WAUWATOSA, Wis. (naccsports.org) --- Milwaukee School of Engineering won just five of 21 events but used its considerable depth in the distance races to amass 224 points and capture the men's team title at the 2026 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) Outdoor Track and Field Championships hosted by Wisconsin Lutheran College at historic Raabe Stadium.
St. Norbert College finished second with 197 points, scoring in every event except the 100 and 200. The Green Knights dominated in the field events, winning seven of nine events, but were held without a title on the track.
Concordia University Wisconsin took third with 100 points, just ahead of host Wisconsin Lutheran (87) and Benedictine University. The Falcons and Warriors won two event crowns apiece, while the Eagles finished with three gold medals.
Concordia University Chicago (54), Aurora University (38), Illinois Institute of Technology (22, 1 title), Edgewood University (21, 1 title), Lakeland University (3), and Marian University (1) rounded out the team scores. Dominican University and Rockford University also competed, but were unable to register a point.
Track Athlete of the Meet --- Zach Wendland, Concordia University Wisconsin
Wendland totaled 21.5 points on the track, winning the 400 hurdles (54.08) and placing fourth in the 110 hurdles (15.27) and fifth in the 400 dash (49.67). He also ran the third leg of Concordia Wisconsin's winning 4x400 meter relay (3:23.10). Off the track, Wendland added a runner-up finish in the high jump (1.91m; 6-3 1/4) and a third-place finish in the javelin throw (48.99m; 160-8).
Field Athlete of the Meet --- Ezra Schermacher, St. Norbert College
Schermacher, a senior, won three individual events - the high jump (1.96m; 6-5), the long jump (6.96m; 22-10), and the pole vault (4.55m; 14-11) - and took fifth in the javelin throw (42.65m; 139-11). While not a factor in his winning the award, he also took third in the 110 high hurdles (15.17).
Freshman of the Meet --- Kamren Hannah, Concordia University Chicago
Hannah was the top-scoring true freshman at this year's championships. He placed fourth in the 100 (11.04) and sixth (22.20) while also running the third leg on Concordia Chicago's runner-up 4x400 relay (3:23.14) and third-place 4x100 relay (42.27).
Coaching Staff of the Year --- Milwaukee School of Engineering (Bill Massoels, head coach)
The Raiders amassed 224 points en route to the program's fifth title overall and first since 2023, exceeding 20 points in four different events - the 3,000-meter steeplechase (28), 5,000 (27), 10,000 (21), and pole vault (23) - while hitting double figures in six others. MSOE completed the NACC men's triple crown this season, after previously winning league titles in cross country and indoor track and field.
Eighth-year head coach
Bill Massoels is assisted by
Malachi Allgood,
Jerica Kotarak,
Lauren Campbell,
Connor Walechka,
Grace Menzia, and
Isaac Hunter.
This is the third time that Massoels or a Massoels-led staff has been recognized by the league's head coaches in outdoor track and field (2021, 2023, 2026).
Multiple Champions
Seven different individuals came away with multiple gold medals at this year's championships. St. Norber's
Ezra Schermacher led all individuals with his three event titles, winning the high jump, pole vault, and triple jump. Fellow Green Knights
Jacob Klitzke (shot put / hammer throw) and
Bennett Schmidt (javelin / decathlon) secured two titles each as did MSOE distance runners
Austin Springer (800 / 1,500) and
Samuel McPeak (5,000 / 3,000 steeplechase). CUW's
Zach Wendland and Benedictine's
Temitope Osobamiro both paired a relay title with an individual crown. Wendland won the 400 hurdles and ran on CUW's winning 4x400 relay, while Osobamiro won the triple jump and anchored BenU's winning 4x100 relay.
Record Setters
Three records were broken during the course of the championships. MSOE's
Austin Springer won the 800 with a time of 1:52.94, bettering the old record of 1:53.79 set by Concordia Chicago's Josh Warren in 2017. Springer also set the NACC all-time mark earlier this spring.
Benedictine erased its own 10-year old record in the 4x100 relay. The team of
Trey Bruni, Jeremiah Harrison, Solomon Williams, and
Temitope Osobamiro stopped the clock in 41.63, erasing the 41.74 the Eagles put on the books in 2016.
The final record came in the shot put where St. Norbert's
Jacob Klitzke demolished the field with a throw of 17.27 meters (56-8). He won the competition by over eight feet and crushed the former championship record of 15.92 meters (52-2 3/4) set by Aurora's Adrian Kibiersza in 2009. Kibiersza's mark had been the oldest mark on the books - all-time or championship - and was the last remaining mark set at a Northern Athletics Conference championship. Klitzke also came within two inches of equaling his own NACC all-time mark of 17.32 meters (56-10) set at April's Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays.
NORTHERN ATHLETICS COLLEGIATE CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Wauwatosa, Wis.
(Raabe Stadium)
Teams --- 1. MSOE, 224; 2. St. Norbert, 197, 3. Concordia Wisconsin, 100; 4. Wisconsin Lutheran, 87; 5. Benedictine, 72; 6. Concordia University Chicago, 54; 7. Aurora, 38; 8. Illinois Tech, 22; 9. Edgewood, 21; 10. Lakeland, 3; 11. Marian, 1; Dominican and Rockford did not score.
Individual Champions
100 - Abuchi Osuala (WLC), 10.66
200 - Ayden Price (EDGE), 21.42
400 - Carson Owens (IIT), 48.23
800 - Austin Springer (MSOE), 1:52.94 ^
1,500 - Austin Springer (MSOE), 3:54.32
5,000 - Samuel McPeak (MSOE), 15:00.87
10,000 - Arnold Rupnow (WLC), 31:13.69
110 hurdles - Julian Francis (BENU), 14.46
400 hurdles - Zach Wendland (CUW), 54.08
3,000 steeplechase - Samuel McPeak (MSOE), 9:14.67
4x100 - Benedictine (Bruni, Harrison, Williams, Osobamiro), 41.63 ^
4x400 - Concordia Wisconsin (Maksymiu, Sanfilippo, Wendland, Mathes), 3:23.10
HJ - Ezra Schermacher (SNC), 1.96m (6-5)
PV - Ezra Schermacher (SNC), 4.55m (14-11)
LJ - Ezra Schermacher (SNC), 6.96m (22-10)
TJ - Temitope Osobamiro (BENU), 14.33m (47-0 1/4)
SP - Jacob Klitzke (SNC), 17.27 (56-8) ^
DT - William Tate (MSOE), 46.08m (151-2)
JV - Bennett Schmidt (SNC), 49.49m (163-10)
HT - Jacob Klitzke (SNC), 52.61m (172-7)
Dec - Bennett Schmidt (SNC), 5,562 points
^ - NACC Championships record