On May 1-2, the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (UWL) hosted the Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Championships. Fans packed in to Veterans Memorial Sports Complex were treated to a weekend of record-breaking spectacles and fierce competition. Both Eagles teams were able to notch another mark in UWL’s historically dominant record books. The Men’s team claimed their 60th conference title and the Women’s team took home their 40th, according to uwlathetics.com.
This status as a longstanding Track and Field powerhouse has become a beacon for athletes looking to compete at the highest level. Sophie Herriot, a fourth-year pole vaulter, transferred from the University of Wisconsin-Madison to join in on the championship pursuit. The standard at UWL often pushes the best out of its athletes.
“I wanted to be part of a team that could win a conference and national title…I wanted to be surrounded by people who had the same goals as me, and I wanted to be a part of something bigger than myself,” said Herriot.
The Men’s team entered the conference with added fuel to claim a conference title. On March 14, the Eagles fell short by one point at the NCAA Div. III Indoor National Championship. From that point on, the Eagles shifted that disappointment into motivation for the outdoor season.
“We were just thinking we were going to roll into the meet and win it, to now, knowing that we got to scrap for points and grind out in every single event that we can,” said fourth-year athlete Nolan Seaberg.
In the WIAC conference, points aren’t easy to come by. High-level competition for every event ensures teams will need to fight every chance they have. WIAC teams frequently contend for Div. III championships, setting the bar high for coming out on top.
“The WIAC is really special because the top three to four teams are always in contention for, quite frankly, a national championship, so it’s a really competitive conference to me,” said Seaberg.
Despite the challenging competition, the Eagles worked together and found ways to counter. A bonus of the conference environment is the synergy created by watching your teammates perform. On a team of 90 plus athletes, a conference becomes a culmination of a season’s worth of work and energy being put forth. Teammates can’t help but feel inspired to hit their marks, witnessing their teammates exude success while hitting theirs.
“It makes me feel great to see my teammates doing all that. I’m so excited that I have a bunch of girls that are so talented. I was watching them and I watched hit a huge mark and it just made me feel like, ‘Oh God, I’m gonna hit this vault,’” said Herriot.
When it came down to scoring, both the Men’s and Women’s teams cruised to a commanding victory. The Women’s team scored 362 points, with the next closest being UW-Eau Claire with 169. The Men’s team joined in on hitting high numbers with a score of 335.
As for events, numerous Eagles were able to view the meet from the top of the podium. In the long jump, the top seven places were taken by Eagles, Evans, Regan Scott, Ava Foley, Josie Blum, Amber Grosse, Jenna Richgels and Rachel Halverson, combining for 38 points. Evans was able to keep the same energy for triple jumps, scoring first with a mark of 11.92 meters.
In other field events, Maddy Habberstad placed second in pole vault with 3.92 meters, and Ainsely Hansen and Madison McCullum finished second and third, both at 1.63 meters. In shot put, Alyssa Pierce placed third at 13.40 meters, shooting past the former season record of 13.26 meters. In the heptathlon, Madeline Thoreson managed to finish atop the podium with a total of 4,566 points spanning all her events.
On the track side of events, the Eagles kept up the success. Anna Plautz set a meet record for the 400-meter dash with 54.83 seconds, breaking the time of 55.08 seconds set by Lexie Sondgroth in 2015. In the 800-meter run, Alli Thomas placed second with a time of 2 minutes and 12 seconds. In the 1500-meter run, Molly Novotny won with a time of 4 minutes and 37 seconds. Two Eagles took the top spots in the 5,000-meter run as Brooklyn Luebke took the top of the podium, followed by Julia Zalewski. Andie Otto took home the 400-meter hurdles, breaking her old season record in the process. In the 3,000-meter steeplechase, four Eagles shared the top of the podium being Zalewski at first, followed by Becca Immer, Bryn Sato, and Sami Miller. Both the 4×400 and 4×100 meter relay teams flew past their competition, placing first on the way to earning more points.
Luke Schroder dominated the Eagles as he secured 36 points in the span of three events, placing first in the 200-meter dash and 110-meter hurdles, with second in the 100-meter dash and javelin throw. Fans were treated to a historic spectacle as they witnessed Schroder seamlessly glide over the hurdles, setting the Div. III record in the event with a time of 13.32 seconds.
His record-setting performance defined the tone for the Eagles that day as teammates would continue to share the podium. Collin Conzemius and Devin Willams blazed past the competition, winning the 400-meter dash and placing in that order. Cael Schoemann broke his old meet record set in 2025 on the way to winning the 800-meter run. Three Eagles placed in the top of the 1500-meter run, with Jayden Zywicki placing first. Chuck Vater broke a meet record from 2017 running in the 5,000-meter run on the way to first place. Finn Patenaude scored some points while placing second in the 400-meter hurdles. In the 3,000-meter steeple chase, Joey Sullivan pulled away from the competition with a first-place finish.
In the field events, Mitchell Eldredge won the high jump. Carter Pearson leaped past his competition while placing first in the triple jump. In the shot put, Jake Garder sent it the farthest and placed first. In the decathlon, Seaberg registered a solid performance, placing third.
Overall, the Eagles’ depth showed through as no matter the event, teammates stepped up and did their best to bring home points.
“We have 60 guys in the meet, each are really quality and bring their own set of skills to the table” commented Seaberg.
Regardless of the success felt throughout the conference, the teams still have unfinished business. Only three meets stand between the teams and bringing their dominance, depth and excitement to Nationals on May 21, where the Eagles will be looking to continue to write themselves in the record book.
