The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse looks to win its sixth title in the last seven years when the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh hosts the NCAA Division III Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Championship on May 22-24 at J.J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium. The Eagles have won a record 11 outdoor national titles, including last year’s title at Titan Stadium when they finished with 99.0 points. UW-La Crosse will be attempting to sweep the NCAA III Indoor and Outdoor championships for the 11th time in school history when competition begins Thursday. The Eagles earned their 14th national indoor title in March in Ada, Ohio.

It won’t be easy for UW-La Crosse. After having 23 athletes qualify for last year’s outdoor national meet, the Eagles bring eight this season in six different events. State University of New York-Cortland will look to capture its first outdoor championship after finishing second a year ago with 34.0 team points. The Red Dragons have a meet-high 12 athletes entered this year in seven events.

Monmouth College (Ill.) was third last season (28 points) while UW-Platteville and St. John’s University (Minn.) tied for fourth (27). UW-Whitewater (26) was sixth and State University of New York-Brockport (21) seventh while UW-Oshkosh, the University of Redlands (Calif.), Pomona-Pitzer (Calif.), Mount Union College (Ohio), Buffalo State (N.Y.) and Augustana College (Ill.) all tied for eighth (20). A total of 79 teams placed at last year’s meet.

The race for the championship figures to be wide-open with several teams vying for a trophy. Along with UW-La Crosse and State University of New York-Cortland, any number of institutions could earn the national title.

Lynchburg College (Va.) and the University of St. Thomas (Minn.) both have nine competitors while Augustana, Christopher Newport University (Va.), Nebraska Wesleyan University, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Stevens Point and Whitworth University (Wash.) each have eight. St. Thomas, Christopher Newport, UW-Oshkosh and UW-Stevens Point have athletes in eight different events.

Lynchburg has nine athletes in seven different events while Augustana has its eight competitors in six events. Three teams, including McMurry University (Texas), North Central College (Ill.) and Wheaton College (Ill.), have seven competitors.

A total of seven athletes look to repeat as NCAA III champions this season, including junior Ted McMillan of Augustana who won two events a year ago. He looks to defend his titles in the high jump and 400-meter hurdles in 2008 and enters the meet as the number one seed in the hurdles.

Senior Dan Hytinen of UW-Whitewater (discus), senior Peter Sprecher of Monmouth (pole vault) and junior Joel Krebs of George Fox University, Ore. (javelin) all aim to repeat as field event winners. Hytinen and Sprecher are both top seeds in their respective events while Krebs holds the J.J. Keller at Titan Stadium record in the javelin. Hytinen will also compete in the shot put this season after placing third a year ago.

On the track, junior Jimmy O’Brien of Ohio Northern University (800-meter run), sophomore Peter Kosgei of Hamilton College, N.Y. (3,000-meter steeplechase) and senior Tyler Sigl of UW-Platteville (10,000-meter run) all return as national champions from a year ago. All three set facility records at last year’s outdoor meet. O’Brien and Kosgei both come into this year’s national meet with the top times in their event. O’Brien will also enter the meet with the top time in the 1,500-meter run while Sigl looks to capture the 5,000-meter run in 2008 after placing second last season.

Whitworth sophomore Cody Stelzer returns after being third in last year’s high jump while Susquehanna University (Pa.) senior Mike Marr was sixth and McMurry junior Zach Shew 17th. Junior Tom Ballinger of Carleton College (Minn.) earned All-America honors a year ago with a sixth-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles.

Loras College (Iowa) junior Kyle Calvert returns in the pole vault after tying for seventh last season while Elizabethtown College (Pa.) senior Kevin Clark finished ninth. UW-La Crosse junior Bobby Riley was third and sophomore Judd Lutz of Mount Union placed eighth last year in the discus throw. Whitworth junior Kory Kemp (3rd), Coast Guard Academy (Ct.) senior Steve Blum (4th) and Westfield State (Ma.) senior Drew Soltysiak (8th) earned All-America awards in the javelin last season.

Four All-America competitors return in the 800-meter run. Along with O’Brien winning, sophomore Emmanuel Bofa of Whitworth was second, senior Drew Graybeal of Elizabethtown College (Pa.) finished sixth and senior Matt Kramer of UW-Superior was seventh. Senior Chris Erichsen of St. John’s (Minn.) placed second at last year’s 3,000-meter steeplechase while senior Dave Sorensen of Tufts (Ma.) was sixth. Erichsen was also fourth in the 5,000 while senior Hany Abdallah of New York University was sixth and junior Jed Christiansen of Calvin College (Mich.) 14th.

