WIAC Indoor Track & Field Championships (presented by Culver's)

La Crosse, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse women's track and field team will strive for its third straight title and ninth in 10 years at the 2023 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Indoor Championship (presented by Culver's) hosted at UW-Stout Johnson Fieldhouse. The 46th edition of the league meet is scheduled to start Friday, February 24 and run through Saturday, February 25 in unison with the 54th gathering of the men's teams.

This year's women's championship starts Friday, February 24 at 11:30 a.m. and continues Saturday, February 25 starting at 10 a.m.   

UWL enters the meet ranked first in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Rating Index distributed by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) released on February 21. UW-Whitewater is ranked 14th and UW-Eau Claiire 15th.

UWL captured its league record 28th title (1978-81, 1983, 1985-87, 1994, 1997, 2000-05, 2007-10, 2013-18, 2020, 2022) in school history last year with 244.0 team points. The point total is the second-highest mark in conference history, trailing UW-Oshkosh's 261.0 points in 1996. At the 2022 championship, UW-Eau Claire finished second with 115.0 points, UW-Oshkosh third with 97.0, UW-Stout fourth with 62.0, UW-Platteville fifth with 52.0, UW-Stevens Point sixth with 32.0, UW-Whitewater seventh with 31.0 and UW-River Falls eighth with 29.0. The 2021 WIAC Championships were canceled due to the COVID-19 public health threat. 

UW-Oshkosh (1988-93, 1995-96, 1998-99, 2006, 2011-2012) has won 13 conference crowns while UW-Milwaukee (1982, 1984) has won two. UW-Eau Claire (2019) and UW-Madison (1977) each have one conference title in school history.

UWL's Skye Digman is the two time defending champion in the shot put and 20-pound weight throw, while the Eagles' Olivia Owens won the high jump (5-6) and Miah Keller won the triple jump (38-9) in 2022. So far this season, Digman has the top mark in the shot put (48-2) and weight throw (63-9 1/2). Keller is ranked first in the triple jump (39-2 1/2) and Owens third in the high jump (5-6). 
 
Lauren Jarrett (7.68) and Emily Dawidowich (7.71) rank second and third respectively in the 60-meter dash while Emma Lawrence has the top time in the 200-meter dash (24.97) and 60-meter hurdles (8.51). In the 400-meter dash, Mara Schroeder (58.81) and Lily Halvorson (59.05) rank first and third while Maddie Hannan is first in the 800-meter run (2:12.38), mile run (4:58.71) and 3,000-meter run (school record 9:50.11).  

The Eagles have the top three times so far this season in the WIAC in the 5,000-meter run, including Maddy Vantassel (17:27.99), Julia Anderson (17:44.52) and Katelyn Chadwick (17:48.79). UWL also has the top times in both the 4x400 relay (3:51.40) and distance medley relay (11:48.22). 

Ainsley Hansen ranks first in the high jump with a school record mark of 5-8 while Macie Todd is second with a jump of 5-6 1/2. In the pole vault, Ashley O'Connell ranks third (12-3 1/4). Maddie Hansen (18-5 1/4), Ava Foley (18-3 1/4) and Hailie Kent (18-0 1/4) recorded the top-three jumps in the long jump so far this season while Keller (39-2 1/2), Kent (38-7 3/4) and Kylah Frederixon (38-0 3/4) have the top-three marks in the triple jump. Skylar White has been the top Eagle performer in the pentathlon with a score of 3,135 points, which is third highest in the WIAC this season. 

Nickolas Davis is in his sixth year as UWL's head coach, leading the Eagles to a second-place finish at the 2022 NCAA Dvision III Indoor Championships and 2021 and 2022 NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships. He has led UWL to three (2018, 2020, 2022) WIAC Indoor titles and four (2018-19, 2021-22) outdoor championships. Davis was named the 2022 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) North Region Indoor and Outdoor Coach of the Year.

The NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships are scheduled for March 10-11 in Birmingham, Alabama.