An evening with Lisa ‘Lia’ Coryell: From La Crosse to Team USA
Area residents will have a chance to meet two-time U.S. Paralympian next week — La Crosse native Lisa “Lia” Coryell.
The Army veteran is the featured guest at the free event, “An Evening with Lisa ‘Lia’ Coryell: From La Crosse to Team USA,” on Monday at the La Crosse Public Library’s main auditorium.
Doors open at 6:45 p.m., with the presentation starting at 7 p.m., followed by a live Q&A session.
The event also celebrates Coryell’s recent donation of the three shadow boxes to the La Crosse County Historical Society. The display cases — which house her Team USA jerseys, competition bibs and photographs — will be added to the society’s permanent collection and be on display at Monday’s event.
Coryell was the first American woman to compete in the Paralympic W1 division.
According to the historical society, the donation preserves a key chapter of local sports history.
The items span her competitive career in para-archery, including her appearances at both the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo.
Monday’s presentation will detail her journey from growing up in La Crosse to representing Team USA on the world stage.
Winona's Patrick Bowlin named Washington assistant women's basketball coach
Winona native Patrick Bowlin is moving to the Big Ten Conference, officially joining the University of Washington women’s basketball program as an assistant coach. The move caps a steady Division I rise for Bowlin, a 2008 Cotter High School graduate.
At Cotter, he played football under his father, Pat Bowlin, who served as the school’s athletic director and long-time football coach.
The elder Bowlin is also a Minnesota High School Hall of Fame girls’ basketball coach, currently ranking second all-time in state history with 732 career victories.
Patrick Bowlin, obviously, has followed that legacy into the coaching ranks, building a highly diverse resume.
After playing point guard and club volleyball at St. John’s University and graduating in 2012, Patrick Bowlin spent years coaching collegiate volleyball, landing assistant roles at the College of Saint Benedict, Marquette, UW-Green Bay, and St. Thomas.
PATRICK BOWLIN COLLEGE COACHING CAREER
2011: Student Assistant Volleyball Coach — College of Saint Benedict (DIII)
2012: Volunteer Assistant Volleyball Coach — Marquette University (DI)
2013–2014: Assistant Volleyball Coach — UW-Green Bay (DI)
2016–2019: Assistant Volleyball Coach — University of St. Thomas (DIII)
2017–2020: Head Girls’ Basketball Coach — Totino-Grace High School (MN)
2020–2021: Head Girls’ Basketball Coach — Rogers High School (MN)
2021: Head Softball Coach — Cretin-Derham Hall High School (MN) (Led them to a section title)
2021–2023: Director of Basketball Operations — UW-Green Bay Women’s Basketball (DI)
2023–24: Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach — UW-Green Bay (DI)
2024–25: Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach — Idaho State University (DI)
2025–26: Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach — UW-Green Bay (DI)
2026–Present: Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach — University of Washington (DI)
He also spent four years leading Minnesota high school girls’ basketball programs, serving as head coach at both Totino-Grace and Rogers high schools.
Patrick Bowlin moved into the Division I women’s hoops ranks full-time in 2021. Over four seasons with the powerhouse UW-GB women’s basketball program — separated by a one-year stint at Idaho State — he helped guide the Phoenix to multiple Horizon League championships and NCAA Tournament appearances.
He joins a Washington program that has seen steady success under coach Tina Langley. The Huskies are coming off a 22–11 season (10–8 Big Ten) that ended in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and a No. 25 ranking in the final AP poll. It was Washington’s second consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament after finishing 19–14 the year prior.
"I'm incredibly grateful to coach Langley and the University of Washington for this opportunity," Bowlin said in the news release. "I'm excited to be part of a program that places such a strong emphasis on culture, relationships, and helping student-athletes reach their full potential.
"Coach Langley is one of the best teachers in our game, and I'm thankful for the opportunity to learn from her while continuing to grow alongside an outstanding, hard-working, and collaborative staff. I can't wait to work with our student-athletes and help them grow on and off the court."
