General | 2/3/2026 3:45:00 PM
La Crosse, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse will host its inaugural championship parade on Friday, February 6, celebrating the 2025 fall teams appearing in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Championships, including the men's cross country squad winning its second straight national title.
The championship parade is set to start at noon at Hetzel Fieldhouse and head west on Pine Street. The parade will go south on East Avenue, west on Badger Street and around Drake and Wentz Hall. The route will continue on campus past the Hoeschler Clock Tower and conclude at Hetzel Fieldhouse.
Free hot chocolate will be provided at the Student Union between 12:15 and 12:30 p.m. while supplies last, provided by Chartwells. Candy will also be thrown out throughout the parade route.
UWL's fall teams appearing in the national championships will participate in the parade, including men's and women's cross country, soccer and football.
The men's cross country team captured its fifth NCAA Division III Championship in school history, including second straight, on November 22 in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Led by head coach
Derek Stanley and assistant coaches Sierra Rabe and Hannah Beilke, the Eagles featured student-athletes Mason Brown, Nico Castellanos, Owen Clark, Aidan Manning, Aidan Matthai, Grant Matthai, Joey Sullivan, Chuck Vater and Jayden Zywicki.
Grant Matthai (fifth-place), Aidan Matthai (seventh), Zywicki (ninth) and Sullivan (17th) earned All-America honors. Stanley was named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Men's National Coach of the Year while Grant Matthai earned the NCAA Division III Elite Scholar-Athlete Award.
The Eagles' women's cross country placed 12
th at the NCAA Division III Championships while the soccer squad advanced to the NCAA Division III Second Round and the football team advanced to the third round in the national championships.
Teams and coaches will be joined by members of the UWL Police Department, the UWL ROTC Color Guard, the Screaming Eagles Marching Band and UWL Intercollegiate Athletics sponsors.
