2002 WIAC Men's Cross Country Headlines

Four Earn Men's Track and Field/Cross Country Academic All-America Honors

RELEASED: Thursday, June 19, 2003

Madison, Wis.--Four Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) student-athletes have been named to the 2003 Verizon/CoSIDA Academic All-America Men's Track and Field/Cross Country Team. UW-La Crosse's Doug Connor and Andrew Rock and UW-Oshkosh's Eamon McKenna received first team honors, while UW-La Crosse's Derek Toshner was a second team selection.

Connor, a senior from Onalaska, Wis., is majoring in biology and biochemistry with a 3.92 grade point average. He was named the 2003 WIAC Max Sparger Outdoor Track and Field Scholar-Athlete. Connor earned All-America honors with an eighth-place finish in the 800-meter run at the outdoor championships and was a member of the Eagles' winning 4x800-meter relay team at the 2003 conference meet.

Rock, a junior from Stratford, Wis., is a business management major with a 3.60 grade point average. He was named the United States Track Coaches Association Male Athlete of the Year for the second straight season earlier this month was named the Runner of the Meet at the 2003 NCAA Division III Indoor and Outdoor Championships. Rock is a 13-time All-American and two-time national champion in the 400 meter indoors and has won 13 conference titles (four relays and nine individual). He also qualified for the United States Olympic Trials in the 400 meter dash with a time of 45.29 at the outdoor national meet this year.

McKenna, senior from Ashippun, Wis. (Oconomowoc H.S.), is majoring in secondary education/Spanish and carries a 3.96 grade point average. He was a Verizon Academic All-America Second Team selection last year and was named the 2002 WIAC Max Sparger Cross Country Scholar-Athlete. McKenna is a four-time All-American (two indoor, two outdoor) and won the league title in the 5,000-meter run at the 2003 outdoor league meet.

Toshner, a senior from Fond du Lac, Wis. (Campbellsport H.S.), is a fitness major with a 3.47 grade point average. He is a two-time outdoor national champion in the 400-meter hurdles and has won seven All-America honors. Toshner has earned eight All-WIAC honors, including four individual conference championships.

The academic all-america team is comprised of all NCAA Division II, Division III and NAIA athletes from around the country. It is selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

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Four Named To Academic All-District Men's Track and Field/Cross Country Team

RELEASED: Tuesday, June 3, 2003

Madison, Wis.--Four Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) student-athletes have been named to the 2003 Verizon/CoSIDA Academic All-District Five Men's Track and Field/Cross Country First Team. Receiving first team honors were UW-La Crosse's Doug Connor, Andrew Rock and Derek Toshner and UW-Oshkosh's Eamon McKenna.

The team is comprised of all NCAA Division II, Division III and NAIA track and field/cross country athletes from Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Minnesota and voted on by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Connor, a senior from Onalaska, Wis., is majoring in biology and biochemistry with a 3.92 grade point average. He was named the 2003 WIAC Max Sparger Outdoor Track and Field Scholar-Athlete. Connor earned All-America honors with an eighth-place finish in the 800-meter run at the outdoor championships and was a member of the Eagles' winning 4x800-meter relay team at the 2003 conference meet.

Rock, a junior from Stratford, Wis., is a business management major with a 3.60 grade point average. He was named the United States Track Coaches Association Male Athlete of the Year for the second straight season earlier this month was named the Runner of the Meet at the 2003 NCAA Division III Indoor and Outdoor Championships. Rock is a 13-time All-American and two-time national champion in the 400 meter indoors and has won 13 conference titles (four relays and nine individual). He also qualifed for the United States Olympic Trials in the 400 meter dash with a time of 45.29 at the outdoor national meet this year.

Toshner, a senior from Fond du Lac, Wis. (Campbellsport H.S.), is a fitness major with a 3.47 grade point average. He is a two-time outdoor national champion in the 400-meter hurdles and has won seven All-America honors. Toshner has earned eight All-WIAC honors, including four individual conference championships.

McKenna, senior from Ashippun, Wis. (Oconomowoc H.S.), is majoring in secondary education/spanish and carries a 3.96 grade point average. He was a Verizon Academic All-America Second Team selection last year and was named the 2002 WIAC Max Sparger Cross Country Scholar-Athlete. McKenna is a four-time All-American (two indoor, two outdoor) and won the league title in the 5,000-meter run at the 2003 outdoor league meet.

