Men's Cross Country

UW-La Crosse's Grant Matthai Earns NCAA Division III Elite Scholar-Athlete Award

**Release courtesy of UW-La Crosse Sports Information

Spartanburg, S.C.--University of Wisconsin-La Crosse senior Grant Matthai has been named the recipient of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Elite Scholar-Athlete for men's cross country, the national organization announced Nov. 22.

The award was presented at the conclusion of the NCAA Division III Championships at the Roger Milliken Cross Country Course.

The NCAA Elite Scholar-Athlete Award, formerly known as the NCAA's Elite 90 Award, honors the exceptional achievements of student-athletes. This prestigious accolade is given to those who have not only excelled at a national championship level in their sport but have also achieved the highest academic standards among their peers. The Elite Scholar-Athlete is proudly awarded to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade point average at the finals site for each of the NCAA's championships.

The student-athlete must be at least a sophomore academically and in his or her second year of competition at their current institution in any sport. The student-athlete must be an active member on the roster and eligible for the championship. Credits completed only consists of those credits accumulated at the current institution and shall not include any transfer or AP credits. Only undergraduate grade point average is applicable.

Named the 2025 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Men's Cross Country Max Sparger Scholar Athlete, Matthai maintains a 4.00 grade point average while majoring in statistics with a minor in computer science. 

He was voted to the 2025 NCAA Division III Academic All-America® Men's Cross Country/Track & Field First Team, selected by the College Sports Communicators, and collected U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Men's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors. He is a three-time member of the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll, been named to UW-La Crosse's Dean's List numerous semesters and received academic scholarships from the UWL Foundation. 

Matthai earned his second career NCAA Division III All-America honors this year, finishing fifth overall in helping lead UW-La Crosse to its second straight national title. He was third last season to earn All-America laurels after finishing 70th in 2022 and 63rd in 2023. Matthai has three career NCAA Division III North Regional honors, placing second this season, third in 2024 and fourth in 2023.

A team captain this season, Matthai won his second straight WIAC cross country championship this year to help UWL win its eighth straight title. He was the first runner to win back-to-back conference crowns since Ian LaMere from UW-Platteville in 2015 and 2016.  Matthai was third at the 2023 league championships and 12th in 2022.

Matthai is the second student-athlete in UWL history to earn the honor after Thomas Schultz was named the recipient of the 2018 NCAA Elite 90 Award in cross country.
 
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