Wackett of Watertown Named to UW-Whitewater Men's Cross Country Roster

2016 Sep 14

Mitchell Wackett, a native of Watertown, WI, and graduate of Watertown High School, will compete for the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's cross country team during the 2016 season.

Wackett, a junior at UW-Whitewater, is majoring in english.

The Warhawks open the 2016 season this Saturday, Sept. 17, with the second annual Tom Hoffman Invitational at the UW-Whitewater campus cross country trail. The women's race will begin at 10:45 a.m. and is followed by the men's competition at 11:45 a.m.

UW-Whitewater will compete in four more meets prior to the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships, which are set for Oct. 29 at Wisconsin River Golf Club in Stevens Point. The NCAA Midwest Regional will take place two weeks later at Lake Breeze Golf Club in Winneconne, with the NCAA Championships slated for Nov. 19 at the Tom Sawyer Course in Louisville, Kentucky.

Despite the loss of four seniors who were a vital part of the 2015 campaign to graduation, the Warhawks return several veteran runners to this year's team. The team will participate in 8-Kilometer races.

Junior Brett Harms (Whitewater, Wis./Whitewater) evolved as the team's most consistent No. 1 finisher in 2015. Harms placed eighth at the WIAC Championships and ninth out of 262 runners at the NCAA Regional. With the ninth-place finish, Harms advanced to the NCAA Championships, where he placed 56th out of 278 competitors.

Junior Benjamin Maas (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls) and sophomore Ethan Kern (Muskego, Wis./Muskego) were consistently among the team's top seven a season ago. Maas placed fifth on the team with a personal best 26:53 at the 2015 Brissman/Lundeen Invitational (Saukie Golf Course - Rock Island, Ill.). Kern posted a season best 27:12 a year ago at the UW-Oshkosh AAE Invitational (Lake Breeze Golf Club).

Sophomore Jonah Nelson (Dodgeville, Wis./Dodgeville/Mineral Point) placed fifth on the team at the WIAC Championships with a time of 27:40. Nelson looks to build off his best finish of the season at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships with a time of 26:43 good for 126th place out of 260 runners. Look for Nelson to be a consistent finisher in UW-Whitewater's top seven.

Other returners include senior Scott Wolter (Pewaukee, Wis./Pewaukee), juniors Aaron Carmichael(Milwaukee, Wis./Wisconsin Lutheran HS), Zach Ewoldt (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North), Alec Meixelsperger (Middleton, Wis./Middleton), Mitch Wackett (Watertown, Wis./Watertown), and sophomoresJack Sauer (Appleton, Wis./West), Todd Noreen (Dundee, Ill./Dundee-Crown), Grant Miller (Cedarburg, Wis./Kettle Moraine Lutheran) and Braeden Michael (Chippewa Falls, Wis./Chippewa Falls).