2007 WIAC Championships Track & Field Men's Preview
By Matt Stanek
WIAC Sports Information Director

University of Wisconsin-La Crosse is aiming for its 17th consecutive men's outdoor track and field title at the 2007 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) championships, which will be conducted at UW-River Falls' Ramer Field Sports Complex on May 4-5.

The Eagles' string of league championships is the longest since UW-Milwaukee won 22 straight crowns from 1928-53 (no meets were held from 1943-46). UW-La Crosse, the defending national champion, has won 28 of the last 29 conference titles and five of the last six national crowns.

UW-Whitewater has registered back-to-back second-place finishes at the league championship and joins UW-Oshkosh as potential champions. The Titans are the last school other than UW-La Crosse to win a league championship after claiming the 1990 event.

UW-La Crosse senior Marcus Walgrave won the 100-meter dash and 110-meter high hurdles titles last year for the second straight season and established a meet record in the hurdle event with a time of 14.27. He was named the Track Performer of the Meet for his efforts. If victorious in the 110-meter high hurdles, Walgrave will become the first individual in league history to win the event three consecutive years.   He owns the fourth-fastest time in the NCAA Division III this season in the 100-meter dash and the third-best mark in the 200-meter dash.

Eagle seniors Kevin Becker and Mike Herlihy are the defending champions in the hammer throw and 3,000-meter steeplechase, respectively. Becker owns the longest throw in the country this year.

UW-Platteville junior Tyler Sigl is the two-time defending champion in the 1,500-meter run and could become the first individual in WIAC history to win three straight titles in the event. He boasts the second-best time in the country in the 10,000-meter run this season.

UW-Oshkosh senior Zach Johnson won the pole vault title, while UW-Stevens Point senior Mitch Ellis secured the high jump. Johnson owns the best performance in the country this season, while Ellis ranks fifth on the NCAA performance list.

UW-Superior junior Matt Kramer won the 800-meter run title last season to earn the school's first individual conference crown since 1989 when Dan Kelner won the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes.

In the relay events, UW-La Crosse won the 4x400-meter title for the seventh straight season a year ago, while UW-Eau Claire won the 4x800-meter crown and UW-Whitewater was victorious in the 4x100-meter competition.

Additional individuals recording top performances in the NCAA Division III during the 2007 season include:

2007 WIAC Track & Field Championship Schedule of Events

as of April 27, 2007

Women's Heptathlon Order: 100 Meter Hurdles, High Jump, Shot Put, 200 Meter Run
Men's Decathlon Order: 100 Meters, Long Jump, Shot Put, High Jump, 400 Meter Run

Women's Heptathlon Order: Long Jump, Javelin, 800 Meter Run
Men's Decathlon Order: 110 Meter Hurdles, Discus, Pole Vault, Javelin, 1,500 Meter Run

The men's and women's 1600 Meter Relay will be contested when all other
events of the same gender have been completed.