Connor, Rock, Toshner and McKenna are now eligible for the Academic All-America Team, which will be announced later this month.

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Josh Buchholtz Vaults To UW-Stout's Men's Track/Cross Country Job

RELEASED: Tuesday, December 31, 2002

Menomonie, Wis.--After conducting a national search, UW-Stout needed to only look out the back door to find their next men's head track and field/cross country coach.

Josh Buchholtz, a native of Bloomer and UW-La Crosse graduate, was named to head the Blue Devil track and field and cross country programs, athletic director Steve Terry announced today.

"We are pleased to have someone with the enthusiasm, knowledge and familiarity of our programs and conference that Josh brings to UW-Stout," Terry said.

Buchholtz has been an assistant coach at UW-La Crosse for the last four seasons, working with the high jump, sprinters and the pole vault. Prior to beginning his coaching career, Buchholtz earned two Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) pole vault titles (1998 indoor and outdoor), and three times earned All-America honors in the event, placing third in 1998.

During Buchholtz's coaching career, he has had a hand in producing eight individual All-America athletes and five WIAC individual champions.

Familiarity with UW-Stout is not a problem for Buchholtz.

"I know where the Stout program has been," Buchholtz said, "and want to get us back to that point. I competed when it was La Crosse and Stout. I will use what I have learned at La Crosse to help us up here."

The facilities are not new to Buchholtz either.

"We did some counting the other day," Buchholtz said, "and I have either competed or coached at Stout's complex at least 30 times, either in high school or college."

Buchholtz's brother, Jamie, was a standout for the Blue Devils, and the two competed against each other several times while in college. The Buchholtz family also left a legacy at Bloomer High School. Their father, Bill, set the high school record in the late 1960s. Josh, who won the Wisconsin state pole vault title his senior year, broke the Bloomer mark, and Jamie, two years younger than Josh, set a new mark.

Buchholtz intends to use his competitive experience as an aid in his coaching.

"I struggled at times through those years," Buchholtz said. "I learned from that and know what a struggling athlete is going through."

Buchholtz also worked with the Eagles' cross country programs, including administrating the prestigious Jim Drews/Tori Neubauer Invitational.

Buchholtz sees the cross country program as his biggest challenge, a challenge he is more than willing to tackle.

"Cross country will be my biggest learning experience here," Buchholtz said, "but I am excited about that challenge."

Buchholtz earned his degree from La Crosse in physical education in 2001. In addition to his coaching duties, Buchholtz will be an instructor in the physical education department.

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Northfield, Minn.--The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh men's cross country team claimed the 2002 NCAA Division III Men's Cross Country Championship on Saturday, November 23.

The Titans claimed the team title with the eighth-lowest score in the 32-year history of the event with 66 team points. Calvin (Mich.) finished second with 122 points, North Central (Ill.) third with 146, Nebraska Wesleyan fourth with 178 and Willamette (Ore.) fifth with 190. UW-La Crosse finished sixth with 231 team points and UW-Stevens Point finished 11th in the 24-team field with 336 points.

The national title was the fourth for UW-Oshkosh, which previously won NCAA Division III championships in 1990, 1989 and 1988.

Individual finishes for the Titans included: David Cisewski fifth (25:22.8), Nick Boehlke seventh (25:26.0), Eamon McKenna 25th (25:40.9), Phil Keskinen 27th (25:41.9) and Pat Seger 45th (25:55.7). Matt Grosse and Jason Fast also competed for the Titans and placed 59th and 122nd, respectively. Cisewski, Boehlke, McKenna and Keskinen earned All-America honors for their finish at the national meet.

UW-Platteville's Ryan Kleimenhagen placed second overall with a time of 25:08.1 and his teammate, Corey Stelljes, finished eighth (25:28.6). Kleimenhagen and Stelljes garnered All-America honors for their efforts. Only two WIAC runners have finished higher than Kleimenhagen in NCAA championship history. Brett Altergott of UW-La Crosse won the event in 1997 and Arnie Schraeder of UW-Stevens Point won the individual crown in 1986.

