Titans To Compete At WIAC Outdoor Championship

Kasey Ederer will attempt to become the league's first four-time high jump champion as UW-Oshkosh strives to end UW-La Crosse's four-year title run at the WIAC Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championship this weekend in Whitewater.

Competition at the 45th edition of the championship begins at noon on Friday (May 6) and 10:30 a.m. on Saturday (May 7) at UW-Whitewater's Rex Foster Track Complex and Fiskum Field. The meet will be held in unison with the 98th version of the men's championship.

Last year, UW-La Crosse scored 233.83 points to easily secure its 30th title in program history. UW-Eau Claire finished second to the Eagles with 131 points, while UW-Oshkosh place third with 121 and UW-Stevens Point fourth with 105.

Rounding out the team standings were fifth-place UW-Whitewater with 98.33 points, sixth-place UW-Platteville with 74.5, seventh-place UW-Stout with 66 and eighth-place UW-River Falls with 16.33.

The defending champion Eagles enter the weekend ranked fourth in the NCAA Division III computer rankings by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association while UW-Oshkosh lists fifth, UW-Stout 15th and UW-Platteville 20th.

This year's championship features 11 competitors who have combined to win 13 individual and four relay first-place medals at previous league meets.

Ederer is one of five women to have won the WIAC high jump title three times. She won last year's meet with a leap of 5-6 1/2 after claiming victories by clearing 5-6 in 2014 and 5-3 3/4 in 2013. This season, Ederer paces the league with a height of 5-5 1/4.

UW-Oshkosh also returns Kylee Verhasselt, who won last year's 800-meter race with a time of 2:11.08. She enters this year's meet leading the conference with times of 2:10.05 at 800 meters and 4:29.39 at 1,500 meters.

Other Titans expected to vie for conference titles are Elizabeth Abhold in the hammer throw and shot put, Becklyn Hunter in the 100- and 200-meter dashes, Hannah Kuenzi in the 5,000- and 10,000-meter runs, Caitlyn McCormick in the 400-meter run, Emily Reichenberger in the 200-meter dash, Alyssa Ryan in the pole vault, Isabella Samuels in the shot put, Taylor Sherry in the 100-meter hurdles, and the 400-meter relay team of Hunter, Reichenberger, Ashley Holicek and Olivia Seeley.

Hunter owns the WIAC's best time in the 200-meter dash (24.71 seconds) and the second-best 100-meter time (12.09) while has Sherry has posted a league-leading time of 14.37 in the 100-meter hurdles and the UW-Oshkosh 400-meter relay squad ranks fourth nationally with a time of 47.13.

Abhold and Samuels both list second in the league this season with distances of 174-1 in the hammer throw and 43-10 in the shot put, respectively. Abhold also ranks third in the WIAC shot put listings with a toss of 43-8.

Kuenzi has run the second-fastest 10,000-meter time (36:08.23) in the conference and the third-best (17:45.06) at the 5,000-meter distance.

Reichenberger ranks fourth in the conference's 200-meter race (25.43), Ryan is fourth in the pole vault (12-0) and McCormick lists seventh in the 400-meter event (58.63).

Other WIAC champions returning are UW-Eau Claire's Katryna Williams (3,000-meter steeplechase in 2014); UW-La Crosse's Meg Heafy (100-meter dash in 2014, 2015), Bria Halama (triple jump in 2015) and Meaghan Howell (pole vault in 2015); UW-Platteville's Amber Williams (long jump in 2015; triple jump in 2014); and UW-Stevens Point's Kadie Flynn (discus in 2013, 2015).

Claire Gordee and Rachel Atchison helped UW-La Crosse win the 1,600-meter relay in 2014, and Kelsey Worachek ran a leg on UW-Eau Claire's victorious 400-meter relay team last season.

Trailing UW-La Crosse's 30 WIAC team titles are UW-Oshkosh with 11 and UW-Stevens Point with one. The Titans won their last league championship in 2011 while the Pointers won their lone title in 1976.

2016 WIAC Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championship Website