USTFCCCA Release

New Orleans, La. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse women's track & field team has been named the 2026 Outdoor Scholar Team of the Year in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), the organization announced Monday. 

UWL, who finished with a 3.58 cumulative grade point average, won the 2026 NCAA Division III Outdoor Championship.  The Eagles captured the national title on May 23 at UWL's Roger Harring Stadium at Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex with 53.0 team points. It was UWL's fifth (1983, 1984, 2015, 2023, 2026) outdoor national championship, including second (2023, 2026) for head coach Nickolas Davis.

UWL also won the 1982 Association of Intercollegiate Athletic for Women (AIAW) title. 

UWL has captured two (2015, 2023) NCAA Division III Indoor titles, including one (2023) under Davis.

Seven institutions from the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) earned the 2026 All-Academic honor, including UWL, UW-Eau Claire (3.65), UW-Oshkosh (3.45), UW-Platteville (3.52), UW-River Falls (3.53), UW-Stout (3.57) and UW-Whitewater (3.40).

It marks the third time (2015, 2023, 2026) UWL has earned the USTFCCCA Outdoor Scholar Team of the Year Award. The Eagles have also earned the Indoor Scholar Team of the Year Award three seasons (2007, 2015, 2023).

Forty-nine members of UWL's women's squad were named to the 2026 USTFCCCA Division III All-Academic Team. The 49 honors leads NCAA Division III. Washington University-St. Louis (Mo.) is second with 28, Johns Hopkins University (Md.) third with 25 and UW-Eau Claire fourth with 23.

Samantha Barrett (exercise sport science-pre-medicine track); Izzy Bender (exercise sport science-pre-chiropractic); Emily Blaskowski (psychology); Josie Blum (exercise sport management-sport management); Audrey Braun (economics); Ashley Davies (exercise sport science-pre occupational therapy); Lydia Delene (exercise sport science-pre occupational therapy); Lucile Duchac (political science and English writing and rhetoric); Brie Eckerman (exercise sport science-pre-physical therapy track); Annika Elliott (elementary and middle school education); Maya Evans (psychology); Amber Grosse (biology-pre-dentistry track); Sarah Grubbs (biology-pre-physician assistant track); Jaden Hackel (accounting); Noelle Hackenmueller (Spanish education/TESOL); Rachel Halverson (biology-pre-physician assistant track); Becca Immer (psychology); Mackenzey Kronberg (exercise sport science-pre-physical therapy track); Zoe Lain (exercise sport science-pre-physical therapy track); Brooklyn Luebke (exercise sport science-adapted physical education); Madison McCullum (biomedical physics); Madelynn McIntyre (psychology-pre-dentistry track); Marley McIntyre (psychology-pre-dentistry track); Jenna Miller (psychology-pre law track); Sami Miller (food and nutrition sciences-pre-dentistry track); Taylor Molling (biomedical sciences-pre-medicine track); Addy Moseler (management); Olivia Navin (exercise sport science-pre occupational therapy); Molly Novotny (exercise sport science-pre-athletic training track); Andie Otto (exercise sport science-pre-physical therapy track); Alyssa Pierce (elementary/middle school education); Anna Plautz (microbiology); Anika Reiland (elementary/middle school education); Jenna Richgels (biomedical sciences-pre-physical therapy track); Bryn Sato (media studies); Regan Scott (radiologic technology); McKenna Sedlacek (radiation therapy); Emily Shafron (astronomy and Archaelogy); Alli Thomas (psychology); Jocelyn Thomson (exercise sport science-pre-physical therapy track); Madeline Thoreson (biomedical sciences-pre-physician assistant track); Madilyn Vander Sanden (exercise sport science-fitness); Kalli Vannieuwenhoven (clinical lab sciences); Nora Waddell (finance); Julie Yang (public health/community health education); Makenna Zak (management); Julia Zalewski (zoology and animal physiology-pre-pharmacy track) and Megan Zemke (exercise sport science-pre-physical therapy track) earned the honor for UWL. 

It is the fifth career USTFCCCA All-Academic honor for Barrett and third for Braun, Davis, Grosse, Hackenmueller, Kronberg, Madelynn McIntyre, Molling, Plautz, Reiland, Shafron and Zak. Bender, Duchac, Eckerman, Evans, Grubbs, Immer, Jenna Miller, Navin, Otto, Scott, Thomas, Thoreson, Vander Sanden, Yang and Zemke have now earned the award twice.

To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track & Field Team, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.30 and met at least one of the following athletic standards: have finished the indoor or outdoor season ranked in the national top 50 of an individual event or in the national top 35 of a relay event on the official NCAA Descending Order list on TFRRS; or competed in the NCAA Indoor or Outdoor Championship.