Women's Track and Field | 5/2/2026 7:56:00 PM

La Crosse, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse women's track & field team captured its 14th consecutive Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Championships (presented by Culver's) Saturday at Roger Harring Stadium at Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex.

The Eagles finished 362.0 team points to claim its 40th league title in school history. The 40 championships are the most in WIAC history. The 362.0 points are second in conference history. UWL scored 363.5 points in 2023.

UW-Eau Claire placed second Saturday with 169.0 points while UW-Stout was third with 64.0. UW-Whitewater finished fourth (59.5) followed by UW-Oshkosh (49.0), UW-Platteville (48.0), UW-Stevens Point (45.5) and UW-River Falls (22.0). 

It is the eighth (2018-19, 2021-26) WIAC Outdoor Championship for head coach Nickolas Davis. The 2020 championships were canceled due to the COVID-19 public health threat.

UWL won eight events on Saturday, including sweeping the relays. 

UWL won its fifth straight title in the 4x100-meter relay with Julie Yang, Anika Reiland, Makenna Zak and Anna Plautz (45.89). It marks the third consecutive first-place finish in the event for Reiland and Zak and second straight for Yang.

The Eagles captured their sixth straight 4x400-meter relay (3:42.89) as Plautz, Macy Reybrock, Zoe Lain and Andie Otto set a meet record. The Eagles broke the conference championship record of 3:45.80 set by UW-Eau Claire in 2017. It is the second straight year Plautz has been a member of the first-place relay.

Madeline Thoreson won the heptathlon with 4,566 points while Audrey Braun was fifth with 4,199 and Emma Ridgway seventh with 4,092. Noelle Hackenmueller placed 14th with 3,735 points. The heptathlon includes the 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put and 200-meter dash on Friday and concluded on Saturday with the long jump, javelin throw and 800-meter run.

Other winners on the track included Plautz capturing her second straight 400-meter dash final (54.83), becoming the first back-to-back champion since Liz Kooistra from UW-Eau Claire in 2008-09.

Andie Otto won the 400-meter hurdles (1:00.23) while the Eagles' Molly Novotny took the 1,500-meter run (4:37.42) and Brooklyn Luebke the 5,000-meter run (16:56.69) on Saturday. It is the second straight title for Luebke in the 5,000-meter run. She becomes the first back-to-back champion in the WIAC since Christy Cazzola of UW-Oshkosh in 2013-14.
 
Maya Evans captured her second straight triple jump title on Saturday with a mark of 39-1 ¼. It is UWL's fifth straight title in the event. Along with Evans winning the last two seasons, Samantha Barrett won in 2022 and 2024 and Miah Keller in 2023.

Barrett placed third (38-6) on Saturday with Jaden Hackel sixth (37-8) and Emily Blaskowski seventh (37-4 ½).

Evans won the long jump on Friday. She becomes the first student-athlete to sweep the long and triple jump since Amber Williams of UW-Platteville in 2017.

UWL's Ainsley Hansen placed second (5-4 ¼) and Madison McCullum third (5-4 ¼) in the high jump with Izzy Bender tied for fourth (5-2 ¼). Hansen won the title in 2023.

Alyssa Pierce led UWL's contingent in the shot put, placing third (43-11 ¾) with Addy Moseler fourth (43-6 ½), Lydia Delene sixth (42-2 ¼) and Chloe Kessenich seventh (42-0 ¾). Jadyn Roden was seventh (141-9) in the discus throw.

Other top finishes on the track included Annika Elliott placing third (4:40.99), Madison Twarling fourth (4:43.14) and Joelle Duty eighth (4:45.70) in the 1,500-meter run.

UWL had five of the top seven finishers in the 100-meter hurdles with Amber Grosse second (14.47), Olivia Navin fourth (14.59), Megan Zemke fifth (14.64), Regan Scott sixth (14.66) and Brie Eckerman seventh (14.76).

Gretchen McNeal was eighth (1:04.09) in the 400-meter hurdles. 

Along with Plautz winning the title in the 400-meter dash, Reybrock was third (56.26), Lain fourth (56.51), Jocelyn Thomson sixth (56.78), Grace Kern seventh (57.38) and Sarah Grubbs ninth (57.60).

UWL had five finishers in the top nine in the 100-meter dash with Zak fifth (12.13), Yang sixth (12.18), McKenna Sedlacek seventh (12.20), Taylor Molling eighth (12.24) and Reiland ninth (12.34).
Zak placed sixth (25.10), Reiland seventh (25.23), Marley McIntyre eighth (25.35) and Yang ninth (25.61) in the 200-meter dash.

Alli Thomas was second (2:12.98), Natasha Tiry fourth (2:13.44), Kylie Stockton fifth (2:15.34) and Elliott seventh (2:17.02) in the 800-meter run.

UWL had five of the top-eight finishers in the 5,000-meter run. Along with Luebke winning the crown, Julia Zalewski was second (17:07.00), Becca Immer fourth (17:20.16), Elizabeth Schwartz sixth (17:54.58) and Milana Pisto eighth (18:00.75).

UWL returns to action Friday, May 8 hosting the UWL Uncaged Eagle Open at 3 p.m.