Search

Home > The Swing > UW-La Crosse wins back-to-back National Championships — 1st time in school history — with three in Top 10
Podcast: The Swing
Episode:

UW-La Crosse wins back-to-back National Championships — 1st time in school history — with three in Top 10
Category: Sports & Recreation
Duration: 00:00:00
Publish Date: 2025-11-24 06:20:18
Description:

Back-to-back Division III National Championships for the UW-La Crosse men’s cross country team.

The Eagles came into the season ranked No. 1 and left the season with the title — their fifth in school history, but first going back-to-back.

Leading the way for UW-L was Grant Matthai, finishing fifth in 23 minutes, 54.7 seconds on the 8,000-meter coure in Roger Milliken Cross Country Course in Spartanburg, S.C.

Behid him was his twin brother, Aidan Matthai (seventh, 23:55.2), Jayden Zywicki (ninth, 24:02.7) and Joey Sullivan (17th, 24:16.2).

ABOVE: The UW-La Crosse men’s cross country team after winning the Division III national championship trophy on Nov. 22, 2025 (PHOTO: UW-L athletics). TOP PHOTO: The UW-La Crosse men’s cross country team holds up the Division III national championship trophy on Nov. 22, 2025 (PHOTO: UW-L athletics)

Now the goal for the men’s team is to complete back-to-back “trifectas.” The Eagles won cross country, indoor and outdoor track titles last year. They hope to do that again in 2025-26.

Grant Matthai was third last season, 70th in 2022 and 63rd in 2023.
Aidan Matthai finished fifth a year ago after placing 171st in 2022 and 76th in 2023.

Zywicki was 20thin 2024 and Sullivan was 16th last season and 59th in 2023.

This was UW-L’s 38th trip to the championships — 17 of those they finished in the Top 3, including second in 2017 and 2023.

Individually, the Eagles now have 22 Top 10 finished, adding three more in Grant Matthai, Aidan Matthai and Zywicki,

The only two UW-L runners to have won the championship were Brett Altergott in 1997 and Ethan Gregg in 2023. Altergott also finished eighth in 1996, and Gregg was fourth in 2022.

UW-L head coach Derek Stanley has led the men’s squad to eight Top 4 finishes at the championships.
Total Play: 0