Five programs and four states: UW-La Crosse chasing national titles across the country

March 11, 2026|In La Crosse, UW La Crosse

Five programs and four states: UW-La Crosse chasing national titles across the country

March 11, 2026|In La Crosse, UW La Crosse

Five programs and four states: UW-La Crosse chasing national titles across the country

It is a historic March for UW-La Crosse athletics — perhaps the busiest weekend ever, too.

UW-L has five teams competing in National Championships simultaneously, spread across four states, with defending champions looking to repeat and basketball programs reaching historic heights. The Eagles could be chasing the most decorated finish to a season in school history.

Indoor track and field

  • Where: Birmingham CrossPlex | Birmingham, Alabama
  • When: Friday, March 13 – Saturday, March 14
  • The men: The defending national champions have qualified 23 student-athletes for the trip to Alabama. They enter the weekend ranked No. 1 in the nation.
  • Men’s star: Senior Luke Schroeder is a returning national champion and the current NCAA Division III record holder in the 60-meter hurdles (7.67). He enters this weekend as the No. 1 seed in both the hurdles and the 200-meter dash.
  • The women: The Eagles are sending 28 student-athletes to the meet, the most in the country.
  • Women’s star: Madilyn Vander Sanden is a returning All-American and back-to-back WIAC champion in the shot put. She enters as a top seed and a heavy favorite to secure her first individual national title.

Gymnastics

  • Where: SUNY Cortland | Cortland, New York
  • When: 1 p.m. Friday, March 20
  • Outlook: The Eagles are currently ranked No. 2 in the nation. While they are the defending 2025 national champions, they are looking for a reset after a 3rd-place finish at the WIAC championships.
  • Who to watch: Senior Grace Kehr and juniors Raina Christenson and Claire Robbins. The juniors are returning individual national champions on the balance beam. Kehr is the defending champion on the vault and was just named the WIAC Scholar-Athlete of the year.

Basketball

  • The women:
    • Where: Brooklyn Athletic Facility | New York, New York
    • When: 4 p.m. Friday, March 13 vs. University of Southern Maine.
    • The stakes: By reaching the Sweet 16, this year’s squad has already officially secured the deepest tournament run in the history of the women’s program.
    • Look for: Sophomore Malia Nelson is the player to watch in Brooklyn. She has recorded back-to-back double-doubles to open the tournament and was the primary reason the Eagles were able to upset Carroll University to reach the first Sweet 16 in program history.
  • The men:
    • Where: Ron Rosner Arena | Fredericksburg, Virginia
    • When: 5 p.m. Saturday, March 14 vs. No. 5 University of Mary Washington.
    • The stakes: The No. 14 Eagles (24-6) are one win away from matching the furthest the program has ever gone in the national tournament—a trip to the Elite Eight where they got last season.
    • Look for: Junior Sam Grieger enters the regional as the hottest hand in the country. He’s coming off a 36-point performance in the second round. He holds the UW-L single-game scoring record (46) and broke the single-season scoring record, as well.

Wrestling

  • Where: Alliant Energy PowerHouse | Cedar Rapids, Iowa
  • When: Friday, March 13 – Saturday, March 14 (Session I starts at 10 a.m.)
  • The team: The Eagles have qualified eight wrestlers. The program enters the weekend ranked No. 5 in the country.
  • Who to watch: Senior Noah Leisgang (174 lbs) is the No. 2 seed and is currently undefeated at 17-0. He’s back after a year of high school coaching.

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