Wisconsin-La Crosse leaped to a big lead with a 1-2-3 finish in the pole vault and never looked back in winning its sixth straight Division III Men’s Indoor Track and Field Championships team title.

Nate Olson successfully defended his 400-meter dash crown and Wisconsin-La Crosse claimed a total of five individual titles — including both relays — in scoring a record 78 points at the meet and claiming its 13th overall indoor team championship.

The Eagles’ 47-point margin of victory over runner-up Lincoln (Pennsylvania) at the March 10-11 meet at St. Olaf also is a record.

Wisconsin-La Crosse senior Nick Pergande led the pole vault sweep, which saw teammates Matt Novak and Jon Heinz claim second and third in the event. To sweeten things a bit more, a fourth Eagle, Alex Tapplin, finished seventh in the event.

The foursome combined for more points in that single event (26) than all but three other schools scored in the entire meet, and Tapplin suggested the Eagles might have done even more.

“We had one vaulter just miss the cut for the national indoor, and it would be pretty nice to have all five of us (at the championhips),” he said.

Another team member enjoyed some redemption, when Wisconsin-La Crosse’s Kevin Becker won the 35-point weight throw with a record toss of 20.36 meters (66 feet, 9 3/4 inches) after fouling out of the event at last year’s championships. He defeated defending champion Uzoma Orji of MIT, topping Orji’s year-old record in the event in the process.

“It feels great to be a national champion,” Becker said. “I had a couple struggles along the way. I had a little problem with consistency throughout the year. I put it together after the conference meet.”

Becker’s record was one of two posted at the championships. The other was recorded in the mile run by Will Leer of Pomona-Pitzer, who ran 4:09.42 in only the second running of the event at the meet.

Two other men joined the Eagles’ Olson in successfully defending titles during the championships. Anthony Miles of New Jersey City again won the 55-meter dash, while Widener’s Macharia Yuot collected his second straight 5,000-meter run title.

Also, MIT’s Orji bounced back from his runner-up finish in the weight throw to win his second shot put title in three years.

Wisconsin-Oshkosh finished third in team competition with 27 points, followed by Nebraska Wesleyan, which matched the Wisconsin-La Crosse pole vault squad’s scoring with 26 points.

Team results

1. Wis.-La Crosse, 78; 2. Lincoln (Pa.), 31; 3. Wis.-Oshkosh, 27; 4. Neb. Wesleyan, 26; 5. New Jersey City, 24; 6. Mount Union, 23; 7. Loras, 20; 8. MIT, 18; 9. Widener, 16; 10. (tie) Heidelberg and Cortland St., 15; 12. Elizabethtown, 14; 13. (tie) Wis.-Whitewater and TCNJ, 13; 15. (tie) Otterbein and North Central (Ill.), 12; 17. (tie) Pomona-Pitzer, Mass.-Dartmouth and Cabrini, 10; 20. (tie) Wis.-Stevens Point and Williams, 9; 22. (tie) Wheaton (Mass.), Rowan, Plattsburgh St. and Greenville, 8; 26. (tie) Ill. Wesleyan and Augustana (Ill.), 7; 28. (tie) Wartburg, DeSales, Central (Iowa) and Carleton, 6; 32. Washington-St. Louis, 51/2; 33. (tie) Wilmington (Ohio), Tufts, Rensselaer, Ohio Wesleyan, Coast Guard and Anderson (Ind.), 5; 39. Chris. Newport, 41/2; 40. (tie) Wis.-Platteville and Springfield, 4; 42. (tie) St. Thomas (Minn.), Nazareth, Eastern Conn. St. and Brockport St., 3; 46. (tie) Wesleyan (Conn.), Lynchburg, Colby and Bates, 2; 50. (tie) Salem St., St. Olaf, and Moravian, 1.

Individual champions

55-meter dash: 1. Anthony Miles, New Jersey City, 6.29.

400-meter dash: 1. Nate Olson, Wis.-La Crosse, 48.26.

800-meter run: 1. Jeff Zodda, TCNJ, 1:52.53.

Mile run: 1. Will Leer, Pomona-Pitzer, 4:09.42 [meet record; old record 4:16.49, Ryan Kleimenhagen, Wis.-Platteville, 2005].

5,000-meter run: 1. Macharia Yuot, Widener, 14:33.29.

55-meter high hurdles: 1. Jonathan Garcia, Mass.-Dartmouth, 7.45.

1,600-meter relay: 1. Wis.-La Crosse (Tony Marcinek, Nate Olson, John Doble, Jeremy Deterville), 3:16.36.

Distance medley relay: 1. Wis.-La Crosse (Kevin Oelstrom, Eric Svestka, Andrew Boldt, Mike Herlihy), 10:05.24.

High jump: 1. Andy Stoecken, Loras, 2.11 (6-11).

Pole vault: 1. Nick Pergande, Wis.-La Crosse, 5.12 (16-91/2).

Long jump: 1. Greg Tyson, Heidelberg, 7.53 (24-8 1/2).

Triple jump: 1. Tony Gregory, Cabrini, 14.61 (47-11 1/4).

