Men's Cross Country

UW-Whitewater’s Patzka Named Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Year; UW-La Crosse Coaching Staff Honored

MADISON, Wis.--University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s Christian Patzka has been named the 2024 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Kwik Trip Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Year, while UW-La Crosse was selected the Kwik Trip Coaching Staff of the Year, based on voting by the conference coaches.
 
Patzka secured the honor for the second time in his career (2022) and is the second runner in program history to receive the award, joining David Fassbender (2021). Patzka secured the individual national title at the NCAA Division III Championship, posting a time of 24:01.6 on the 8,000-meter course, more than two seconds faster than the rest of the field. He is the first Warhawk to win the national championship. Earlier in the season, Patzka took top individual honors at the Augustana (Ill.) Interregional Invitational. At the WIAC Championship, he posted a runner-up finish with a time of 23:48.7 to break a 56-year old record for the fastest 8,000-meter time in program history. Patzka placed fourth at the NCAA Division III North Regional.
 
UW-La Crosse won the fourth NCAA Division III title in program history, the WIAC Championship for the seventh straight season, as well as the NCAA Division III North Regional. The coaching staff includes: head coach Derek Stanley; assistant coaches Hannah Beilke and Nathan Petesch; and strength & conditioning coordinator/mental skills trainer Phil Whitesitt.
 
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