The 10,000-meter run features seven of the top-15 finishers from 2007. Joining Sigl in the top-six last year were Abdallah (4th), UW-Oshkosh junior William Kaul (5th) and Haverford College (Pa.) senior Donald Letts (6th). Wheaton College (Ill.) senior Brandon Mull was ninth, State University of New York-Cortland sophomore Seth DuBois placed 10th while junior teammate Shamus Nally finished 14th.

Abdallah is the top seed in this year’s 10,000-meters while Kaul has the top time in the 5,000-meters.

Junior Brian McConnell of Elmhurst College (Ill.) was fifth in last year’s 1,500-meter run while UW-Platteville senior Kyle Stangel was sixth, junior Brian Harvey of Carnegie Mellon (Pa.) placed ninth and senior Travis Wray of Lynchburg was 12th.

McMurry also looks to defend its national title in the 4x100-meter relay in 2008. McMurry has the top time entering the meet.

Senior Amaan Siddeeq of SUNY-Cortland is the top seed in the 100 and 200-meter dashes this year. He placed second in the 100 and ninth in the 200 last season. Five of the top-nine finishers from last year’s 100-meter dash return, including junior Orlando Walton of the University of Dubuque (Iowa) who was third. Salem State College (Ma.) senior Eddie Brynum was fifth a year ago while Salisbury University (Md.) sophomore Delannie Spriggs was sixth, Alma College (Mich.) senior Kyle Percival eighth and Illinois Wesleyan senior Segun Olopo ninth.

Senior Matthew Harden of Illinois Wesleyan University looks to win the national title in the 200 after finishing second last year. Senior Leroy Harper of Christopher Newport is back after a sixth-place finish in 2007.

Junior Hanneus Ollison of McMurry is this year’s number one seed in the 400-meter dash and long jump. He was seventh in the 200-meter dash in 2007 and also competed in the long jump. Harden was third in the 400 last season while Emory University (Ga.) senior Freddy Linton was fourth, Monmouth junior Luke Reschke sixth and Christopher Newport sophomore Charles Washington ninth. St. John’s (Minn.) senior Erik Diley returns to compete in the long jump after being fifth in 2007.

Sophomore Kamar Jones of Fisk University (Tenn.) looks to take the triple jump title after placing second in 2007 while senior Ben Dillow of George Fox University (Ore.) aims for the decathlon championship after finishing third a year ago. Both competitors enter the meet with the top marks in the country. Senior Nick Kipe of Messiah (Pa.) was third in the triple jump last season while junior Jessie Dengsavang of UW-La Crosse finished fifth and junior Eric Buss of St. John’s (Minn.) placed seventh.

Senior Kyle Steiner of UW-Stevens Point (second) and sophomore Jeremy Lovell of Linfield College, Ore. (eighth) both earned All-America accolades in the decathlon last season.

Senior Derek Marks of St. Thomas has the top mark in the discus throw after finishing ninth last season. North Central is the top seed in the 4x400 meter relay and looks to improve on its fifth-place showing a year ago.

Other top seeds this year include senior Beresford Brown of Moravian College (Pa.) in the 110-meter hurdles; senior Joseph Owens of Christopher Newport in the high jump; senior Trevor Matuszak of Defiance College (Ohio) in the hammer throw; sophomore Sean Corey of Rowan University (N.J.) in the javelin and senior Dan Gund of Mount Union in the shot put.

Three All-America performers return in the 110-meter hurdles, including junior Dorran Coley of Thiel College, Pa. (2nd), junior Ben Zizis of UW Platteville (3rd) and senior Jarod Renford of Greenville College, Ill. (8th).

In the hammer throw, Central College (Iowa) senior Jason Fisher returns after being third in 2007 while Bates College (Maine) senior Noah Gauthier was fifth and Monmouth senior Zach Wilson ninth.

Riley was second, Hytinen third, State University of New York-Brockport senior Josh Dupuis fourth and Montclair State (N.J.) junior Eugene Asimou seventh in the 2007 shot put.