TOP PHOTO: Graphic from University of Washington announcing Winona native Patrick Bowlin as assistant women's basketball coach.
A 10-foot, 1-ton “L” is new landmark at UW-La Crosse
At UW-La Crosse, ‘L’ marks a new spot where people can now gather to pose for pictures.
UW-L unveiled a 10-foot high metal version of the school’s “L” logo, containing the profile of an eagle, in a ceremony Tuesday.
UW-L Chancellor James Beeby predicts the sculpture, located outside the Recreational Eagle Center, will become a favorite spot for photos.
“I see so many students getting photographs, alums coming back to get photographs of the Hoeschler Tower, and other places,” Beeby said. “This is a perfect location,” he added, pointing out that it’s close to where the second Prairie Springs science center is being built.
“This was the only idea I had considered,” Laux explained. “I like the logo, ’cause it represents obviously the university as well as the athletic programs, and I’m a supporter of both of those programs.”
That logo was adopted in the 1980s, after the university dropped the former “Indians” nickname and changed it to “Eagles.”
Laux had seen similar symbols on other college campuses and enlisted local artist Luke Achterberg for the project. Achterberg spent six months building piece, which weighs more than a ton.
Achterberg said the original plan Laux had was to make the “L” about twice as big — around 20 feet tall.
“I thought that was ambitious,” Achterberg said, adding it would have been difficult, “because it would have had to have been made in sections” and then pieced together on campus.
Livi Pappadopoulos defends La Crosse Open logrolling title
Livi Pappadopoulos, the defending world logrolling champion, won her seventh La Crosse Open championship over the weekend at Pettibone Park.
Pappadopoulos, ranked No. 1 in the world, didn’t take a fall in Saturday’s tournament to defend her home “lagoon.”
This was the 25th annual La Crosse Open with men and women coming from all over the U.S. to compete. Pappadopoulos joined WIZM’s The Rick Solem Show last week ahead of the tournament to talk about her sport.
On the men’s side, Chicago native Anthony Polentini won his second-consecutive title.
LA CROSSE OPEN RESULTS
WOMEN
- Livi Pappadopoulos
- Shana Verstegen
- Liberty Benson
- Taylor Biser
- Ella Wedul
- Emily Christopherson
- Libby Magnone
- Maggie Bulk
MEN
- Anthony Polentini
- Tanner Hallett
- Marcus Heineck
- Sean Stafford
- Connor Birdsong
- Ben Rawson
- Shane Burns
- Garrick Birdsong
La Crosse's Lauren Jarrett helps set Tennessee school record at National Championships
She went from the fastest female sprinter in the history of La Crosse to the record books last weekend for the University of Tennessee.
Former Logan High School and UW-La Crosse standout Lauren Jarrett capped off a spectacular collegiate track season on the sport’s biggest stage, helping lead a historic performance at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
Jarrett, who transferred from UW-L for her senior season, led off a 4×100-meter relay team that set a Tennessee record and placed fifth in the National Championships.
She teamed up with Dana Wilson, Avia Jones, and Cydney Wright to smash the school record, getting the baton around the track at Hayward Field in a blistering 42.40 seconds.
The fifth-place national finish marked the program’s best performance in the event since 2012. The Tennessee women as a team finished 11th.
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The milestone put an exclamation point on a weekend, where Jarrett proved she belongs among the elite in Division I track.
She pulled double duty at nationals by also qualifying in the 100 dash.
Facing off against the best in the country, Jarrett earned Second Team All-American honors by placing 14th in the nation with a 11.14 second time during Thursday’s national semifinals.
The All-American weekend is the pinnacle of an incredible career for Jarrett that began right in La Crosse.
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Before making the jump to the SEC, Jarrett completely re-wrote the record books during her three-year stint at UW-L. She departed the program a nine-time NCAA Division III national champion and a 14-time All-American.
Jarrett holds the all-time Division III national records in both the indoor 60 dash (7.29 seconds) and the outdoor 100 dash (11.23 seconds). After transferring to Tennessee, she proved those times were just the beginning, lowering her lifetime personal best in the outdoor 100 to a blazing 11.06 seconds back in April.
