By Joey Peterson —
Records in sports are not just numbers, they are numbers that carry a significant meaning: a meaning of a person or team achieving something that no one or no team has achieved before. “Records are made to be broken,” is a saying that anybody who is familiar with sports has probably heard before. However, what if no one can break them? How long will a record last? Some records hold up to the test of time better than others.
The University of Wisconsin–Stout track and field teams compete in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC). It’s hard to be the owner of a school record, but it is even harder to be a conference record holder in an event. The men’s team owns a total of four conference records, and the women’s team owns a total of six records, including both outdoor and indoor disciplines. These Blue Devils do not just have the school record, but they also have the conference record.
Men’s Outdoor Records
1500-Meter Run – Jeff Wachter – Time: 3:45.05 Date: 5/1984
High Jump – Mike Kundinger Height: 2.19 meters Date: 5/1992
5000-Meter Run – Tim Nelson – Time: 13:57.02 Date: 4/20/2012
Women’s Outdoor Records
1600 Medley Relay – Gamble, Mumau, Goines, Maki – Time: 4:17.22 Date: 1994
Discus – Jenny Luer Distance: 53.36 meters Date: 5/11/2002
High Jump – Laura Verdegan Height: 1.77 meters Date: 4/11/2005
Pole Vault-Pam Sellberg Height: 4.02 meters Date: 5/14/2009
Heptathlon – Jessika Smith Points: 5,170 Date: 5/22-23/2014
Men’s Indoor Records
600-Meter Dash – Scott Barthel Time: 1:14.63 Date: 2/14/2004
Women’s Indoor Records
Pentathlon – Jessika Smith Points: 3,776 Date: 3/14-15/2014
Jessika Smith is the only Blue Devil athlete that owns more than one conference record, with records in the Pentathlon and Heptathlon. Smith is also the record holder of seven different Stout track and field records. The oldest record is Jeff Wachter’s 1500-meter time, which has remained the record for over 30 years.
Four records are in field events while four are in track events, and both of Smith’s records are in a combination of track and field events. “Records are made to be broken,” but breaking a record is no small feat. However, one thing remains the same: each time a record is broken, it is the fastest, the highest, or the farthest that has ever been accomplished to that point in time.