The Parkside track and field team sent some of its top student-athletes to California recently to compete in the Azusa Pacific Bryan Clay Invitational and the Cal State LA Twilight Open. The Rangers had themselves a weekend, with numerous performances breaking into the program’s all-time top-10 list. One of the biggest performances came from Sean Waldvogel, our Kenosha.com Ranger of the week!
Waldvogel, a redshirt sophomore from Waukesha, ran a first-place time of 1:50.71 in the Open division of the 800-meter run. The time was the second-fastest on Parkside’s all-time list and the fastest in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference this season. Waldvogel, along with teammates Uriah Aili, Austin Depuydt and Tommy Martin, make up an 800-meter relay squad that is currently ranked sixth in NCAA Division II and third in the GLIAC.
Waldvogel began running when he was in fifth grade and hasn’t stopped. His dad helped him get started by entering him in road races.
“I also felt fast in gym class,” Waldvogel said. “So I just went after it.”
Sean also grew up playing soccer and basketball, but after a strong freshman year in cross country, he decided to focus more on running. He is the first member of his family to compete at the collegiate level and he enjoys the ability to compete every day. Sean has his eyes on the upcoming Drake Relays, with hopes of having a big weekend before attempting to win a conference championship the first weekend of May. He also has big goals of breaking the school record and qualifying for nationals.
Waldvogel currently studies marketing at Parkside. He is also working as an intern at Chick-fil-A Racine and hopes to add more experience and skills to his portfolio. After college, he hopes to stay in the Midwest and join a company that he shares similar values with. Outside of work, Sean has hopes of trying new things, like running a marathon and improving his golf game.
The Rangers return to action on Saturday (April 22) as the team travels to Milwaukee to compete in the Marquette Invite. For more information, visit parksiderangers.com.
