WIAC teams take top 4 spots at NCAA Championships

The 2024 National Championship Indoor Track & Field meet was held this past March 9 in Virginia Beach, VA. With stiff competition from Division 3 schools all across the nation, the final podium featured not one, not two, not three, but four WIAC men’s teams. 

With the WIAC teams sweeping the top spots, a new record was set as this marks the first time in the history of the National Tournament that all top-four finishing teams were from the same conference. 

In fourth place was UW-Whitewater with a total team score of 37. Shelvin Garrett II helped add to that score when he took first place in the Men’s Triple Jump. On his final jump of the day, Garrett set a new personal best, and a Warhawk record when he leaped 15.97 meters.

The bronze trophy went to UW-Oshkosh as they achieved a score of 51 points, just 1 point behind second-place finisher UW-Eau Claire. In addition to their trophy, the Titans of Oshkosh had eight athletes receive All-American nods.

UW-Eau Claire edged out Oshkosh for the silver, thanks in part to Gold Medal performances from several seasoned upperclassmen. First, it was senior shotputter Yakob Ekoue who claimed his first-place finish with a throw of 18.70 meters. This toss went down as the third longest in program history. Next up was fifth-year senior Mitch Stegeman, competing in the Heptathlon for the Blugolds. Stegeman set a personal best with 5434 individual points, placing first individually in the pole vault, second in the 1000m, and fourth in the 60m hurdles.

But it was UW-La Crosse who won it all, taking home their 20th Indoor National Championship in program history with a final score of 74. Sophomore speedster Sam Blakowski took home a pair of first-place finishes, claiming the National Title in the 60m and 200m respectively. Cael Schoemann claimed his first individual National Title in the 800m and set a new school record with a time of 1:50.56. Finally, in the distance category, Ethan Gregg won the National Title in the 3000m race for the second consecutive year. 

When it comes to Division 3 Track, the UW-La Crosse Men’s team has been dominant, as they have captured their division record 20th indoor title. This same team also won the title back in 2023 and has claimed 13 of the last 20 Indoor National Titles. 

Finishing with a meet-high 12 NCAA D3 All-Americans, along with their 4x400 relay team, the La Crosse Eagles will have their eyes set on gaining some more hardware this upcoming outdoor season.