GRINNELL, Iowa — UW–Platteville junior Amber Williams won the triple jump Saturday at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field National Championships with a new school record jump of 40–9.5 (12.43m).
Williams, now a nine-time All-American, earned her first national championship after placing second in Friday’s long jump finals.
The Milwaukee native fouled her first triple jump attempt Saturday, but came back in the second attempt to take the lead with a new school record mark of 40–3.5 (12.28m), a new school record.
The decorated junior held on to the lead with that mark throughout finals. As the last jumper in the order during finals, Williams was able to take her final attempt knowing that she had already won. Without any pressure, she raced down the runway and bettered her mark by six inches to 40–9.5 (12.43m). With that mark Williams broke into the NCAA Division III all-time best list for triple jump, tying for the sixth best mark ever.
Williams finished second in Friday’s long jump competition with a new school record of 19–2.75 (5.86m). Her second-place finish was the highest ever for a Pioneer woman in the event.
Another Division III all-time best performance was achieved in the 60-meter hurdles by junior Dan Arnold.
After breaking his own school record in Friday’s preliminary heat with a time of 7.90 seconds, the Fargo, N.D. native came back to run an even faster 7.85 in Saturday’s finals to finish second behind two-time defending national champion Luke Campbell of Salisbury University (Md.), who won the event in 7.82 seconds. Arnold’s runner-up time of 7.85 was fourth fastest in Division III history.
Junior Matt Dwyer earned All-American honors with a fifth-place finish in the men’s pole vault on Friday by clearing 16–3.75 (5.0m). It was his first time clearing five meters in competition.
Junior Kyle Whaley placed 15th in the men’s shot put Saturday with a throw of 48–9 (14.86m).
Senior Alyssa Iserman (Southwestern) competed in the women’s high jump Saturday, but did not place after failing to clear the opening height of 5–1 (1.55m).
The women’s team championship was claimed by Baldwin Wallace University (Ohio) wit 42.2 points. The Pioneer women finished in ninth place, tied with UW–Eau Claire with 18 points.
The UW–Eau Claire men’s team, coached by Pioneer Hall of Famer Chip Schneider, claimed the team title for the second year in a row with 53 points, edging WIAC rivals UW–Whitewater (49) and UW–La Crosse (40). The UW–Platteville men finished in tie for 16th place with 12 points.
The Pioneers will enjoy a few weeks off before they begin their outdoor campaign at Washington University in St. Louis on April 1–2.
