Men's Cross Country | 12/1/2025 3:00:00 PM
New Orleans, La. - University of Wisconsin-La Crosse head cross country coach Derek Stanley has been selected the 2025 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 2025 NCAA Division III North Regional Men's and Women's Coach of the Year by the USTFCCCA.
It is the second straight year Stanek has earned all three awards.
Men's cross country won its second straight NCAA Division III title.
It marks Stanley's second (2024, 2025) NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year Award. He has been named the North Region Men's Coach of the Year three times (2023-25) and North Region Women's Coach of the Year three different seasons (2021, 2024-25).
Stanley led the UWL's men's squad to the 2025 NCAA Division III Championship on November 22 at Roger Milliken Cross Country Course in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The Eagles secured their fifth (1996, 2001, 2005, 2024-25) national title, including second straight, with 82 team points.
Four runners earned NCAA Division III All-America accolades with all finishing in the top 17. The Eagles' Grant Matthai was fifth overall, completing the 8,000-meter course in 23:53.7. Aidan Matthai was seventh (23:55.2), Jayden Zywicki ninth (24:02.7) and Joey Sullivan 17th (24:16.2).
UWL's Mason Brown finished 71st (25:02.1) with Chuck Vater 72nd (25:02.2) and Nico Castellanos 100th (25:18.9).
Stanley led the Eagles to the NCAA Division III North Regional title on November 15. It was UWL's eighth (2001, 2004-07, 2023-25) 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, including four in the top seven. Grant Matthai was second overall with Aidan Matthai third, Zywicki fourth and Sullivan seventh. Vater finished 14th, Brown 15th and Clark 18th.
UWL captured its eighth straight Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) title on November 1, the 40th league championship in program history. The Eagles had five of the top-eight finishers, 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.
Zywicki placed second at this year's league championships with Vater sixth, Aidan Matthai seventh and Sullivan eighth. UWL had nine of the top-15 finishers as Aidan Manning placed 11th, Castellanos 12th, Brown 14th and Clark 15th.
Castellanos claimed the WIAC Kwik Trip Newcomer of the Year award for being the highest finishing newcomer at the championship.
The Eagles also won team titles at the St. Olaf College (Minn.) Invitational and Augustana College (Ill.) Interregional Invitational as well as a dual victory over Luther College (Iowa).
Women's cross country captured its fifth straight WIAC title.
On the women's side, Stanley led UWL to the team title at the NCAA Division III North Regional with 45 team points to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championships. The Eagles finished 12th at this year's national championships.
UWL won its fourth (2001, 2021, 2024-25) NCAA Division III Regional crown with all seven runners in the top 25 in earning all-region accolades. The Eagles had four finishers in the top 10. Lucy Duchac was second overall with Brooklyn Luebke sixth, Annika Elliott seventh and Becca Immer 10th. Madison Twarling placed 20th with Julia Zalewski 21st and Lily Higgins 25th.
UWL captured its fifth consecutive and 14th WIAC Championship in school history. The Eagles had 12 finishers in the top-19, including nine of top-12. Luebke was second overall while Higgins was third, Duchac fourth and Elliott fifth. Milana Pisto placed seventh with Zalewski eighth, Elizabeth Schwartz 10th, Molly Novotny 11th and Ryana Mathis 12th. Immer finished 15th, Twarling 16th and Mallory Reiser 19th.
The women's squad also took the UW-Eau Claire Invitational and Augustana (Ill.) Interregional Invitational. UWL placed second at the St. Olaf (Minn.) Invitational and the University of Notre Dame (Ind.) Invitational. The Eagles also won the Luther (Iowa) Dual.
