Given the nature of this spring, I suppose it’s appropriate to say this is the calm before the storm that will be the next few weeks in the world of Coulee Region sports. Clichés aside, I’m really hopeful that Mother Nature will cooperate for the upcoming slate of spring sports events–not for our sake, but for the sake of the athletes.
The weather-shortened spring sports schedule has been something of a whirlwind (again, no pun intended), and the beginning of the end really gets going this weekend with the NCAA Division III National Track and Field Championships at UW-La Crosse. Not only does it give us all a chance to see some of the country’s top college athletes, but also for some, this meet will hold special significance–those being Isaac and Maya Vazquez.
Monday afternoon I had a chance to chat with the outgoing siblings, and what the meet will mean to them. For Isaac, it’s the culmination of a career at UWL that includes a long jump record at the Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex (dating back to the 2009 remodel). Maya’s already impressive career will continue for a few more seasons, but this weekend will be the last time she’ll compete together with her brother. Surely, both will remember the multiple WIAA State individual titles they won at this facility as part of the Arcadia High School team.
But as the title of this entry implies, the DIII National Meet is only the beginning. Wisconsin’s rising stars get a chance to prove themselves one week from Friday at the aforementioned WIAA State Meet. It’s possibly the busiest week and a half of the year for those of us covering local sports, but it’s also one of the best.
Be sure to stay tuned to News 19 and wxow.com for coverage of all of the high school and college postseason action. And to catch my story with the Vazquez siblings, watch our 6pm and 10pm sportscasts this Wednesday (May 22nd). As always, thanks for checking out my blog!