Her knack for championship relay performances stretches back to her high school days, where she anchored Logan to a WIAA state title in the 4×100-meter relay in 2022.
TOP PHOTO: La Crosse native Lauren Jarrett at the Division I national championships for Tennessee, where she led off a 4x100 relay team that set a school record on June 13, 2026 (PHOTO: Tennessee Athletics)
UW-La Crosse named NCAA DIII program of year — for third consecutive time
Two national championships and a national runner-up trophy in a single school year is a dream season for almost any college program in the U.S.
For UW-La Crosse cross country and track & field, it’s just the latest chapter of a historic dynasty.
By winning national titles in cross country and outdoor track, alongside a second-place finish in indoor track — losing the title by a point — the Eagles were officially named the NCAA Division III National Program of the Year — again, for the third consecutive school year.
UW-L was awarded Tuesday the Al Carius Award, capping off an unprecedented three-year stretch of total national dominance.
Out of nine possible national podium finishes across cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track over the last three seasons, the Eagles have captured seven national titles and two national runner-up finishes.
The Eagles actually swept all three sports in 2024-25.
When you map out the three-year streak, the national trophy haul looks completely ridiculous:
- 2023-24: 2nd (Cross Country), 1st (Indoor), 1st (Outdoor) — 4.0 points
- 2024-25: 1st (Cross Country), 1st (Indoor), 1st (Outdoor) — 3.0 points (The perfect “Triple Crown” season)
- 2025-26: 1st (Cross Country), 2nd (Indoor), 1st (Outdoor) — 4.0 points
The Program of the Year honor, handed out by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), uses a scoring system where a first-place national finish equals one point and second equals two.
Because of their dominant three-season run, UW-L finished with a near-perfect score of 4.0 this year. The gap between La Crosse and the rest of the country wasn’t even close; the national runner-up, SUNY Geneseo, finished a distant second with 13 points, while WIAC rival UW-Eau Claire finished fourth with 36.
The historic year also brought individual hardware to the coaching staff:
- In the Fall: Cross country head coach Derek Stanley was named National Coach of the Year after guiding the Eagles to their second consecutive cross country national title.
- In the Spring: Track head coach Josh Buchholtz took home National Outdoor Coach of the Year honors after the Eagles obliterated the field at the outdoor national meet with 106 team points — the highest scoring total at an NCAA DIII outdoor championship since 1985.
With seven total Program of the Year titles since the award was created in 2008, UW-L extends its own record for the most in Division III history. North Central College (Ill.) sits behind them with five.
Former Onalaska coach Craig Kowal joins UW-La Crosse men’s basketball staff
The UW-La Crosse men’s basketball program is adding a prominent local coach to its bench for the upcoming season.
UW-L announced that former long-time Onalaska High School boys basketball coach Craig Kowal is joining the staff as an assistant.
Kowal joins an Eagles program that is coming off a strong season, which culminated in a second-consecutive deep run in the NCAA Division III tournament.
While UW-L kept the initial announcement brief, Kowal brings an elite championship resume to the staff, after stepping down from Onalaska following a highly successful 18-season run.
During his tenure with the Hilltoppers, Kowal built a powerhouse, averaging 19.3 wins per season, compiling a 347-102 record. His Onalaska teams won eight Mississippi Valley Conference (MVC) championships and 13 regional titles.
Onalaska made three WIAA Division 2 state tournament appearances, reaching the state title game twice and winning the state championship in 2012 under Kowal, who has coached high school for 26 years for a 481-176 record. That also included taking La Crescent to its first state tournament.
The move to the Eagles’ bench also aligns with his son Ian Kowal, who joins the UW-La Crosse program as an incoming freshman after finishing his senior year at Onalaska.
Last season, UW-L finished 24-7 and advanced to the Sweet 16 — the second-furthest the team’s gotten in the tournament after an Elite Eight run the year prior.
