Hall of Fame
Michelle Dziak, a six-time NCAA Division III All-American and seven-time WIAC champion in the long and triple jumps from 1986-90, was a key figure in UW-Oshkosh’s ascension to national prominence in women’s track & field.
Dziak, who was a member of UW-Oshkosh’s first conference and national women’s track & field championship teams, helped the Titans to WIAC indoor titles in 1988 and 1989, WIAC outdoor titles in 1988 and 1990, and the NCAA outdoor crown in 1990.
The Verona High School graduate was named the Outstanding Field Performer at the 1988 and 1989 WIAC Indoor Championship and the 1988 WIAC Outdoor Championship.
As a freshman is 1986, Dziak scored the only points during UW-Oshkosh’s first appearance at the NCAA Indoor Championship by finishing fourth in the triple jump.
In 1987, Dziak again scored UW-Oshkosh’s only points at the NCAA Indoor Championship by placing fourth in the triple jump. She also won the first of her three consecutive WIAC indoor triple jump titles.
UW-Oshkosh and Dziak took a significant step forward in 1988 when the Titans won WIAC indoor and outdoor titles for the first time each. Dziak led UW-Oshkosh to the victories by sweeping the indoor long and triple jump titles and winning the outdoor triple jump crown.
Behind Dziak’s second-place performance in the triple jump, UW-Oshkosh finished sixth at the 1988 NCAA Indoor Championship. Dziak then produced a pair of All-America outdoor awards by placing fifth in the long jump and sixth in the triple jump to help the Titans finish third in the country and register their first-ever national top-four ranking.
In 1989, Dziak was the WIAC indoor champion in both the long and triple jumps as UW-Oshkosh captured the second of six consecutive team titles. The Titans went on to claim the second of four straight WIAC outdoor titles before finishing second in the team standings at the NCAA outdoor meet. Dziak’s top triple jump effort of 39-3 1/4 during the 1989 outdoor season remains as the fourth-best measurement in program history.
Dziak’s final season in 1990 resulted in another All-America award as she helped the Titans to their first Division III outdoor title by placing fifth in the triple jump. Dziak also claimed the last of her seven conference championships by winning the outdoor triple jump. UW-Oshkosh, a second-place finisher at the 1990 NCAA Indoor Championship, also continued its conference dominance by sweeping the league’s indoor and outdoor titles for the third straight year.
Dziak, a 1990 UW-Oshkosh graduate, was among 25 Titans selected to the 54-member WIAC Women’s Track & Field All-Centennial Team in 2012.
Dziak lives in Atlanta, Ga., with her husband, Tim Burton. Dziak has been a member of Atlanta Clay Works, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that provides classes and art space for the community, for 15 years. Dziak is an expert in wood firing, specializing in vessels, functional ware, sake sets and vases. She also has also been an active member in the Atlanta soccer community for more than three decades.
