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)
Blaskowski clocks second-fastest 100m in world, Jarrett makes D1 Nationals, and UW-L track rolls on
If you’re wondering exactly how good the UW-La Crosse women’s and men’s track and field teams are, don’t just look at their dual National Championships from two weekends ago. Look at what happened the week after.
Two seasons ago, the Eagles had arguably the best sprinters in school history. Actually, there’s really no “arguably” about it — Sam Blaskowski and Lauren Jarrett are the best sprinters in school history.
Blaskowski won 14 national championships — 11 as an individual — over his UW-L career before graduating and turning pro.
This past week, Jarrett qualified for the Division I National Championships in both the 4×100-meter relay and the 100-meter dash — the latter of which needed an incredible three tiebreakers, but she made it.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, Blaskowski ran the fastest 100 meters by a U.S. runner this year and the second-fastest 100 in the world.
Also, his 9.89-second finish at the Music City Track Carnival makes him the fastest white man to ever run the 100, according to Citius Mag. His time broke the previous “white guy” record of 9.92 seconds set by Christophe Lemaitre of France back in July of 2011.
The performance also broke Blaskowski’s personal record by 0.16 seconds — skipping the 9.9s entirely.
In other words, UW-L lost the two greatest sprinters in program history — both of whom are currently dominating at the professional and Division I levels — and didn’t miss a beat, sweeping the national titles at home last month.
UW-La Crosse T&F teams sweep outdoor National Championships at home
The dynasty continues, but this time the UW-La Crosse women’s and men’s track & field teams won it all at home.
The Eagles swept the Division III National Championships on Saturday — the women winning by nine points over second place and the men winning by 21.
It’s the fifth-ever championship for the women.
Meanwhile, the men have now won three consecutive outdoor titles, a ridiculous 18 total and 59 indoor/outdoor championships — the most in NCAA history.
This is also not even the first time UW-L has swept the outdoor championships. The Eagles did this very same thing back in 2015, as well.
As for Saturday, for the UW-L men, their top highlight may have been Luke Schroeder’s win in the 110 hurdles, finishing in 13.42.
On the UW-L women’s side, the highlight was perhaps the 4×100 relay team securing the team title and winning its third consecutive title in the event.
This foursome was made up of Anna Plautz, Macy Reybrock, Zoe Lain and Andie Otto, who set a school record with a 3:40.6 time.
Meanwhile, Plautz also broke her own UW-L record, taking third in the 400 (54.28).
Back to the men, other highlights included Collin Conzemius taking second with a personal best 46.15 in the 400, and the 4×400 relay of Devin Williams, Finn Patenaude, Lucas Krause Conzemius taking second (3:08.2).
Finishing in third place for the UW-L included Jayden Zywicki in the 1,500 (3:46.33), Cael Schoemann in the 800 (1:49.23), and Ryder Smith, Landon Gallun, Evan Maurud and Luke Schroeder in the 4×100 relay (39.67).
Other top finishes for the men included:
- Logan Powers with a PR 197-8 mark to take fourth in the hammer throw.
- Luke Schroeder finished fourth in the 100 (10.31).
- Connor Boyle took fourth with a personal best 16-8 3/4 in the pole vault.
- Aidan Matthai finished fourth in the 5,000 (14:06.98).
- Aaron Poelma took fifth in the 110 hurdles (14.08).
Other top finishes for the women included:
- Andie Otto took fifth in the 400 hurdles (1:01.43)
Sullivan makes history, helps push UW-L into 1st in National Championships
He ran the second-fastest time in Division III history and, for the second time in UW-La Crosse history, an athlete has won back-to-back 3,000-meter steeplechase national titles.
On top of that, Joey Sullivan’s 8:39.22 also set a Division III National Championships meet record and helped propel the Eagles to first place with just a day remaining.
Sullivan was one of a ridiculous four Eagles to qualify for finals.Teammate Jayden Zywicki finished third (8:41.92), which is the fourth-fastest time in Division III history, while Owen Clark was fourth (8:47.10) and Charles Vater was sixth (8:50.66).
