WIAC Championship Website

Oshkosh, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse women's track & field team leads after the first day of competition at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Championships (presented by Culver's) Friday night at the Oshkosh Sports Complex.

The Eagles have 89.0 team points while UW-Eau Claire is in second-place with 49.0 and UW-Stout third with 35.0. UW-Oshkosh is fourth (25.0) followed by UW-Whitewater (16.0), UW-River Falls (12.0), UW-Stevens Point (6.0) and UW-Platteville (2.0).

UWL is seeking its 13th straight league title. The Eagles have won a league record 38 WIAC Championships in school history. UWL is ranked second in this week's U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Track & Field Rating Index.

UWL won four individual titles on Friday, including two on the track and two in the field events. On the track, Katelyn Chadwick captured the 3,000-meter steeplechase (10:44.87) with Lucile Duchac winning the 10,000-meter run (36:31.55). It is Chadwick's second straight league title in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. UWL has now won the last five titles in the event after Emma Malooly won three straight (2021-23).

Duchac is the first UWL runner to capture the 10,000-meter run since Corissa Conard in 2013.

In Friday's field events, Ella Puls won the javelin throw (128-6) while Madison Habberstad took the pole vault (12-9 ½). It is Puls' second WIAC title in the javelin throw after also winning in 2023. UWL won its first pole vault crown with Habberstad on Friday since Rachel Zastrow took the title in 2018.

Puls was also sixth (163-5) in the hammer throw on Friday.

Along with Chadwick's first-place finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, UWL had four other runners place in the top-eight. Lily Higgins was third (10:50.61) with Becca Immer fifth (10:53.72), Julia Zalewski seventh (11:16.66) and Elizabeth Schwartz eighth (11:18.76).

UWL had four of the top-eight finishers in the long jump as Jenna Miller placed third (18-7), Ashley Davies fourth (18-1 ¾), Maya Evans fifth (18-1 ½) and Josie Blum eighth (17-5 ¼).

Gabby Johnson was second (124-8) and Noelle Hackenmueller eighth (112-7) in the javelin throw. The Eagles' Araceli De Leo Lopez was second (12-7 ½) in the pole vault with Emily Shafron and Marisa Harvey tied for eighth (11-5 ¾).

After four events in the heptathlon, Alexys Scheuerell is in second-place with 2,772 points while Madeline Thoreson is fifth with 2,581 and Hackenmueller is in 13^th-place with 2,366. Competitors saw action in the 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put and 200-meter dash on Friday. The final three events Saturday include the long jump, javelin throw and 800-meter run.
 
In Friday's preliminaries on the track, Lauren Jarrett (11.62), Julie Yang (12.04), Makenna Zak (12.05) and Anika Reiland (12.09) all advanced to Saturday's final. Jarrett (24.08) and Anna Plautz (24.86) advanced in the 200-meter dash final.

Plautz (56.18), Morgan Jennings (57.34), Macy Reybrock (57.36) and Sarah Grubbs (58.63) qualified for Saturday's 400-meter dash final. Jarrett, in the 100 and 200-meter dash, and Plautz, in the 400-meter dash, all recorded the fastest qualifying time Friday.

The Eagles' Alli Thomas (2:15.90) and Kylie Stockton (2:19.18) advanced to Saturday's 800-mete run final.

In the hurdles preliminaries, Regan Scott (14.68), Olivia Navin (14.72), Megan Zemke (14.84), Brie Eckerman (14.85) and Andie Otto (15.00) qualified for the 100-meter hurdles championship while Gretchen McNeal (1:04.19), Ava Sullivan (1:04.32), Otto (1:04.33) and Allison Anderson (1:05.58) advanced in the 400-meter hurdles.

Action continues Saturday, May 3 at noon.