The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse men's cross country team is set to compete at the 2026 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship on Saturday, Oct. 31. The 65th annual championship, hosted by UW-Whitewater on its campus course, is scheduled for 1 p.m.
UWL is striving for its 41st league championship in program history and its ninth straight. The Eagles won the 2025 title with 24 points, ahead of second-place UW-Platteville with 77, and their 40 WIAC titles are the most in league history.
UWL is the two-time defending NCAA Division III champion and is ranked fifth nationally in the Oct. 21 rankings from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. UW-Stevens Point is ranked sixth.
The Eagles return three runners with All-WIAC honors in Will Aurit, Chuck Vater and Owen Clark. Vater finished sixth in 2025 to earn first-team honors, while Clark earned second-team recognition in both 2024 and 2025 and Aurit earned second-team honors in 2024.
Head coach Derek Stanley is in his 15th season leading UWL's men's and women's teams. Under Stanley, the Eagles have won 10 WIAC championships and back-to-back NCAA Division III titles in 2024 and 2025.
All eight WIAC teams will next compete at the NCAA Division III North Regional on Nov. 14 at the St. Olaf Cross Country Course in Northfield, Minnesota, with the NCAA Division III Championships set for Nov. 21 in Northfield.
