2024 WIAC Wrestling Championship Preview University of Wisconsin-La Crosse will aim for an eight straight title at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Wrestling Championship (presented by Culver’s). The 69th assembling of league teams will be hosted by UW-Platteville at Williams Fieldhouse on Feb. 17. The Eagles collected the 22nd first-place conference finish in program history a year ago, accumulating 161 points to exceed the second-place total of 125 by UW-Eau Claire and UW-Whitewater. UW-Platteville placed fourth with 91 points, UW-Oshkosh fifth with 71 and UW-Stevens Point sixth with 54.5. UW-Whitewater ranks second on the conference’s all-time list with 17 championships, while UW-Stevens Point has won eight and UW-Oshkosh one. Former programs to win titles include: UW-River Falls (11); UW-Superior (6); UW-Stout (2); and UW-Milwaukee (1). The National Wrestling Coaches Association NCAA Division III Tournament Team Rankings distributed on Feb. 9 include the following WIAC teams: UW-La Crosse is third, UW-Eau Claire seventh and UW-Whitewater tied for 18th. At this year’s championship, 10 individual first-place finishers will be crowned, along with a team champion. Each school will be permitted to enter two wrestlers per weight class and only the highest finishing wrestler from each institution will factor into the team scoring. Competition will begin at 9:00 a.m. Returning individual champions consist of: UW-Eau Claire’s Zach Sato (2022 - 141 pounds) and Jared Stricker (2022 and 2023 - 174 pounds); UW-La Crosse’s Nolan Hertel (2021, 2022 and 2023 - 157 pounds, 2023 - 157 pounds), Ben Kawczynski (2022 - 285 pounds) and Noah Leisgang (2023 - 165 pounds); and UW-Whitewater’s Dominik Mallinder (2023 - 133 pounds). Stricker was tabbed the conference’s Newcomer of the Year in 2022, while Mallinder claimed John Peterson Wrestler of the Meet and Newcomer of the Year honors a season ago. Runner-up performances at previous championships include: UW-Eau Claire’s Tyler Fleetwood (2022 and 2023 - 133 pounds) and Niall Schoenfelder (2023 - 184 pounds); and UW-La Crosse’s Michael Douglas (2023 - 285 pounds), Tyler Goebel (2023 - 149 pounds), Cole Hansen (2023 - 157 pounds) and Nolan Hertel (2020 - 157 pounds). UW-Oshkosh’s top performers this season include Matt Hanke and Andrew Schad, while UW-Platteville has been led by David Cushman and Blake Delsman. Riese Thornberry and Carson Trotzer have guided UW-Stevens Point. Qualification for the NCAA Division III Championship will be based on regional competition held March 1-2. All six WIAC teams will compete in the Upper Midwest Regional hosted by UW-Stevens Point. The national championship will be hosted by UW-La Crosse at the La Crosse Center March 15-16. # # # # #