2023 NCAA Division III Championships Website
La Crosse, Wis. - Eighteen members of
the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse men's track & field team are set to compete at the 2023 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships scheduled for Thursday-Saturday, May 25-27 at Polisseni Track and Field Complex in Pittsford, New York. The championships are being hosted by St. John Fisher University (N.Y.) and Visit Rochester. This year marks the 49th outdoor track & field championships in NCAA Division III history.
UWL has won an NCAA Division III record 15 outdoor titles in school history. The Eagles have won outdoor national championships in 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2017. UWL also has an NCAA Division III record 1 9indoor titles, sweeping the indoor and outdoor titles on 12 occasions (1988, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2013, 2017).
The Eagles have recorded 32 top-10 finishes, including 28 in the top-four, at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships. UWL placed fourth at the 2022 outdoor championships as the Eagles earned 12 NCAA III All-America honors.
UWL has 50 individual outdoor national champions in school history. The Eagles have won six 4x400-meter relay national titles (1992, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2016) and four 4x100-meter relay crowns (2004, 2015, 2018, 2021).
Sam Blaskowski is entered in three individual events for this year's championships, including the 100 and 200-meter dash and long jump. He is seeded first in the 100-meter dash with an NCAA III record time of 10.16. Blaskowski enters with the third-fastest time (20.90) in the 200-meter dash.
Blaskowski is a member of UWL's 4x100-meter relay with Paul Lough,
Spencer Reichart and
Luke Schroeder. The relay is ranked eighth (40.76). Reichart and
Ryder Smith join Blaskowski in the 100-meter dash while Schroeder is entered in the 400-meter hurdles. Schroeder enters with the sixth-fastest time (52.34) in the 400-meter hurdles.
Ethan Gregg is in a pair of events, including the 5,000 and 10,000-meter run. He is seeded second in the 10,000-meter run and fourth in the 5,000-meter run. The Eagles have three competitors,
Adam Loenser, Jayden Zwyicki and
Elias Ritzke in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with Loenser seeded fifth overall (8:57.37).
UWL's 4x400-meter relay of
Chase Doornink,
Tyler Backes,
Addison Hill and
Caden Pearce enter the meet with the fastest time (3:08.34).
Cael Schoemann is in the 800-meter run and
Michael Madoch in the 1,500-meter run.
In the field events,
Nathan Andringa is seeded ninth (6-8 3/4).
JT Zell will compete in the pole vault and
William Cady in the triple jump.
Buchholtz, in his 15th year as head coach at UWL, led the Eagles to the team title at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Outdoor Championships on May 5-6 at UW-Whitewater. The Eagles totaled 245.0 points and captured five individual and one relay crown at this year's league championships. At the conclusion of the WIAC Championships, UWL earned the WIAC Outdoor Coaching Staff of the Year Award for the third time in the last four seasons under Buchholtz. Prior to the award switching to Staff of the Year, Buchholtz had been named WIAC Coach of the Year 10 times (2009-18).
He was named the 2023 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) North Region Outdoor Coach of the Year for the sixth time (2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2021, 2023) Tuesday. Buchholtz has been selected the USTFCCCA North Region Indoor Coach of the Year four times (2012, 203, 2024, 2019).
After leading the Eagles to the 2023 NCAA Division III Indoor National Championship in March, Buchholtz was named the USTFCCCA National Coach of the year. It marked the third time Buchholtz has earned the national indoor honor (2013, 2014, 2023). He has also earned the outdoor national honor four times (2013, 2015, 2016, 2017).
Action starts at 9 a.m. (Central Time) each day on Thursday, May 25 through Saturday, May 27. The top-eight finishers in each event earn NCAA Division III All-America honors. The top-22 times/marks in event along with the top-16 relays in the nation qualified for the national championships.
