The University of Wisconsin La Crosse Men’s Cross Country Team won the 2024 2024 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III (D3) Cross Country Championships in Terry Haute, Indiana on Saturday, Nov 23. The win resulted in the team’s first national title since 2005.
Head Men’s and Women’s Coach Derek Stanley also won both the USA Track & Field-Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) 2024 NCAA Division III Men’s and Women’s Cross Country North Region Coach of the Year and Men’s National Coach of the Year.
Just a year ago at the 2023 NCAA D3 Cross Country championships, the Eagles fell short by one point to Pomona-Pitzer, 158-159. This year, UWL dominated the field, with a score of 77. The next closest team was nearly 100 points behind, with Wartburg (Iowa), finishing at 173 points.
The Eagles took the lead after the second kilometer and never looked back. The Eagles’ score continuously dropped, becoming sub-100 after the fourth kilometer.
Brothers Grant Matthai and Aidan Matthai were the Eagles’ top runners in the men’s 8km race, finishing third and fifth respectively, with times of 24 minutes and 4.4 seconds and 24 minutes and 11.8 seconds respectively.
This was thanks in part due to Adam Loenser and Jayden Zywicki, who gained 23 and 16 places respectively between the first and second kilometer. Zywicki finished the race in 20th and Loenser finished in 53rd out of 294 runners.
Joey Sullivan passed 17 other runners between the first and second kilometer and finished the race in 16th place with a time of 24 minutes and 26.7 seconds. First year Chuck Vater placed 69th, finishing as the second-best first-year runner in the nation in Vater’s first appearance on the national stage. Fourth year Corey Fairchild placed 117th.
Stanley believes the trophies and championships don’t matter as much as creating a positive culture centered around giving your best every day. “I don’t care about legacy. I’m here to support our student athletes and make them feel like they are part of a community,” said Stanley.
Stanley believes his mission as the Head Coach is best served by being a support service to his runners in all aspects of being a student athlete, rather than focusing on the success distance running has had at UWL.
Many of the graduated runners from last year’s 2nd place squad were in attendance for the meet, including 2023 NCAA D3 Cross Country Individual National Champion Ethan Gregg and All-American Isaac Wegner. “They were monumental. They brought a culture shift to the team after COVID, and they’re the reason we are where we stand today,” said Stanley.
Losing a significantly talented group of runners and returning no All-Americans for the next year while still maintaining a deep, skilled roster with the ability to compete at a national level isn’t a feat anyone can pull off. “It wasn’t always easy, but I think it’s been a long time coming,” said G. Matthai on the national title win.
Many UWL runners from the 2024 graduating class were mentors to many of the runners on this year’s team.
Loenser believes Coach Stanley’s award is only a small recognition of the coaching staff’s efforts. “Between Coaches Stanley, Petesch, Beilke and Whitesitt, they put in tons of hours, they’re the reason this team has been so successful.”
Instilling confidence in his runners plays a significant part in Stanley’s coaching philosophy, which has rubbed off on his runners. “Self-belief is everything as a runner,” said A. Matthai. Matthai feels that the team’s confidence and belief in themselves is what manifested the outcome of the race and the season
This year, the team boasts four All-Americans on the roster. The official results of the race can be found on leonetiming.com. More information regarding Stanley’s award can be found on the USTFCCCA website.
