Three meets into January and three school records have already been broken by the Wayne State men’s track team.
 
Derek Lahm broke the school record in the heptathlon with 4,966 points on his way to second place at the Minnesota State Open and Multi in Mankato on Friday on Saturday. Lahm’s record setting performance comes just a week after Antoine Bardou broke school records two weeks in a row in the 1000-meter and the mile.
 
“Anytime you can break into new ground that no athlete at your school as ever reached is exciting,” Head Coach Marlon Brink said.
 
Lahm is also the school record holder in the decathlon and is a part of the record-holding 4×100-meter and 4×400-meter relay teams.
 
“The competition was the best I’ve ever had in a multi,” Lahm said. “It was basically a preview of conference minus two or three good guys.”
 
Brady Metz captured a first-place finish in the triple jump (14.33m) for the second week in a row and Braxton Adams was 2nd in the 60-meter (6.93).
 
Corbin Lehn was second in the 5000-meter (16:34.58), Jack Doughty was sixth in the 3000-meter (9:38.06), Clay Kramper was seventh in the 200-meter (23.03), Josh Spenner was eighth in the pole vault (4.40m), Kak Ayaj was eighth in the 800-meter (2:02.32) and in the 600-meter Nathan Pearson was third (1:27.16) and Habib Jallow was sixth (1:28.26).
 
In the weight throw Richard Sweeny was seventh (16.10m), Matt Nemec was eighth (15.98) and Cade Kalkowski was ninth (15.75).
 
For the women’s team, Michaela Dendinger won the shot put with a throw of 15.33m, and was second in the weight throw (18.74m).
 
“On the women’s side the highlight was obviously Michaela,” Brink said. “She’s now fourth in the nation.”
 
Also for the women Tia Jones was ninth in the shot put (12.27), Tessa Ives was twelfth in the weight throw (14.33), Shelby Poell was seventh in the pentathlon (2,802), Rianna Noelle was seventh in the triple jump (10.27m) and Melissa Kroll was fourteenth in the 200-meter (26.89).
 
“It was good for everyone to get acclimated to the Mankato track for when we go back for the conference meet,” Brink said.
 
On Saturday, most of the team will travel to Vermillion for the USD Invite. Some members of the team may qualify for the Husker Invite in Lincoln, which selects some of the top athletes from around the country.
 
“For the women, we are hoping to qualify Michaela in the shot put and weight throw,” Brink said. “For the men, we are hoping to qualify Braxton in the 60-meter, Derek in the long jump, Brady in the triple jump and Antoine in the mile.”
 
On Jan. 20, Wayne State competed at the South Dakota State Open in Brookings. Highlights of the meet were Bardou breaking the school record in the mile for first place with a time of 4:12.48, Dendinger winning the shot put (14.36m) and weight throw (18.51m) and Brady Metz winning the triple jump (14.23m).