Results
Oshkosh, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse men's cross country team won its eighth straight Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Championship (presented by Culver's) Saturday afternoon at XC Ranch at Moore's Field of Dreams.
The Eagles won their 40
th league championship with 24 team points. The 40 titles are the most in league history.
UW-Platteville placed second on Saturday with 77 points while UW-Stevens Point finished third with 87. UW-Whitewater and UW-Oshkosh tied for fourth (123) followed by UW-Eau Claire (135), UW-River Falls (195) and UW-Stout (211).
Grant Matthai won his second straight
WIAC title on Saturday.
UWL is first in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III rankings distributed by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
The Eagles had five of the top-eight finishers on Saturday, including
Grant Matthai winning his second straight individual title. He completed the 8,000-meter course in a WIAC record time of 23:24.5, breaking his own conference record of 23:34.5 set last season. Along with winning the title last season, Matthai was third in 2023 and 12th in 2022.
It is the fifth individual title for UWL in the last seven conference championships. Along with Matthai's two titles,
Thomas Schultz (2018),
Josh Schraeder (2019) and
Ethan Gregg (2022) also captured league championships.
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).
Matthai is the first runner to win back-to-back conference crowns since Ian LaMere from UW-Platteville in 2015 and 2016.
UWL's
Jayden Zywicki placed second (23:47.1) on Saturday with
Chuck Vater sixth (23:58.1),
Aidan Matthai seventh (24:02.1) and
Joey Sullivan eighth (24:03.7).
Zywicki was fourth last season and 13th in 2023 while Vater placed 14th a year ago.
Aidan Matthai finished fifth in 2024 and eighth in 2022 and Sullivan was sixth in 2023 and 2024.
UWL had nine of the top-15 finishers on Saturday.
Aidan Manning placed 11th (24:17.7) with
Nico Castellanos 12th (24:20.9),
Mason Brown 14th (24:30.4),
Owen Clark 15th (24:38.0). Clark was 19th last season.
Owen Layton was 28th (25:02.7),
Logan Salzmann 53rd (25:30.0) and
Isaac Ewing 57th (25:37.5).
A total of 92 runners completed the race.
It is the ninth (2012-13, 2017-19, 2021-25) WIAC Championship under head coach
Derek Stanley. The Eagles have also placed second three times (2014-16) under Stanley, who is in his 14th season as head coach.
The top-seven runners in the 6,000-meter race earn 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.
UWL returns to action Saturday, November 15 in the NCAA Division III North Regional at Whitetail Golf Course in Colfax, Wisconsin.
