(WIAC) -INDIANAPOLIS–For the second straight year, five teams from the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) will participate in the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Championship after UW-La Crosse, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Platteville, UW-River Falls and UW-Whitewater secured bids into this year’s 64-team field.
UW-La Crosse (18-9) received an automatic bid after winning the WIAC Tournament (presented by Culver’s). It is the seventh NCAA appearance in program archives. UW-La Crosse will travel to Waukesha, Wis., for its first round game against LaGrange College (Ga.) (20-9). Carroll University (Wis.) (22-5), the host institution, will take on DePauw University (Ind.) (19-9) in its opening contest.
UW-Oshkosh (24-3), UW-Platteville (18-8), UW-River Falls (16-11) and UW-Whitewater (19-8) earned four of the 21 at-large bids into the national field.
UW-Oshkosh is making its 21st NCAA appearance and will host first and second round contests. The Titans will play Webster University (Mo.) (19-8) in their opening game, while Wisconsin Lutheran College (22-5) and Saint Mary’s University (Minn.) (20-8) will meet in their first round contest.
UW-Whitewater is also hosting first and second round action. The Warhawks are in their 24th NCAA tournament and will take on Transylvania University (Ky.) (24-5) in the first round. University of Chicago (Ill.) (17-7) and Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn.) (18-8) will also play in the first round.
UW-Platteville will appear in the NCAA championship for the first time in program history and travel to St. Paul, Minn., for its first round matchup against Coe College (Iowa) (21-6). Bethel University (Minn.) (22-6), the host institution, will face Millsaps College (Miss.) (21-7) in the first round.
UW-River Falls is in its sixth NCAA tournament and first since the 2016 campaign. The Falcons will travel to Moorhead, Minn., to play Ripon College (Wis.) (25-3) in the first round. Concordia College-Moorhead (Minn.) (23-5), the host institution, will meet UW-Superior (12-16) in the first round.
All first and second round action will be conducted March 6-7. Second round winners will advance to one of four sectional sites March 13-14. Winners of the four sectional sites will advance to the national semifinals/final site on March 19 and 21. All games, except the semifinals and final, will be played on the campuses of competing institutions. The semifinals/final will be conducted at Cregger Center in Salem, Virginia, hosted by City of Salem and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.
Four Teams Secure NCAA Men’s Basketball Bids: For the first time since 1997, four teams from the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) will participate in the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship after University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, UW-Platteville, UW-Stevens Point and UW-Whitewater secured bids into this year’s 64-team field.
UW-La Crosse (22-6) received an automatic bid after winning the WIAC Tournament (presented by Culver’s). It is the fifth NCAA appearance in program history. UW-La Crosse will host first and second round action and face Hope College (Mich.) (18-9) in the first round. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges (Calif.) (22-4) and Aurora University (Ill.) (23-5) will square off in their opening contests.
UW-Platteville (18-9), UW-Stevens Point (19-7) and UW-Whitewater (20-7) earned three of the 21 at-large spots into the national field.
UW-Platteville is making its 17th NCAA appearance and will travel to Chicago, Ill. The Pioneers will face Otterbein University (Ohio) (22-5) in the first round. University of Chicago (21-4), the host institution, will take on Penn St.-Behrend (20-7) in its opening contest.
UW-Stevens Point will travel to St. Peter, Minn., for its 16th NCAA tournament and first since the 2018 campaign. The Pointers will play University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (Texas) (20-7) in the first round. Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn.) (25-2), the host institution, and Bethany Lutheran College (Minn.) (16-11) will meet in their opening games.
UW-Whitewater will travel for St. Louis, Mo., for its 23rd NCAA appearance. The Warhawks will face Loras College (Iowa) (20-8) in the first round. Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.) (18-7), the host institution, and Transylvania University (Ky.) (20-8) will play in the other first round game.
First and second round competition will be held March 6-7. Second round winners will advance to one of eight third-round sites March 13-14. Both weekends’ games will be played on campuses of competing institutions. The tournament then shifts to the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Ind., for the quarterfinals March 19, and semifinals March 21. Semifinal winners advance to the championship game, which will be staged at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on April 5.
UW-River Falls’ Gunderson Named Women’s Indoor Track & Field Judy Kruckman Scholar Athlete: MADISON, Wis.–University of Wisconsin-River Falls’ Annika Gunderson has been named the recipient of the 2026 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Women’s Indoor Track & Field Judy Kruckman Scholar-Athlete Award.
A senior from Forest Lake, Minn. (Forest Lake), Gunderson is pursuing a master’s degree in special education. She earned an undergraduate degree in Spanish education and elementary education and maintained a 4.00 grade point average, graduating with Suma Cum Lade honors. Gunderson secured a spot on the 2024 and 2025 NCAA Division III Academic All-District® Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country First Team, as well as the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Team both years. She is a three-time member of the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll and been recognized on UW-River Falls’ Dean’s List numerous semesters. Gunderson received the UW-River Falls Chancellors Award in spring 2025 and earned academic scholarships.
