CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – A week after finishing third at the 2026 UAA Championships and finishing with three of the top four marks in the pole vault, the No. 16 Washington University in St. Louis men's track and field team sent four pole vaulters to the Gary Wieneke Memorial meet hosted by the University of Illinois on Saturday.

At the meet, junior Peter Lichtenberger finished runner-up with a clear of 5.22m, not only setting the third best mark in Div. III this spring but also breaking the school record of 5.18m that was previously shared by Tommaso Maiocco (2025) and Everett Kleven (2017).

Senior Hayden Kunkel and sophomore Zachary Duckworth finished in sixth and seventh places, respectively, both with clears of 4.95m. Senior George Bourdier also had a top-eight finish with a clear of 4.80m.

The Bears also sent a small contingent of women to the meet.

Next weekend, WashU will send track and field team members to three different meets including the St. Francis Fighting Chance (May 8-9), Sycamore Open host by Indiana State (May 8) and the Billy Hayes Invite hosted by Indiana University (May 8).

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