MEN'S TEAM PREVIEW:
There is a clear favorite atop the pack, but a crazy scramble for the three remaining podium places is brewing at the men’s meet. In last year’s Wisconsin sweep, the fourth place team scored 40 points, but this year the runner-up won’t even need to score that many. We’re in store for a crazy and chaotic battle, so keep an eye on the first and last finals on the track—the 10k and the 4x400 relay—as most of the podium contenders have entrants in those events.

PREDICTIONS:

Fifth Place:
UW-Whitewater, 26 points
After missing the podium by a single point indoors, expect the Warhawks to come up short once again. However, even a fifth place finish would be an accomplishment for the ninth ranked squad, who are seeded to score only 17 points. Led by steepler Dawson Miller and long jumper Justin Bowers, the Warhawks qualified eleven entrants into the field, more than all but three teams.

Fourth Place:
North Central, 29 points
Though distance star John Crain could easily score 20 points by himself, I have less faith in the Cardinals’ supporting cast. They will have trouble picking up even five additional points from their five other distance entries, and they simply don’t have enough other places to score. After getting out to a lead Thursday night, North Central will have a lot of ground to make up heading into the 5000 and the 4x400 relay.

Third Place:
Mount Union, 38 points
With all due respect to the other Raiders in attendance, Mount Union’s hopes rest on three athletes: Chase Swisher, Sean Donnelly, and Tyler Metille. Swisher is not seeded to score in either the 200 or the 400, but I expect him to make finals in at least the 400 if not both. Donnelly is the only athlete to throw over 60 feet in the shot and has the potential to pick up much more than the 10 points he is slated for. Lastly, I expect Metille to win the 400H and anchor the winning 4x400, assuming that Swisher keeps them in contention. All of that will be more than enough to guarantee the podium place that they missed by half a point indoors.

Second Place:
UW-Oshkosh, 39 points
Unless freshman McKena Ramos can pull off an historic double in the 1500 and 800, expect the team race for second place to be a nail biter. The Titans have plenty of athletes just on the cusp of major breakthroughs, like hurdler Corey Wilch and distance runner Sean Kutz. Should their meet go perfectly, Oshkosh could even give the eventual team champions a bit of a scare. However, if their meet goes poorly, the Titans could sink to the bottom of the podium.

First Place:
UW-La Crosse, 66 points
We might as well hand out the trophy to the Eagles right now. They are the heavy favorites based on seeds, and they don’t even have to worry about their biggest rival, as the injury to Thurgood Dennis has made UW-Eau Claire only a fringe podium contender. The defending indoor and outdoor champs shockingly have no one—not even dominant thrower Grant Havard—seeded to win an individual event. I am confident that at least one Eagle will fly to the top of the podium, and by the end of the weekend, they all will be up there along with the first place trophy.