2023 WIAC Outdoor Track & Field Championship Website

La Crosse, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse men's track and field team will strive for its 57th title at the 2023 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Outdoor Championship (presented by Culver's) at the two-day meet at UW-Whitewater's Rex Foster Track Complex.  The 104th edition of the league meet is scheduled to start Friday, May 5 and run through Saturday, May 6 in unison with the 51st gathering of the women's teams. 

This year's men's championships start Friday at 2:30 p.m. and continue Saturday at 11 a.m.

UW-La Crosse enters the meet ranked second in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Poll distributed by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Tuesday. UW-Whitewater is ranked seventh, UW-Platteville ninth, UW-Oshkosh 11th and UW-Eau Claire 23rd.  
 
The Eagles have won 30 of the past 31 WIAC Championships after finishing second in 2022 where they scored 173 points. In the closest meet in conference history, UW-Oshkosh took the crown with 174 points. UW-Eau Claire placed third with 131.50 points, UW-Stout fourth with 109, UW-Whitewater fifth with 88, UW-Platteville sixth with 87.50, UW-Stevens Point seventh with 42, and UW-River Falls eighth with 13.

The top finisher in each event receives all-conference first team recognition, while the runner-up secures second team accolades and the third-place performer claims honorable mention recognition. Medals will be awarded to the top-eight finishers in each of the individual events and the runners comprising the top-six relay teams

UW-La Crosse (1916-18, 1954, 1956-58, 1962, 1969-72, 1974-76, 1978-89, 1991-2019, 2021) has won a league record 56 titles.  UW-Milwaukee (1915, 1919, 1921-24, 1928-42, 1947-53, 1955, 1959-61, 1963-64) captured 34 championships.  UW-Oshkosh (1927, 1966-68, 1971, 1990) has won seven league crowns, UW-Stevens Point (1920, 1973-74, 1977) and UW-Whitewater (1925-26, 1965-66) four and UW-Stout (1972) one. The 2020 championships were canceled due to the COVID-19 public health threat. 
 
Josh Buchholtz is in his 15th season as UW-La Crosse's head coach.  The Eagles have won 12 WIAC outdoor championships under Buchholtz while being named the league's coach of the year in 10 seasons (2009-18).  UW-La Crosse has won 13 indoor conference titles under Buchholtz.  He has been named the WIAC Indoor Coach of the Year eight times (2009, 2011-16, 2018).  UW-La Crosse earned the 2019, 2020 and 2023 WIAC Indoor and 2019 and 2021 Outdoor Coaching Staff of the Year Award. Buchholtz has led UW-La Crosse to nine national titles, including five indoor (2009, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2023) and four outdoor (2013, 2015, 2016, 2017).  

Sam Blaskowski was tabbed the Track Performer of the Meet and Newcomer of the Year a season ago after winning the 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash, as well as the long jump. Ethan Gregg was victorious in the 5,000-meter run and 10,000-meter run. 

Other top-eight finishers on the track from 2022 returning include Caden Pearce who finished fifth in the 400-meter dash. Michael Madoch finished second in the 800-meter run while Thomas Blumer was fourth. Madoch was also third in the 1500-meter run. Finishing right behind Gregg in the 5000-meter run and the 10,000 meter run was Isaac Wegner in second.  In the 3000-meter steeplechase, Adam Loenser finished third. Both the 4x100 Relay team  (returners include Pearce and Blaskowski) and the 4x400 relay team (returners include Tyler Backes, Addison Hill and Payton Flood) finished second. 

In the field events in 2022, Evan Daley was third and Nathan Andringa fourth in the high jump with Joseph Jensen seventh in the pole vault. Finishing in second-place in the long jump was Nick Crary. In the triple jump, William Cady was second, Crary sixth and Chase Roehl seventh while Aiden Williams was fourth in the hammer throw. 

The NCAA Division III Track and Field Championships are scheduled for Thursday, May 25 through Saturday, May 27 in Rochester, New York.