

2:15 p.m.: Women's 400-Meter Dash (finals) - Lexie Sondgeroth

2:30 p.m.: Women's Shot Put (prelims and finals) - Shelby Mahr

2:30 p.m.: Men's High Jump (finals) - Robert Starnes

2:45 p.m.: Men's 100-Meter Dash (finals) - Parker Witt

2:55 p.m.: Women's 800-Meter Run (finals) - Amanda Brom

3:20 p.m.: Women's 400-Meter Hurdles (finals) - Candice Wayne

3:45 p.m.: Women's 200-Meter Dash (finals) - Lexie Sondgeroth

3:55 p.m.: Men's 200-Meter Dash (finals) - Parker Witt