Madison, Wis. - The Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) has announced its award winners following the completion of the 2023 men's indoor track and field championships. University of Wisconsin-La Crosse sophomore Sam Blaskowski of Oshkosh (West) has been named the 2023 WIAC Kwik Trip Track Performer of the Meet while UWL earned the WIAC Kwik Trip Coaching Staff of the Year Award. 

It marks the second straight season Blaskowski has earned the WIAC Track Performer of the Meet. He is the fourth athlete in WIAC history to win consecutive Track Performer of the Meet honors. Terry Anders from UW-Stout (1996, 1997), Matt Groose from UW-Oshkosh (2002, 2003) and Thurgood Dennis from UW-Eau Claire (2012, 2013, 2014) also earned the award in consecutive years.

Blaskowski is one of three UWL student-athletes to earn the honor, joining Matt Pagel (2004) and Ross Denman (2015).

Blaskowski won the 60 (6.65) and 200 (21.29) meter dash at the WIAC Championships on February 24-25. It was his second straight title in the 200-meter dash, breaking the conference record of 21.34 set by UWL's Andrew Rock in 2003. Blaskowski became the first sprinter to win the 60 and 200-meter dash at the same WIAC Championships since Parker Witt of UW-Whitewater in 2017. 

Blaskowski set an NCAA Division III record with his finals time of 6.65 in the 60-meter dash. He also ran 6.65 in the preliminaries, breaking his own national record of 6.67 set at the USA Track & Field (USATF) Indoor Championships on February 18 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. 

He also set an NCAA III record in the 200-meter dash earlier this year, finishing with a time of 21.13 at the Aurora University (Ill.) Grand Prix on January 27 and breaking Dennis' record of 21.27 set in 2014.

Along with the first-place titles in the 60 and 200-meter dash, Blaskowski was second in the long jump (23-7 1/2) at this year's league meet. 

Blaskowski will compete in the 60 and 200-meter dash and long jump at the NCAA Division III Championships March 10-11 in Birmingham, Alabama. Seventeen other members of the UWL track & field team will compete at this week's NCAA III Championships.

UWL, led by head coach Josh Buchholtz, won its 20th WIAC indoor title in the last 21 seasons on February 24-25. The Eagles totaled 220.0 points in capturing their league record 46th indoor championship in school history. UWL won six individual and one relay title at this year's championships. 

UWL has now earned the WIAC Indoor Coaching Staff of the Year Award four times (2019, 2020, 2021, 2023) since it was re-named in 2019. The Eagles have also earned the WIAC Outdoor Coaching Staff of the Year twice (2019, 2021). Buchholtz, in his 15th season as UWL's head coach, has been named the WIAC Indoor Coach of the Year eight times (2009, 2011-16, 2018).  The Eagles have won 13 indoor titles under Buchholtz while also capturing 12 outdoor crowns.  

He has led UWL to eight NCAA Division III titles, including four indoor (2009, 2013, 2014, 2017) and four outdoor (2013, 2015, 2016, 2017).  Bucholtz has been named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Indoor Coach of the Year twice (2013, 2014) and Outdoor Coach of the Year on four occasions (2013, 2015, 2016, 2017).  

Buchholtz is joined by Phil Whitesitt, Derek Stanley, Doug Geiwitz, Matt Gordy, Nathan Petesch, Garrett Carlson, Mark Guthrie, Niels Anderson, Gunnar Block, Tommy Knoche and Phil Esten on this year's coaching staff.