Issued: March 3, 2004

MEN'S TRACK SET FOR WIAC INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

EAU CLAIRE - The UW-Eau Claire men's indoor track and field team will look to improve on a sixth place finish at last season's conference championships this weekend when they take part in the 2004 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships Friday and Saturday in Menomonie.

The two-day event is hosted by UW-Stout and will begin at noon on Friday and at 9 a.m. on Saturday. Last season the Blugolds finished in a tie for sixth place with Stout as both teams scored 26 points.

2002 National Indoor Shot Put champion John Schuna (Jr.-Hudson) will look to take the first steps toward another national championship with a win this weekend. Schuna has already provisionally qualified in the shot put with a throw of 54-9 ¼. His biggest competition could come from UW-La Crosse's Jim Nelson, who has the only longer throw this season of any conference opponent with a toss of 55-7 ½. The shot put event is set for 4:30 p.m. on Friday.

Erik Ferguson (Jr.-Rochester, MN/Dover-Eyota) will compete for a conference championship in the 200-meter dash after posting the third best conference time in the event. He ran the event in 22.57 seconds on February 14 at the Border Battle hosted by St. Olaf. The preliminaries for the 200-meter dash are set for 6:30 p.m. on Friday while the finals will be held at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday.

Ethan Kreul (Jr.-Poynette) could make a run at a high placing in the 3000-meter run as he posted the seventh best time in the WIAC this year, covering the distance in a time of 8:42.52. The event is set to start at 4:25 p.m. on Saturday.

The Eagles of La Crosse will look to win their third straight conference championship after claiming last season's with a score of 189. The Eagles have finished either first or second at the championship in each of the last 30 years. UW-Oshkosh took second at last season's WIAC Championship and will look to end the Eagles' small win-streak.

The Blugolds best finish at the event came in 1993 when Eau Claire claimed second place.

WIAC Indoor Track and Field Championships Web Site