WIAC Championships Website
La Crosse, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse men's cross country team is set to compete at the 2025 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Championship (presented by Culver's) Saturday, November 1. The 64th annual championship race, hosted by UW-Oshkosh at XC Ranch at Moore's Field of Dreams in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, is scheduled for 12 p.m.
UWL is striving for its 40th league championship in program history and eighth straight after winning the 2024 title with 24 points. The Eagles' 39 WIAC titles are the most in league history.
The Eagles (24 points) finished ahead of second-place UW-Whitewater (55) last season. UW-Eau Claire placed third (105), followed by UW-Platteville (109), UW-Stevens Point (120), UW-Stout (126), UW-Oshkosh (186) and UW-River Falls (249).
Four WIAC programs are ranked in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III based on October 22 rankings distributed by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). UWL, the defending champion, is ranked first, UW-Platteville 12th, UW-Stevens Point 13th and UW-Whitewater 26th.
UWL returns seven runners who have earned All-WIAC honors at the league championships.
Grant Matthai has three career accolades, including winning the WIAC title last season. His first-place time of 23:34.5 on the 8,000-meter course last season is the fastest in WIAC history by four seconds. Along with winning the title in 2024, Matthai was third in 2023 and 12th in 2022.
He became the fourth runner in the last six championships to win the league title, joining
Thomas Schultz (2018),
Josh Schraeder (2019) and
Ethan Gregg (2022).
Other UWL individual conference winners include
Rod Leadley (1969),
Jim Drews (1970-73),
Jim Hanson and
Joe Hanson (1974, 1975), Joe Hanson (1976, 1977),
Jim Ingold (1978),
Steve Ostwinkle (1979),
Jerry Husz (1982),
Greg Barczak (1983, 1984),
Brett Burt (1988),
Mahdi Omar (1992),
Brad Wilson and
Brett Altergott (1997),
Tyler Foos (2001) and
Zach Wilhelmy (2009).
Four runners return with a pair of All-WIAC awards, including
Adam Loenser,
Aidan Matthai,
Joey Sullivan and
Jayden Zywicki. Loenser was sixth in 2023 and 2024 while Matthai finished fifth in 2024 and eighth in 2022. He was named the 2022 WIAC Newcomer of the Year. Sullivan finished sixth in 2023 and 2024 while Zwyicki placed 14th in 2023 and fourth in 2024.
Will Aurit (13th-place),
Owen Clark (19th) and
Chuck Vater (14th) earned all-conference laurels last season with Vater being the WIAC Newcomer of the Year.
Derek Stanley, in his 14th season as head coach, has led UWL to eight WIAC Championships (2012-13, 2017-19, 2021-24) while finishing second on three occasions (2014-16). A total of 85 All-WIAC men's cross country honors have been earned under Stanley at UWL, including 29 first team selections and 38 second team choices.
The top-seven runners in the 8,000-meter race will receive All-WIAC first team recognition, while runners placing eight through 14 earn All-WIAC second team accolades. Individuals finishing 15 through 20 claim honorable mention laurels.
All eight WIAC teams will participate in the NCAA Division III North Regional on Saturday, November 15 at Whitetail Golf Course in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The NCAA Division III Championships are set for Saturday, November 22 at Roger Milliken Center in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
