Rhonemus Caps Cobber Career In All-American Style
Wade Rhonemus finished his Cobber career by earning All-American Second Team honors in the decathlon at the NCAA Championship Meet. Cooper Folkestad competed in the shot put but didn't post a distance.
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (5/24/24)---Wade Rhonemus finished his Cobber career by earning All-American Second Team honors in the decathlon at the NCAA Championship Meet at Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
It is the second straight All-American Second Team award for Rhonemus in a multi-event. He finished in 15th place in the heptathlon at the NCAA National Indoor Meet earlier this year.
Fellow senior Cooper Folkestad competed in the shot put on Friday but failed to post a mark after recording fouls on all three of his attempts.
Rhonemus used a personal-best mark in the discus and a pair of 700-point-plus events on Day 2 of the competition to finish with 6,467 points. That total was good for 15th place among the 22 competitors with the Top 8 finishers earning All-American honors and numbers 9-16 receiving All-American Second Team honors.
Rhonemus' final score is the third-highest total in the decathlon in program history. He passed Jackson Schepp for third place on the all-time list. Schepp posted 6,455 points at the North Central Qualifier Meet in 2017.
Rhonemus started the day by recording a time of 15.90 in the 110-meter hurdles, which earned him his top point total of Friday with a total of 744 points. The next event proved to be the biggest of the day for Rhonemus. He unleashed a throw of 118-08 and finished sixth among all the athletes in the event. His distance on his first attempt was a PR by 16 inches. It gave him 587 points and moved him into 15th place in the overall standings.
The most dramatic event of the day came in the pole vault – Rhonemus' best event in the decathlon. He decided to enter the competition at the height of 13-05.25 and missed on his first two attempts at that mark. Facing his final try before posting a "no height" in the event which would have given him zero points and dropped him to the bottom of the overall standings, Rhonemus came up clutch and cleared the bar on his third try. He then went over 14-01.25 to record 702 points. His final height was good for a tie for fifth place in the event.
Rhonemus posted a distance of 140-03 in the javelin in the ninth event of the decathlon. His toss kept him inside the All-American bubble as he was in ninth place with one event remaining.
In the final dramatic moment of his career, Rhonemus had a prolonged wait to start the 1500 meters as a thunderstorm went through the Myrtle Beach area and caused a delay in the action. After all the confusion was settled, Rhonemus stepped on the track and clocked a 4:57.03. That time gave him 577 points and secured his All-American honor.
NCAA National Outdoor Meet Decathlon Final Results
1. Jackson Anderson (Williams) – 7,0634 pts.
1. Mitch Stegeman (UW-Eau Claire) – 7,020
3. Isaiah Clausen (Wheaton) – 6,881
4. Max Foland (UW-Eau Claire) – 6,841
5. Charlie Nolan (UW-Oshkosh) – 6,841
6. Gavin Smith (Central) – 6,809
7. Thomas Rich (Carnegie Mellon ) – 6,796
8. Ian Mortensen (Carleton) – 6,761
9. Ulysses Patterson (Simpson – 6,737
10. Loucas Xenakis (Wash. U) – 6,645
11. Caleb Smith (Middlebury) – 6,599
12. Brandon Dick (UW-Stout) – 6,585
13. Carter Rosewell (Tufts) – 6,525
14. Aden Sears (UW-Oshkosh) – 6,505
15. Wade Rhonemus (Concordia-Moorhead) – 6,467
16. Jacob Balcome (UW-River Falls) – 6,355
17. Kale Hoabrt (Central) – 6,312
18. Reid Pakkebier (Central) – 6,311
19. Max Lelwica (St. John's) – 6,225
20. Gage Huyser (Central) – 6,099
21. Josiah Murphy (LeTourneau) – 5,966
22. Jacob Brown (Denison) – 5,856
NCAA National Outdoor Meet Shot Put Final Results
1. Joseph White (Carthage) – 61-04.00
2. Keegan Digby (Ohio Northern) – 59-04.00
3. Sam Engebretsen (MIT) -58-06.00
4. Ben Youngworth (UW-La Crosse) – 56-02.75
5. Ethan Hart (Dickinson) – 56-02.00
6. Hunter Logan (Utica) – 55-08.25
7. Trent Beseth (St. Scholastica) – 55-07.00
8. Eric Bottern (Babson) – 54-06.50
9. Andrew Mott (York) – 53-09.25
10. Yakob Ekoue (UW-Eau Claire) – 53-07.00
11. Isaiah Isom (UW-Oshkosh) – 53-02.75
12. Steve Hermsen (Carroll) – 53-00.00
13. Holden Murphy (Loras) – 52-11.50
14. Jacob Edwards (Dubuque) – 52-05.50
15. Austin Rennhack (UW-Stevens Pt.) – 52-04.50
16. Ethan Wilkie (Trinity) – 52-00.50
17. Gage Stankiewicz (UW-Eau Claire) – 52-00.00
18. Sarath Kakani (Claremont) – 51-11.25
19. Cade Collier (Dubuque) – 51-10.50
20. Isaiah Brunache (Cortland St.) – 51-03.50
21. Dakota Hoffman (Dubuque) – 48-08.00
22. Cooper Folkestad (Concordia-Moorhead) – ND