La Crosse, Wis. - University of Wisconsin-La Crosse freshman
Chuck Vater of
Iola (Iola-Scandinavia) has earned the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Kwik Trip Men's Cross Country Newcomer of the Year. Vater placed 14th at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Championships (presented by Culver's) on November 2 at Wisconsin River Golf Club in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.
He earned All-WIAC Second Team accolades with his 14th-place finish, completing the 8,000-meter course in 24:30.0.
Chuck Vater is the third UWL runner
to earn the WIAC Newcomer of the Year.
The Kwik Trip Newcomer of the Year award is presented to the highest finishing newcomer at the league championships. A Newcomer of the Year is defined as a student-athlete who used his first season of participation in men's cross country this season. Transfers are not eligible unless they didn't participate in men's cross country at their previous institution.
Vater has competed in five meets this season. Along with placing 14th at the WIAC Championships, he was 21st (24:40.3) at the University of Notre Dame Invitational and 23rd (26:50.6) at the Concordia University Wisconsin Invitational. Vater also placed 38th (26:20.0) at the Jim Drews Invitational and 40th (25:08.3) at the Indiana State University Invitational.
The Kwik Trip Newcomer of the Year was started in 2019. Vater joins Michael Villa (2019) and
Aidan Matthai (2022) from UWL to earn the award.
UWL, ranked first in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), earned its seventh straight Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) title November 2. The Eagles claimed their 39th league championship in program history. The 39 WIAC titles are the most in league history.
The Eagles' 12 runners all placed in the top-22, including six in the top-10. UWL's
Grant Matthai won the individual title with a time of 23:45.5 on the 8,000-meter course. He is fourth runner in the last six championships to win the league title, joining
Thomas Schultz (2018),
Josh Schraeder (2019) and
Ethan Gregg (2022).
Jayden Zywicki was fourth (24:01.0) on Saturday while
Aidan Matthai placed fifth (24:06.7),
Joey Sullivan sixth (24:10.9),
Corey Fairchild eighth (24:15.8) and
Adam Loenser 10th (24:25.5).
The Eagles'
Elias Ritzke finished 12th (24:27.6),
Will Aurit 13th (24:30.1),
Charles Vater 14th (24:32.0),
Chris Wolfe 17th (24:46.6),
Owen Clark 19th (24:46.8) and
Mason Brown 22nd (24:50.4).
UWL returns to action Saturday, November 16 at the NCAA Division III North Regional at Bill Huyck Championship Course in Northfield, Minnesota. The NCAA Division III Championships are set for Saturday, November 23 at LaVern Gibson Championship Course in Terre Haute, Indiana.
