PLATTEVILLE, Wis. (April 15, 2023) – Six event victories and six more runner-up finishes sent No. 1 Loras College men's track & field to a meet victory over 13 other programs at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville Invite on Friday as the Duhawks added on to their impressive start to the 2023 outdoor season.

Freshman Matt Kruse helped lead the charge as he claimed the top spot in the 110-meter hurdles preliminaries and in the 400-meter hurdles finals. Kruse ran a 14.81 in the 110-meter hurdles and clocked a 52.89 in his collegiate debut in the 400-meter hurdles, which ranks him second in program history and second in Division III this season.

Kruse also helped secure another Loras track win as he served as the final leg of the 4x400-meter relay team that clocked a 3:13.74. Junior Ted Kruse, senior Mike Jasa, and freshman Easton Stackis led off for the younger Kruse brother who put the finishing touches on what is the best time in NCAA Division III this season.

Senior Josh Smith and junior Derik Bunten secured the top two places in the 100-meter dash as Smith went 10.62 to rank top-20 in the country ahead of Bunten at 10.85. The duo finished 1-2 after placing 1-2 in their prelims.

Smith and Bunten had a hand in another solid Loras performance as they teamed up with senior De'Andre Klein and junior Dayvion Foreman to take second place in the 4x100-meter relay. Their time of 41.17 ranks them seventh in Division III.

Loras saw more dominance in the 1500-meter run as junior Ryan Harvey led the charge with a 3:49.52. He was followed by senior Wyatt Kelly in second (3:54.64), junior Carlo Dannenfelser in fourth (4:00.98), and sophomore Aaron Lodwig in sixth (4:03.96).

Loras' final victory came in the field from junior Holden Murphy. Murphy took the top spot in the hammer throw with a best toss of 57.24 meters to break his own school record for the second time in just three weeks and rank him just outside the top-10 nationally.

The other notable finishes for Loras included runner-up performances from senior Carter Oberfoell in the 800-meter run and sophomore Julian Watson in the 3000-meter steeplechase. Oberfoell's time of 1:51.96 is the ninth-fastest time in Division III this season, while Watson ran a 9:50.12 and was followed closely by senior Brandon Doser for a solid 2-3 finish for the Duhawks.

Loras will be in action again next weekend on Friday and Saturday, April 21-22, at the Augustana College Meet of Champions in Rock Island, Ill.