Shot put: 1. Uzoma Orji, MIT, 17.77 (58-3 3/4).

35-lb. weight throw: 1. Kevin Becker, Wis.-La Crosse, 20.82 (68-33/4) [meet record; old record 19.74 (64-91/2), Uzoma Orji, MIT, 2005].

TEAM RESULTS

1. Wis.-La Crosse, 78; 2. Lincoln (Pa.), 31; 3. Wis.-Oshkosh, 27; 4. Neb. Wesleyan, 26; 5. New Jersey City, 24; 6. Mount Union, 23; 7. Loras, 20; 8. MIT, 18; 9. Widener, 16; 10. (tie) Heidelberg and Cortland St., 15; 12. Elizabethtown, 14; 13. (tie) Wis.-Whitewater and TCNJ, 13; 15. (tie) Otterbein and North Central (Ill.), 12; 17. (tie) Pomona-Pitzer, Mass.-Dartmouth and Cabrini, 10; 20. (tie) Wis.-Stevens Point and Williams, 9; 22. (tie) Wheaton (Mass.), Rowan, Plattsburgh St. and Greenville, 8; 26. (tie) Ill. Wesleyan and Augustana (Ill.), 7; 28. (tie) Wartburg, DeSales, Central (Iowa) and Carleton, 6; 32. Washington-St. Louis, 51/2; 33. (tie) Wilmington (Ohio), Tufts, Rensselaer, Ohio Wesleyan, Coast Guard and Anderson (Ind.), 5; 39. Chris. Newport, 41/2; 40. (tie) Wis.-Platteville and Springfield, 4; 42. (tie) St. Thomas (Minn.), Nazareth, Eastern Conn. St. and Brockport St., 3; 46. (tie) Wesleyan (Conn.), Lynchburg, Colby and Bates, 2; 50. (tie) Salem St., St. Olaf, and Moravian, 1.

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

55-meter dash: 1. Anthony Miles, New Jersey City, 6.29; 2. John Biacofsky, Mount Union, 6.39; 3. Ronald Hussey, New Jersey City, 6.40; 4. Kemar Brown, Rensselaer, 6.42; 5. Matthew Harden, Ill. Wesleyan, 6.44; 6. Segun Olopo, Ill. Wesleyan, 6.46; 7. Thomas Hunter, New Jersey City, 6.46; 8. Eddie Bynum, Salem St., 6.49.

400-meter dash: 1. Nate Olson, Wis.-La Crosse, 48.26; 2. Bobby Young, Lincoln (Pa.), 48.56; 3. Louis Corominas, DeSales, 48.62; 4. Jon Cunha, Wheaton (Mass.), 48.67; 5. Tony Marcinek, Wis.-La Crosse, 48.73; 6. David Nicholson, Eastern Conn. St., 48.90; 7. Josh Hauser, Wartburg, 48.92; 8. Lance Wigfall, Lincoln (Pa.), 49.03.

800-meter run: 1. Jeff Zodda, TCNJ, 1:52.53; 2. Evan Knight, Neb. Wesleyan, 1:53.07; 3. Tyson Evensen, Elizabethtown, 1:53.23; 4. Blake Henning, Neb. Wesleyan, 1:53.26; 5. Nick Stenuf, Nazareth, 1:53.99; 6. Tyler Gray, Williams, 1:57.84; 7. Chris Beeler, Williams, 1:60.00; Ryan Garro, Mount Union, disqualified.

Mile run: 1. Will Leer, Pomona-Pitzer, 4:09.42 [meet record; old record 4:16.49, Ryan Kleimenhagen, Wis.-Platteville, 2005]; 2. Matt DeShane, Plattsburgh St., 4:12.01; 3. Joe Francisco, Widener, 4:13.29; 4. Mike Flint, Coast Guard, 4:13.73; 5. Andy Cloke, Cortland St., 4:14.51; 6. Jeremy Velliquette, Mount Union, 4:14.77; 7. Brian Butzler, Wis.-Whitewater, 4:15.14; 8. Cal Kromm, Wis.-Oshkosh, 4:15.64.

5,000-meter run: 1. Macharia Yuot, Widener, 14:33.29; 2. Mike Sawicki, Otterbein, 14:37.49; 3. Steve Harris, Carleton, 14:39.12; 4. Fred Josyln, Cortland St., 14:41.46; 5. Pat Rizzo, North Central (Ill.), 14:43.40; 6. Brian Donovan, TCNJ, 14:44.45; 7. Wes Fuhrman, Wesleyan (Conn.), 14:45.72; 8. Neal Holtschulte, Williams, 14:48.88.

55-meter high hurdles: 1. Jonathan Garcia, Mass.-Dartmouth, 7.45; 2. Marcus Walgrave, Wis.-La Crosse, 7.47; 3. John Fudge, Lincoln (Pa.), 7.58; 4. Justin Blackburn, Ohio Wesleyan, 7.69; 5. Justin Rush, Otterbein, 7.77; 6. P J Theisen, St. Thomas (Minn.), 7.78; 7. Adam MacBeth, Bates, 7.83; 8. Nathaniel Tussey, Moravian, 8.04.

