2022 WIAC Men's Cross Country Championship Preview

University of Wisconsin-La Crosse will strive for a fifth consecutive title at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Men’s Cross Country Championship (presented by Culver’s). The 61st gathering of league teams will be hosted by UW-La Crosse at Maple Grove Venues in West Salem, Wis., on Oct. 29. The men’s race will begin at 1:00 p.m. and be preceded by the women’s competition at noon.
 
UW-La Crosse collected the 36th first-place finish in program archives a year ago with 31 points to slip past UW-Whitewater’s second-place total of 36 points. UW-Oshkosh was third with 95 points, while UW-Eau Claire was fourth with 100, UW-Stout fifth with 122, UW-Stevens Point sixth with 168, UW-Platteville seventh with 182 and UW-River Falls eighth with 258.

UW-Oshkosh ranks second behind UW-La Crosse with 10 titles, while UW-Stevens Point has five, UW-Eau Claire and UW-Stevens Point each have four and UW-Whitewater two.
 
Four programs are ranked among the finest in the NCAA Division III based on Oct. 19 rankings distributed by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. UW-La Crosse is fourth, while UW-Whitewater is 11th, UW-Stout 22nd and UW-Eau Claire 34th.
 
Returning runners that secured All-WIAC honors from the 2021 championship include: UW-Eau Claire’s Tyler Osen (12th); UW-La Crosse’s Ethan Gregg (second), Isaac Wegner (fifth), Parker Huhn (eighth), Corey Fairchild (16th) and Elias Ritzke (20th); UW-Oshkosh’s Steven Potter (11th); UW-Platteville’s Logan Bell (19th); UW-Stout’s Matthew Ryan (15th) and Ian Williams (18th); and UW-Whitewater’s Gunner Schlender (third), Christian Patzka (fourth) and Justin Krause (13th). Schlender received WIAC Newcomer of the Year accolades last season.
 
Gregg (10th) and Krause (18th) also secured All-WIAC recognition in 2019, along with UW-Oshkosh’s Steven Potter (13th) and UW-Stout’s Spencer Schultz (fifth).
 
Additional runners leading their teams this fall include: UW-River Falls’ Logan Munson and UW-Stevens Point’s Dylan Jensen and Josh Wilson.
 
The top seven runners in the 8,000-meter race will receive All-WIAC first team recognition, while runners placing eighth through 14th earn All-WIAC second team accolades. Individuals finishing 15th through 20th claim honorable mention status.
 
All eight WIAC teams will return to action on Nov. 12, and participate in the NCAA Division III North Regional, which will be hosted by St. Olaf College (Minn.). Olivet College (Mich.) and the Greater Lansing Sports Commission will host the NCAA Division III Championship at Forest Akers Golf Course in Lansing, Mich., on Nov. 19.
 

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