Women's Indoor Track & Field Season To Start For Titans
Nine-time national champion UW-Oshkosh inaugurates the 2017-18 women's indoor track & field season by hosting the Early Bird Invitational on Saturday (Dec. 2) in Kolf Sports Center.
Saturday's meet starts at 10 a.m. and is expected to involve visiting participants from Carroll University, Carthage College, Concordia University Wisconsin, Edgewood College, Elmhurst College (Ill.), Lakeland University and UW-Parkside.
UW-Oshkosh leads the NCAA Division III with its nine titles. The Titans, who also have produced six second-place finishes at the national meet, claimed Division III championships in 1994, 1995, 1996, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2011, 2013 and 2014.
The Titans remain at home after Saturday's season-opening meet to host the UW-Oshkosh Triangular on Jan. 13. UW-Oshkosh will also host the Titan Challenge on Feb. 17.
UW-Oshkosh's 2017-18 schedule also includes the Cardinal Opener on Jan. 19 in Naperville, Ill.; the Tadd Metzger Invitational on Jan. 26 in Kenosha; the Pointer Invitational on Feb. 3 in Stevens Point; and the Midwest Invitational on Feb. 10 in Whitewater.
The Titans will compete at the WIAC Championship on Feb. 23-24 in Stevens Point before concluding the regular season at national qualifying events at Carthage College on March 2 and at UW-Stevens Point on March 3.
The 2018 NCAA Division III Championship is scheduled for March 9-10 in Birmingham, Ala.
The Titans finished second among four teams at last season's Cardinal Opener, third of 12 squads at the Pointer Invitational and second at the 11-team Titan Challenge.
Head coach Justin Kinseth begins his first season at UW-Oshkosh with 22 returning letter winners. Last year's UW-Oshkosh squad placed third with 103 points at the WIAC Championship and 56th with three points at the Division III Championship.
Two-time All-American Emily Reichenberger returns after earning 2017 WIAC Women's Indoor Track Athlete of the Year honors. Reichenberger, who won the 60-meter dash at last year's WIAC Championship, claimed All-America laurels by finishing sixth in the 200-meter dash in 2016 and eighth in the 60-meter dash a year ago.
Also returning to the Titans after competing at the 2017 Division III Championship is Cheyenne Moore. The two-time WIAC cross country champion qualified for last year's national meet in the 5,000-meter run.
UW-La Crosse and UW-Oshkosh have combined to win each of the last 33 WIAC titles, including 25 by UW-La Crosse. The Titans won their most recent WIAC championship in 2012.
Last season, UW-La Crosse won its fifth straight league championship with 144.5 points. The Eagles were followed in the standings by second-place UW-Stevens Point with 103.5 points, third-place UW-Oshkosh, fourth-place UW-Whitewater with 84.5, fifth-place UW-Stout with 81.5, sixth-place UW-Eau Claire with 76.5, seventh-place UW-Platteville with 60.5 and eighth-place UW-River Falls with nine.
Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.) is the defending NCAA Division III champion. The Bears tallied 44 points to slip past runner-up Ithaca College's (N.Y.) total of 41.25 at last year's national meet.
UW-Oshkosh has scored at least three points at each of the past 32 Division III Championships.