1,600-meter relay: 1. Wis.-La Crosse (Tony Marcinek, Nate Olson, John Doble, Jeremy Deterville), 3:16.36; 2. Lincoln (Pa.), 3:17.05; 3. New Jersey City, 3:17.99; 4. Wis.-Stevens Point, 3:18.93; 5. Neb. Wesleyan, 3:19.99; 6. Wheaton (Mass.), 3:20.30; 7. Williams, 3:20.55; 8. Central (Iowa), 3:21.15.

Distance medley relay: 1. Wis.-La Crosse (Kevin Oelstrom, Eric Svestka, Andrew Boldt, Mike Herlihy), 10:05.24; 2. North Central (Ill.), 10:06.66; 3. Mount Union, 10:06.83; 4. Central (Iowa), 10:08.54; 5. Wartburg, 10:11.30; 6. Elizabethtown, 10:13.73; 7. Williams, 10:14.07; 8. Wis.-Oshkosh, 10:14.13.

High jump: 1. Andy Stoecken, Loras, 2.11 (6-11); 2. Tom Roszak, Wis.-Oshkosh, 2.02 (6-7 1/2); 2. Ted McMillan, Augustana (Ill.), 2.02 (6-7 1/2); 4. (tie) Cameron Williams, Washington-St. Louis, and Joseph Owens, Chris. Newport, 2.02 (6-7 1/2); 6. Mitch Ellis, Wis.-Stevens Point, 2.02 (6-7 1/2); 7. Bruce Cotton, Wilmington (Ohio), 2.02 (6-7 1/2); 8. Kyle Steiner, Wis.-Stevens Point, 2.02 (6-7 1/2);

Pole vault: 1. Nick Pergande, Wis.-La Crosse, 5.12 (16-9 1/2); 2. Matt Novak, Wis.-La Crosse, 5.12 (16-9 1/2); 3. Jon Heinz, Wis.-La Crosse, 5.02 (16-5 1/2); 4. Kevin Clark, Elizabethtown, 5.02 (16-5 1/2); 5. Zach Johnson, Wis.-Oshkosh, 5.02 (16-5 1/2); 6. Derek Zulkoski, Neb. Wesleyan, 5.02 (16-5 1/2); 7. Alex Tapplin, Wis.-La Crosse, 4.92 (16-1 3/4); 8. Kyle Calvert, Loras, 4.77 (15-7 3/4).

Long jump: 1. Greg Tyson, Heidelberg, 7.53 (24-8 1/2); 2. Reggie Hopkins, Lincoln (Pa.), 7.28 (23-10 3/4); 3. Jed Droge, Neb. Wesleyan, 7.25 (23-9 1/2); 4. Fred Jones, Tufts, 7.17 (23-6 1/4); 5. Victor Jones, Loras, 7.11 (23-4); 6. Marque Jones, Wilmington (Ohio), 7.10 (23-3 1/2); 7. Geoff Kaiser, Loras, 7.10 (23-3 1/2); 8. Derek Stanley, Wis.-Whitewater, 6.98 (22-10 3/4).

Triple jump: 1. Tony Gregory, Cabrini, 14.61 (47-11 1/4); 2. Bryson Taylor, Greenville, 14.46 (47-5 1/4); 3. Tynez Wilson, Cortland St., 14.44 (47-4 1/2); 4. Greg Tyson, Heidelberg, 14.41 (47-3 1/2); 5. Mike Paddock, Wis.-Whitewater, 14.38 (47-2 1/4); 6. Geoff Kaiser, Loras, 14.21 (46-7 1/2); 7. Ryan Holmes, Lynchburg, 14.08 (46-2 1/2); 8. Karl Zelik, Washington-St. Louis, 13.98 (45-10 1/2).

Shot put: 1. Uzoma Orji, MIT, 17.77 (58-3 3/4); 2. Robert Godfrey, Rowan, 17.27 (56-8); 3. Ross Kapp, Wis.-Whitewater, 17-07 (56-0); 4. Brandon Houle, Wis.-Oshkosh, 16.88 (55-4 3/4); 5. Alex Kampersal, Springfield, 16.85 (55-3 1/2); 6. Josh Dupuis, Brockport St., 16.80 (55-1 1/2); 7. Justin Rodhe, Mount Union, 16.63 (54-6 3/4); 8. Peter Cathcart, St. Olaf, 16.62 (54-6 1/2).

35-lb. weight throw: 1. Kevin Becker, Wis.-La Crosse, 20.82 (68-3 3/4) [meet record; old record 19.74 (64-9 1/2), Uzoma Orji, MIT, 2005]; 2. Uzoma Orji, MIT, 19.48 (63-11); 3. Brandon Houle, Wis.-Oshkosh, 19.48 (63-11); 4. Dwayne Lockridge, Anderson (Ind.), 19.48 (63-11); 5. Jim Uppena, Wis.-Platteville, 19.34 (63-5 1/2); 6. Jacob Gabrilska, Wis.-Oshkosh, 19-05 (62-6); 7. Jason Foster, Colby, 18.59 (61-0); 8. Dan Austin, Williams, 18.45 (60-6 1/2).