Meanwhile, teammate Jake Gardner took sixth in the discuss (57-4¼).
Qualifying for Saturday’s finale and looking to help UW-L won it’s third consecutive National Championship includes:
- 110 Meter Hurdles (Prelims) – Luke Schroeder (13.77) and Aaron Poelma (14.17) will each compete in the finals on Saturday.
- 4×100 Relay (Prelims) – The relay team of Ryder Smith, Evan Maurud, Landon Gallun and Luke Schroeder qualified for the finals on Saturday with a time of 40.34.
- 400-Meter Run (Prelims) – Collin Conzemius will look to add to his 2026 400-meter Indoor National Championship, as he qualified for the finals of the Outdoor Championships with a time of 47.00.
- 100-Meter Dash (Prelims) – Schroeder and Gallun both qualified for the finals of the 100-meter dash. Schroeder had a time of 10.44 while Gallun finished with a time of 10.47.
- 800-Meter Run (Prelims) – Cael Schoemann will be looking for his fourth NCAA All-America honor and second national championship in the 800-meter run on Saturday as he qualified with a time of 1:50.13.
UW-La Crosse in 4th after Day 1 hosting National Championships
Day 1 of hosting the Division III National Championships and the UW-La Crosse men’s track & field team sits in fourth place.
The Eagles, who are looking for their third consecutive outdoor title, got a fourth-place finish from Anthony Staryszak in the discuss (174-2) and a sixth-place finish from Aidan Matthai in the 10,000, who hit a personal best time of 29:31.11.
Day 2 of the three-day meet starts at 10 a.m. Friday.
Qualifing for finals were four Eagles in the 3,000-meter steeplechase — Owen Clark (8:55.28), Charles Vater (8:55.69), Jayden Zywicki (8:57.66) and Joey Sullivan (8:59.42), woh was last year’s national champ.
Zywicki also qualified in Saturday’s 1,500 final.
Also getting to finals was the UW-L 4×400 relay (Devin Williams, Finn Patenaude, Lucas Krause and Collin Conzemius) finishing prelims in 3:10.48.
TOP PHOTO: The stands during the DIII National Championships at Veterans Field on the UW-La Crosse campus May 21, 2026 (PHOTO: Rick Solem)
UW-L's Madison Habberstad makes history winning pole vault National Championship
A national championship with a school record in the pole vault — and the first in UW-La Crosse history to do it.
That summed up Madison Habberstad’s day to open the Division III National Championships at Veterans Field.
The junior, who took fifth last season, broke her own school record with a 13-foot, 7 ¼-inch vault.
Heather Kleckner was UW-L’s previous top finisher in the pole vault, placing second in 2002.
Habberstad’s title help propel the Eagles to the top spot after Day 1 of competition in the three-day meet. But she wasn’t the only pole vaulter with a role in that.
Senior teammate Araceli De Leo Lopez made her third and final trip to nationals her best, finishing fourth with All-American honors. Lopez cleared 13-1½. She had previously taken eighth (2023) and 15th (2025) in the event.
Another at UW-L making their final trip to nationals is Maya Evans, who placed fifth (19-4) to earn her fourth career outdoor All-American honor.
The senior took second in 2024 and 14th in 2025. She, however, isn’t finished. Evans competes in the triple jump on Saturday, where she’s seeded third.
Meanwhile, these Eagles qualified for Saturday’s finals:
- Andie Otto advances in the 400 hurdles (1:00.95).
- Julia Zalewski (10:31.52) and Becca Immer (10:31.85) both advanced in the 3,000 steeplechase. Immer took 15th last year.
- UW-L’s 4×400-relay of Jocelyn Thomson, Macy Reybrock, Zoe Lain and Otto advanced to Saturday’s final after finishing with the top-qualifying time (3:44.37) in preliminaries. Reybrock earned All-American honors with a fourth-place finish in this relay last season.
