BROOKINGS, S.D. – Former Ennis and Baker sprinter Cleet Wrzesinski was named an NAIA all-American for the third time when he placed fifth overall in the men’s heptathlon at the 2019 NAIA indoor track and field championships in Brookings, S.D.
The heptathlon consists of seven events over a two-day period. Wrzesinski opened the championships with the 60-meter dash. His time of 7.11 seconds earned him 844 points. Then in the long jump, Wrzesinski set an indoor personal record with a leap of 7.10 meters. After a great start to the championships, he nearly scratched all three throws in the shot put but was able to salvage points on his third and final throw. Wrzesinski ended Day 1 with the high jump, where he set another personal record with a jump of 1.93 meters.
Wrzesinski opened Day 2 of the heptathlon with the 60-meter high hurdles, and his time of 8.40 seconds bumped him to third place overall with two events remaining. However, he sat in seventh after the pole vault and needed a good performance in the 1,000-meter run to earn all-American status. Wrzesinski placed third in the race, which was good enough to earn him a fifth-place finish overall.
During his time in Ennis and Baker, Wrzesinski won 18 state medals, tied for the third most in Montana history. He also won 11 state championships on the track in high school, winning the 110- and 300-meter hurdles his sophomore and junior years at Ennis in Class C and again his senior year at Baker in Class B.
