UW-La Crosse aims for its 16th straight title when UW-Oshkosh hosts the 88th Annual Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship on Friday and Saturday at the Oshkosh Sports Complex.

The 2006 WIAC Championship is the second collegiate track and field meet to be held at the 9,800-seat facility, with the other being the UW-Oshkosh Invitational on April 8. The Oshkosh Sports Complex will also host the NCAA Division III Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 2007 and 2008.

UW-La Crosse has captured the team title at the WIAC Championship a league-best 41 times, including 30 in the last 32 years. The Eagles have also added nine NCAA Division III titles in the past 18 seasons, winning championships in 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004.

UW-Oshkosh, which is the last team other than UW-La Crosse to claim a WIAC championship in the last 15 years (1990), and UW-Whitewater are expected join UW-La Crosse in this year's title hunt. UW-La Crosse won last year's meet with 278 points, while UW-Whitewater finished second with 175 and UW-Oshkosh third with 162.5.

This year's meet welcomes the return of 10 athletes, including four from UW-La Crosse, who will attempt to successfully defend their event titles of a year ago.

Defending champions back from UW-La Crosse are senior Nate Olson in the 200 meter dash and 400 meter run, junior Marcus Walgrave in the 100 meter dash and 110 meter hurdles, senior Nolan Hietpas in the 400 meter hurdles and senior Nick Pergande in the pole vault. Olson, who also ran on the Eagles' first-place 1,600 meter relay team in 2003, was named the Outstanding Track Performer at last year's WIAC Championship.

UW-Whitewater returns three champions from last year's meet after senior Joe Boberschmidt won the 800 meter run, senior Ross Kapp the shot put and senior Pete Ringquist the discus.

UW-Oshkosh welcomes back a pair of champions from a year ago in senior Nick Boehlke and junior Brandon Houle. Boehlke won titles in the 5,000 meter run and 10,000 meter run, while Houle claimed the top performance in the hammer throw.

Concluding the list of returning defending champions is sophomore Tyler Sigl of UW-Platteville. Sigl won the 1,500 meter run.

Members of last year's first-place relay teams returning are Walgrave and junior Matt Schultz of UW-La Crosse in the 400 meter relay, Hietpas, junior Jeremy Deterville, sophomore Jonathan Doble and junior Tony Marcinek of UW-La Crosse in the 1,600 meter relay and senior Erik Bartelson and junior Cam Klein of UW-Platteville in the 3,200 meter relay. Deterville and Marcinek also ran on UW-La Crosse's first-place 1,600 meter relay team in 2004. Walgrave was a participant on the Eagles' 400 meter relay team in 2004.

Other athletes who return after capturing event championships prior to the 2005 season are seniors Dan Haumschild and Mike Herlihy of UW-La Crosse in the 3,200 meter relay (2003).

This weekend's meet also features several athletes who rank among the finest in the NCAA Division III. Leading the 2006 NCAA Division III honor roll are UW-Oshkosh's Boehlke in the 10,000 meter run with a time of 29:52.68, UW-La Crosse's Hietpas in the 400 meter hurdles with an effort of 52.64, UW-La Crosse senior Kevin Becker in the hammer throw with a fling of 208-1 and UW-La Crosse junior Matt Novak in the pole vault with a leap of 17-4 1/2.