Menominee Nation athletes advance at track and field regionals

Bryant Waupoose and Mequonaseah Oshkosh gave Menominee Nation a postseason boost at the WIAA Division 2 Regional at Fox Valley Lutheran, each finishing in the top two and moving on to sectionals.

Waupoose placed second in the 1600 meters, one of the most demanding races on the schedule, while freshman Oshkosh took runner-up in the high jump with a personal-best clearance of 5-11. Under WIAA rules, the top four finishers in each event advance from regionals to sectionals, so both Menominee Indian athletes turned strong nights into another meet.

That advancement matters in a regional field that was crowded with points and qualifiers. Fox Valley Lutheran won the boys team title at its home regional and collected 40 sectional berths overall, a sign of how deep the competition was for every lane, runway and ring. Menominee Indian finished with 6.5 team points, but the individual results kept the Eagles in the postseason picture.

Waupoose’s second-place finish fit the form he had already shown this spring. Before the regional, Athletic.net listed his 2026 outdoor bests at 2:08.31 in the 800 meters and 4:45.75 in the 1600, marks that showed he was already capable of handling sectional-level pressure in the distance races.

Oshkosh’s jump was just as significant for what it suggested about the program’s next wave. At the Three Lakes/Phelps Invitational on May 5, he cleared 5-6 in the high jump and placed fifth in the 100 meters, making his 5-11 leap at Fox Valley Lutheran a real late-season breakthrough rather than a one-meet surprise.

The road ahead is clear. Friday’s Division 2 sectional was scheduled for Chilton, and the top four finishers there will move on to the 2026 WIAA State Track & Field Championships at UW-La Crosse on June 5-6. For Menominee County fans following the Eagles, Waupoose and Oshkosh kept the season alive and showed that the program has athletes ready to compete beyond regionals.