Gunderson is a two-time All-America Second Team honoree and a three-time USTFCCCA All-North Region selection. She was the runner-up in the pole vault at the 2024 WIAC Indoor Track & Field Championships, took third in 2025 and tied for fourth this year. A three-year team captain, Gunderson was named the team MVP in 2024 and 2025, and is the program record holder in the pole vault.
Gunderson is a member of the National Honor Society, UW-River Falls’ Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and Intervarsity. She has worked as a substitute teacher, pole vault coach for a track club, waitress and at the Falcon Center. Gunderson has studied abroad on two occasions and volunteered as an official for high school meets and Sunday School Teacher.
Also nominated for this year’s scholar-athlete award were: UW-Eau Claire’s Kayla Behnke (Grad. Student, Appleton, Wis./Kimberly); UW-La Crosse’s Jenna Miller (Sr., Manitowoc, Wis./Manitowoc); UW-Oshkosh’s Haley Kanitz (Sr., Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls); UW-Platteville’s Elianna Dalamangas (Jr., Muskego, Wis./Muskego); UW-Stevens Point’s Kya Smith (Sr., Nekoosa, Wis./Nekoosa); UW-Stout’s Leah Zastrow (Sr., Spencer, Wis./Spencer); and UW-Whitewater’s Danielle Pouska (Sr., Algonquin, Ill./Algonquin Jacobs).
The WIAC Scholar-Athlete Award is named after Judy Kruckman who served as Assistant Commissioner for the WIAC from 1996-98. Prior to this appointment, she was Commissioner of the Wisconsin Women’s Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WWIAC) from October, 1984 – September, 1996. Kruckman was the women’s athletics director at UW-Eau Claire from 1974-84, and one of the original representatives to the WWIAC when it formed in 1971. She was inducted into the WIAC Hall of Fame in 2012.
In order to be nominated for the scholar-athlete award, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.50 grade point average. In addition, she must be in her last year of competition, or on schedule to graduate this academic year, and have competed for a minimum of two years. The award is based on academic achievements, athletics accomplishments and involvement in other campus activities, organizations and community service projects.
UW-La Crosse’s Schroeder Named Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Max Sparger Scholar Athlete: University of Wisconsin-La Crosse’s Luke Schroeder has been named the recipient of the 2026 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Max Sparger Scholar-Athlete Award.
A senior from Green Bay, Wis. (Ashwaubenon), Schroeder is pursuing a master’s degree in applied statistics and boasts a 4.00 grade point average. He was named to the 2023-24 NCAA Division III Men’s Track & Field/Cross Country Academic All-America® First Team, selected by the College Sports Communicators. Schroeder secured a spot on the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) NCAA Division III All-Academic Team in 2023 and 2024. He is a two-time member of the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll and has been recognized on UW-La Crosse’s Dean’s List numerous semesters, including graduating with Honors.
Schroeder is a two-time All-America in the 200-meter dash and has helped UW-La Crosse win a pair of NCAA Division III championships, as well as four WIAC titles. In 2024, he was named the USTFCCCA NCAA Division III North Region Track Athlete of the Year and received WIAC Indoor Track Performer of the Meet accolades. He is a four-time conference champion and established the NCAA Division III record in the 60-meter hurdles at the 2025 WIAC championship. A three-year team captain, Schroeder owns the school record in the 60-meter hurdles.
Schroeder is a member of UW-La Crosse’s Actuarial and Physics Club and is involved with Circle of Friends and physics and statistics research projects. He has worked as a data scientist with West Bend Insurance Company, as well as a teachers assistant. Schroeder has volunteered with Stepping Out In Pink and a local food pantry.
Also nominated for this year’s scholar-athlete award were: UW-Eau Claire’s Brad Roe (Sr., Burlington, Wis./Burlington); UW-Oshkosh’s Cameron Cullen (Sr., Kewaunee, Wis./Kewaunee); UW-Platteville’s Justin Behnke (Sr., Freedom, Wis./Freedom); UW-Stevens Point’s Mike Brown (Sr., Butternut, Wis./Butternut); UW-Stout’s Karter Rashke (Grad. Student, Stevens Point, Wis./SPASH); and UW-Whitewater’s Brad Heller (Sr., Brookfield, Wis./Brookfield East).
The WIAC Scholar-Athlete Award is named after Max Sparger, who served as commissioner of the Wisconsin State University Conference for 22 years from 1971-93. He oversaw the transition of the conference from NAIA to full NCAA membership. Sparger arrived at UW-Stout in 1959 and served the institution in a variety of capacities, including an assistant football and basketball coach, head wrestling coach and head football coach. He served as UW-Stout’s athletics director from 1969-71 and was inducted into the WIAC Hall of Fame in 2012.
In order to be nominated for the scholar-athlete award, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.50 grade point average. In addition, he must be in his last year of competition, or on schedule to graduate this academic year, and have competed for a minimum of two years. The award is based on academic achievements, athletics accomplishments and involvement in other campus activities, organizations and community service projects.
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