The historic season was anchored by junior guard Sam Grieger, who became the first player in program history to be named the NABC Division III National Player of the Year after averaging 25.7 points per game — which shattered UW-L’s single-season scoring record.
TOP PHOTO: Craig Kowal has been hired as an assistant men's basketball coach at UW-La Crosse. (GRAPHIC: UW-L athletics)
Lazarescu finishes Holmen career with three silver medals, while Ayed gets boys first gold in 38 years; Duellmans lead C-FC to 3rd-place finish
Three silver medals and three school records by senior Lydia Lazarescu helped lead the Holmen High School girls track & field team to a fourth-place finish at the Division 1 state meet.
The three second-place finishes for Lazarescu, who will run for defending National Champion UW-La Crosse next season, included both the 100- and 200-meter dashes, as well as anchoring the 4×100 relay team. Her teammates there were freshman Ava Newman, senior Abry Bloyer and sophomore Hadley Johnson.
Lazarescu ends her high school career with nine medals — all third place or better, including one championship and five runner-up finishes.
On the boys side, Jakai Ayed got Holmen its first individual state title in 38 years winning the 110 hurdles. The sophomore also tok ninth in the 300 hurdle finals.
Sticking with Division 1, Onalaska sophomore Wylder Burch took fourth in the high jump.
In Division 2, Logan senior Andrew Stanton anchored the 4×400 relay team to a state title, and took sixth in the 400 dash. Also on the relay were sophomore James Freund, junior Gabe Driscoll and junior Onesimus West.
In Division 3, Onalaska Luther junior Nathan Dobberstein had two fourth-place finishes and competed in three events.
Dobberstein took fourth in the 300 hurdles and the high jump and just missed out on a medal with a seventh-place in the 110 hurdles.
The Cochrane-Fountain City girls finished third as a team thanks in part to the Duellman sisters.
Both Addy and Paxtyn Duellman, along with junior Macy Hunger and freshman Kinley Arneson led the 4×800 relay to a state title.
Meanwhile, senior Addy Duellman won the 1,600 and took second in the 3,200 to wrap up her high school career. Paxtyn Duellman finished fourth in the 1,600.
UW-L's Nick Davis named DIII women's track & field coach of the year; Katie Wagner named assistant of year
Nick Davis has been named the NCAA Division III outdoor women’s track & field Coach of the Year.
The honor comes after Davis led UW-La Crosse to a National Championship. The award comes from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
This was Davis’ third outdoor title and fifth in UW-L history. The win produced 25 All-Americans. In his nine seasons, Davis has led UW-L to a Top 4 finish seven times.
The USTFCCCA also recognized long-time UW-L assistant Katie Wagner as the outdoor assistant Coach of the Year. Wagner, who oversees sprints and hurdles, saw her athletes sweep both the 4×100 and 4×400-meter relays at nationals.
The awards are determined by a vote of member coaches across the country.
TOP PHOTO: FILE - UW-L women's track & field coach Nick Davis talks with sophomore long jumper Regan Scott during the National Championships at Veterans Field on May 21, 2026 (PHOTO: Rick Solem)
Former UW-L volleyball coach Patel will be assistant for USA Deaf Volleyball National Team
He's gone from an assistant volleyball coach at UW-La Crosse to the head job at UW-River Falls.
Now, though, Dipen Patel, has been named to the coaching staff for the USA Deaf Volleyball Men's Indoor National Team.
Patel, who coached at UW-L for three season beginning in 2019, joins the staff as an assistant coach as Team USA prepares for a multi-year international competition cycle.
That includes:
- 2027 World Deaf Volleyball Championships in Ankara, Turkey
- 2028 Pan American Games
- 2029 Deaflympics in Athens, Greece
Patel will continue his duties with the Falcon volleyball program while serving with the national team. His assistant at UW-RF, Roger Worsley, will actually be the head coach for this USA team.
USA Deaf Volleyball (USADVB) was established in 1981.
TOP PHOTO: Dipen Patel (left) and Roger Worsley were named coaches for the Team USA men's indoor deaf volleyball squad. (PHOTO: UW-RF Athletics)