UW-La Crosse placed sixth for its 16th straight top 10 finish at the national meet. The Eagles were led by Mark Creger who finished 38th overall (25:51.2).

The 11th-place finish for UW-Stevens Point was their highest since the 1999 campaign, when they placed sixth. The Pointers were led by Eric Fisher, who finished 74th (26:09.5).

Titan head coach John Zupanc was named the NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year by the United States Track Coaches Association.

UW-Oshkosh becomes the second-straight WIAC institution to claim the men's cross country national title after UW-La Crosse won the national meet last season.

In the women's race, UW-La Crosse finished sixth in the 24-team field with 270 team points.

Williams (Mass.) won the women's meet with 42 team points, while Middlebury (Vt.) finished second with 145, Wartburg (Iowa) third with 209, Washington (Mo.) fourth with 256 and Calvin (Mich.) fifth with 264.

Individual finishes for UW-La Crosse included: Julia Rudd 23rd (22:19.6), Julie Mocadlo 58th (22:51.6), Stephanie Oudenhoven 60th (22:52.6), Lindsay Schroepfer 102nd (223:24.0) and Tiffany Pogodzinski 156th (24:04.1). Rudd captured All-America honors for her finish.

UW-La Crosse placed fourth overall at last season's national meet.

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Madison, Wis.--Three Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) men's cross country team and one women's team advanced to the NCAA Division III Championships following regional competition in Peoria, Ill. on Saturday, November 16. UW-Oshkosh, UW-La Crosse and UW-Stevens Point advanced on the men's side, while UW-La Crosse will represent the conference in the women's event.

UW-Oshkosh won the men's race with 51 team points. North Central (Ill.) finished second with 81, UW-Stevens Point third with 91 and UW-La Crosse fourth with 102. Additional WIAC team finishes included UW-Platteville fifth (124), UW-Eau Claire seventh (215), UW-Whitewater eighth (253), UW-Stout 18th (555), UW-River Falls 19th (661) and UW-Superior 23rd (692). A total of 33 teams competed in the men's race with the top four teams advancing to the national meet.

UW-Platteville's Ryan Kleimenhagen won the men's race with a time of 24:28.90, while UW-La Crosse's Dan Sutton finished second (24:42.43), UW-Oshkosh's David Cisewski fourth (24:50.91), Nick Boehlke sixth (24:55.89), Eamon McKenna seventh (24:59.69) and UW-Stevens Point's Eric Fisher 10th (25:01.29).

Kleimenhagen and his teammate, Corey Stelljes, will both compete as individuals in the national meet. Stelljes finished 12th at the regional with a time of 25:02.68.

The UW-La Crosse men's team won the national championship last season.

Benedictine (Ill.) won the women's race with 112 team points. UW-La Crosse finished second with 128 and Elmhurst (Ill.) third with 129 and UW-Oshkosh fourth with 178. Additional WIAC team finishes included UW-Stevens Point fifth (185), UW-Eau Claire eighth (238), UW-River Falls 10th (301), UW-Whitewater 14th (438), UW-Stout 20th (576), UW-Platteville 25th (655) and UW-Superior 26th (684). A total of 34 teams competed in the women's event with the top three teams advancing to the national meet.

Principia's (Ill.) Steph Hood won the women's race with a time of 20:57.03, while UW-La Crosse's Julie Mocadlo finished seventh (21:56.37) and UW-Stevens Point's Leah Herlache finished 10th (22:05.15).

The NCAA Division III Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships will be held on Saturday, November 23 in Northfield, Minn. The event will be hosted by St. Olaf College with the men race beginning at 11:00 a.m. and the women will run at noon.

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McKenna and Sutton Named Men's Cross Country
Co-Scholar-Athletes

RELEASED: Wednesday, November 6, 2002

Madison, Wis.--University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh's Eamon McKenna and UW-La Crosse's Dan Sutton have been named 2002 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Max Sparger Men's Cross Country Co-Scholar-Athletes, it was announced recently by WIAC Commissioner Gary Karner.

McKenna, a senior from Ashippun, Wis. (Oconomowoc H.S.), is majoring in secondary education and Spanish with a minor in history and carries a 3.96 grade point average. He was named to the 2002 Verizon Academic All-America Men's Track and Field/Cross Country Second Team as well as the Cross Country Coaches Association Academic All-America Team in 2001 and 2000. McKenna is a three-time member of the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll and has made the Dean's List every semester at UW-Oshkosh, while maintaining a 4.00 grade point average in five semesters.

