New Orleans, La. - University of Wisconsin-La Crosse head cross country coach Derek Stanley was named the 2024 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Men's National Coach of the Year, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced.

He was also selected the NCAA Division III North Regional Men's and Women's Coach of the Year by the USTFCCCA. 

It marks Stanley's first NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year Award. He has been named the North Region Men's Coach of the Year twice (2023, 2024) and North Region Women's Coach of the Year two different seasons (2021, 2024). 
 

Stanley led the UWL's men's squad to the 2024 NCAA Division III Championship on November 23 at LaVern Gibson Championship Course in Terre Haute, Indiana. The Eagles secured their fourth national title with 77 team points. UWL also captured the NCAA Division III championship in 1996, 2001 and 2005. Wartburg College (Iowa) was second this year with 173 team points.

Four runners earned NCAA Division III All-America accolades with all finishing in the top-20. The Eagles' Grant Matthai was third overall, finishing with a time of 24:04.4 on the 8,000-meter course. Aidan Matthai was fifth overall (24:11.8) with Joey Sullivan 16th (24:26.7) and Jayden Zywicki 20th (24:31.6).  All four runners earned their first career All-America honor. Grant Matthai was 70th in 2022 and 63rd in 2023 while Aidan Matthai finished 171st in 2022 and 76th last year. Sullivan was making his second career appearance after finishing 59th last season while Zywicki was making his first trip to the national championships.

It is the first time in school history UWL earned four NCAA Division III All-America honors at the same championships. The Eagles have earned three individual All-America awards five different seasons (1987, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2018). UWL picked up four National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) All-America accolades in 1984. 

UWL's Adam Loenser was 41st (24:54.0) overall this season while Chuck Vater placed 69th (25:00.2) and Corey Fairchild 117th (25:17.7).

Stanley led the Eagles to the NCAA Division III North Regional title on November 16. It was UWL's seventh (2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2023, 2024) NCAA Division III Regional title in school history. All seven of UWL's runners earned NCAA III All-Region accolades with top-35 finishes this year. Aidan Matthai was second overall (24:30.3) with Grant Matthai third (24:30.3) with Zywicki 10th (24:45.4). Sullivan placed 11th overall (24:45.6) with Fairchild 14th (24:54.8), Elias Ritzke 20th (25:01.8) and Mason Brown 33rd (25:16.0).

UWL captured its seventh straight Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) title on November 2, the 39th league championship in program 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 (23:34.5). He recorded the fastest time in WIAC history by four seconds. Matthai is fourth runner in the last six championships to win the league title, joining Thomas Schultz (2018), Josh Schraeder (2019) and Ethan Gregg (2022). 

Zywicki was fourth (24:01.0) at the WIAC Championships while Aidan Matthai placed fifth (24:06.7), Sullivan sixth (24:10.9), Fairchild eighth (24:15.8) and Loenser 10th (24:25.5). Ritzke finished 12th (24:27.6), Will Aurit 13th (24:30.1), Vater 14th (24:32.0), Chris Wolfe 17th (24:46.6), Owen Clark 19th (24:46.8) and Brown 22nd (24:50.4). Vater claimed the Kwik Trip Newcomer of the Year award for being the highest finishing newcomer at the championship.

The Eagles also won team titles at the Indiana State University John McNichols Invitational, University of Notre Dame Joe Piane Invitational, UW-Eau Claire Blugold Invitational and UWL Jim Drews Invitational as well as a dual victory over Luther College (Iowa). 

On the women's side, Stanley led UWL to the team title at the NCAA Division III North Regional with 63 team points to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championships. The Eagles finished 13th at this year's national championships. UWL won its third (2001, 2021, 2024) NCAA Division III Regional crown with six runners in the top-17. Madelynn McIntyre led UWL with a 10th-place finish, completing the 6,000-meter course in 22:23.0. Mallory Reiser placed 11th (22:24.9) with Katelyn Chadwick 12th (22:25.3). Gwen Hinz finished 14th (22:33.3), Sierra Rabe 16th (22:37.4) and Brooklyn Luebke 17th (22:37.6).

McIntyre, Reiser, Chadwick, Hinz, Rabe and Luebke earned NCAA Division III All-North Region accolades with their top-35 finish. UWL's Lucy Duchac finished 41st (23:14.2).

UWL captured its fourth consecutive and 13th WIAC Championship in school history. Six runners placed in the top-12 at this year's league championships. Hinz led UWL with a fourth-place finish (21:31.1) with Chadwick fifth (21:38.6), McIntyre eighth (21:41.7), Rabe ninth (21:52.3), Reiser 11th (21:59.0) and Luebke 12th (22:01.0).

Duchac finished 15th (22:06.5) with Madison Twarling 23rd (22:28.4), Julia Zalewski 25th (22:31.1), Karlie Meyer 27th (22:33.6), Elizabeth Schwartz 33rd (22:42.5) and Kaleigh Burns 35th (22:44.7).

The women's squad also took the Concordia University Wisconsin Ken Weidt Invitational this year and UWL Tori Neubauer Invitational. The Eagles also won the Luther College (Iowa) Dual.