McKenna, a team captain this year, placed 13th at the WIAC Championship last weekend to earn All-WIAC Second Team accolades and help the Titans claim the league title. He earned All-Midwest Region honors last year after placing 12th in the regional competition. McKenna has been a member of the UW-Oshkosh squads that placed third and sixth at the NCAA Division III Championship in 2000 and 2001, respectively.

McKenna is a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Board at UW-Oshkosh as well as the University Scholars Program. He is also a graduate of the university's Leadership Program.

McKenna becomes the sixth men's cross country student-athlete from UW-Oshkosh to win the conference award, joining Jon Peterson (2001), Dan Kramer (1995), Dave Lambert (1990 and 1991), Jamie Pollard (1986) and William Niederberger (1985).

Sutton, a senior from West Bend, Wis. (East H.S.), is a physics major with a minor in mathematics, earning a 3.63 grade point average. He has received the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium Scholarship and Research Grant, the UW-L International Undergraduate Research Grant and Council of Undergraduate Research Grant during his coursework at UW-La Crosse. Sutton is a member of the Dean's List at UW-La Crosse and the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll.

Sutton, a two-time team captain, placed second individually at the WIAC Championship last weekend to earn All-WIAC First Team honors and led the Eagles to a second-place finish. He placed fourth at the 2002 league meet and also earned All-America honors that season with a 26th-place finish at the national meet. Sutton is a three-time All-Midwest Region selection placing 28th last season, ninth in 2000 and 33rd in 1999.

Sutton serves as the Vice President of the Society of Physics Students and also works as a computer lab consultant at UW-La Crosse.

Sutton becomes the sixth men's cross country student-athlete from UW-La Crosse to claim the league award, joining Jason Karls (1998), Dan Murphy (1996 and 1995), Bob Jacobs (1993), Brad Bayer (1992) and Jim Batchelor (1987).

Also nominated for the scholar-athlete award were: UW-Eau Claire's Chad McCartney, UW-La Crosse's Patrick Lantzy and Nicholas Madsen, UW-Platteville's Joe Marks and UW-River Falls' Matt Hartwig.

The WIAC Scholar-Athlete Award is sponsored by Culver's. In order to be nominated for the scholar-athlete award, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.25 grade point average, be in their last year of competition, or on schedule to graduate this academic year, and have competed for a minimum of two years.

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UW-Oshkosh Wins Men's Cross Country Title

Platteville, Wis.---Placing three individuals in the top six, UW-Oshkosh claimed the team title at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Men's Cross Country Championship held Saturday, November 2 at Memorial Park in Platteville.

UW-Oshkosh totaled 38 team points for its second title in the last three seasons. The league title was the eighth in team history (2000, 1995, 1992, 1990, 1989, 1969 and 1968) for the Titans. Defending champion UW-La Crosse finished second with 48 points, while UW-Platteville finished third with 59, UW-Stevens Point fourth with 75, UW-Whitewater fifth with 136, UW-Eau Claire sixth with 178, UW-Stout seventh with 240, UW-Superior eighth with 244 and UW-River Falls ninth with 273.

UW-Platteville's Ryan Kleimenhagen won the individual title with a time of 25:33, becoming the third Pioneer in men's cross country history to win the league's individual crown. Tom Weiman won the title in 1963, while Amo Stephen took top honors in 1961.

Pat Seger led UW-Oshkosh to the team title, placing third with a time of 25:46, while Nick Boehlke was fourth in 25:46. David Cisewski finished sixth for the Titans with a time of 25:50. All three runners claimed All-WIAC First Team honors (top seven finish).

Additional All-WIAC First Team finishes included: UW-La Crosse's Dan Sutton second (25:39), UW-La Crosse's Nick Madsen fifth (25:49) and UW-Platteville's Corey Stelljes seventh (25:52).

UW-Oshkosh head coach John Zupanc was named the league's Coach of the Year, while UW-La Crosse's Dan Sutton and UW-Oshkosh's Eamon McKenna were named the WIAC Max Sparger Co-Scholar-Athletes.

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