Conor Daly
Apr 1910 min
Written by Conor Daly, additional commentary and edits via Garrett Zatlin
This piece is not a story about underdogs.
It is not a story of David vs Goliath and it is not a story about a little-known team that has suddenly and unexpectedly risen to national prominence. In fact, this feature is not so much a narrative-driven story, but rather a multifaceted study of a Division Three track and field and cross country stalwart.
More specifically, we're talking about the men from UW-La Crosse, a program that even before this past winter had already won the 2023 NCAA Indoor Championships as a team.
But over the last year, despite a pair of admirable, yet frustrating, runner-up team finishes on the national stage (including a one-point loss in the fall), the Eagles have somehow evolved into an even stronger roster.
In fact, one may even call them a "powerhouse."
That's because, during just this past indoor track season alone, the Wisconsin-based Eagles saw 10 men run under 4:10 for the mile, five men run 8:10 or faster for the 3k and four men run under 14:10 for the 5k (on banked tracks or via converted equivalents).
That combined level of depth and talent at the Division Three level is simply unparalleled.
Let's rewind almost an entire year ago to the spring of 2023 when the UW-La Crosse men traveled to the NCAA D3 Outdoor Championships. There, the Eagles hoped to repeat as national champions after doing so the previous season at the indoor national meet.
In fact, through 90% of the meet, UWL remained in striking distance of doing exactly that.
With focal superstar Ethan Gregg acting a key contender over 5000 meters and a 4x400-meter relay squad that had yet to run, the Eagles sat 15.5 points away from gold. A pair of big-time performances were needed, but another national title was plenty realistic.
However, as Gregg entered the track for that said 5k race, the unthinkable happened.
Taking a step before the gun, one of the few legitimate challengers to John Carroll's Alex Phillip that year was immediately disqualified by the officials for a false start. The controversial DQ led to Gregg losing his opportunity to race, and more importantly to him, to score points for his team.
Gregg was heartbroken to say the least and the challenges that he faced for weeks following his truly upsetting moment, in his own words, impacted him emotionally. It also didn’t help, either, that the following day, Gregg drove 14 hours to Boulder, Colorado to begin his summer job and base training for cross country.
And yet, despite the emotional toll, one of Gregg's coaches, Nathan Petesch, had a slightly different takeaway from that incident.
"I didn't want to say this to Ethan at the time, but if you know anything about how those stories go...in my mind, the cross country season was a done deal. There was just absolutely no way anyone in the country was going to beat him [at the NCAA XC Championships.]"
Spoiler: He was right.
Grant Matthai is one of the nation's more promising distance running underclassmen at the Division Three level. Despite his youth, the rising Eagle talent has earned two top-70 finishes at the NCAA XC Championships. He has also produced head-turning personal bests of 8:10 (3k) and 14:03 (5k), the former mark earning a conversion of 8:05.
But more importantly, Matthai was a two-time All-American at the indoor national meet this past winter, placing 8th over 3000 meters and 5th over 5000 meters. And it was that set of results that have truly cemented the Wauwatosa native as one of the future faces of this already-established distance running power.
Of course, Grant Matthai isn't the only nationally competitive name behind Ethan Gregg on UWL's roster. In fact, he's not the only nationally competitive name in his own family -- his brother Aidan Matthai placed 8th over 5000 meters at the indoor national meet this past winter to earn an All-American honor of his own.
And Aidan's times? Well, they're plenty strong as well, boasting marks of 14:05 (5k) and 30:30 (10k), the latter of which came at the Bryan Clay Invitational last weekend.
But the Matthai twins, who have documented their adventures and recent rise on their YouTube page, are only two of numerous top-tier names on the Eagles' roster. In fact, in many cases, the accolades of their fellow teammates are arguably just as good.
Cael Shoemann is only a sophomore, but has run 1:49 for 800 meters and just won a national title in that event last month. And then there's Adam Loesner, a third-year talent who just ran 8:44 in the steeplechase and was excellent throughout most of the winter months.
Jayden Zywicki is a dynamic 4:07 miler who was an All-American in that event this past winter. His fellow teammate, Aidan Manning, also advanced to the mile finals at the NCAA Indoor Championships, placing 9th overall. Michael Madoch and Parker Heinz are also sub-4:10 milers and that's before you factor-in flat-track conversions.
And Isaac Wegner? While not as much of a track-oriented runner, he has been a legitimate star on the grass over the last few years, earning two top-20 All-American finishes at the NCAA XC Championships.
But maybe the most fascinating aspect about that collection of middle and long distance standouts is over half of those listed men are considered to be underclassmen (per TFRRS). In other words, the Eagles' recent success hasn't been concentrated to a select few seniors -- they have a lasting foundation for year's to come.
“They breathed some fresh air into the program," says Ethan Gregg about the current sophomore class. "They have a lot of talent and great work ethic.”
And naturally, given those who came before them, there are lofty standards to uphold. Not just for the established veterans, but for the rising youngsters as well.
"There's pressure and expectation to be one of the best teams [in Division Three], but it's something that we know that we can live up to and exceed," Grant Mattahi explained in a conversation with The Stride Report. "By the end of our freshman year, I began to realize how good we could be."
Of course, the weight of balancing expectations with emotions isn't necessarily an easy thing to do. That's especially true in a program as acclaimed UW-La Crosse.
And luckily for the Eagles, that’s where Coach Phil Whitesitt comes in.
In addition to crafting the strength and lifting regimen for the team, Whitesitt recently went back to school to pursue a Master’s degree in applied sports psychology -- all for the sole purpose of supporting UW-La Crosse’s athletes.
“He brings more than a strength and conditioning aspect," Ethan Gregg told The Stride Report. "It’s multidimensional.”
On race weeks, time is spent in an imagery session in which Whitesitt guides the athletes in what can best be described as visualization and acclimation practices.
On non-race weeks, the athletes undergo a "mental strength session," as they call it. And among other exercises, Whitesitt's techniques operate with the aim of separating the athletes’ personal identity from their athletic identity.
And if all of this sounds familiar, it's because this isn't the first top-ranked collegiate cross country program to employ similar methodology and techniques.
As we reflect on the 2023 cross country season, UW-La Crosse's lone all-out race before championship season arrived came at Lehigh's Paul Short Run. But why trek halfway across the nation? Why not find a more D3-centric field, maybe D3 Pre-Nationals, that would more closely mimic the competition that they would see on the national stage?
The answer was simple: To find the best competition that they could.
"We needed a meet that would provide us with the level of competition that a smaller D3 meet wouldn't be able to provide us in the area." Coach Derek Stanley explained to The Stride Report. "We basically needed to run against D1 competition...It provided us what we were looking for out of that scenario”
Sure enough, the men of UWL certainly found the competition that they were searching for. Entering the 400-person field made up of predominately Division One competition was plenty for them to get ready for the Division Three national meet field of under 300 men.
And the end result? Excellent.
The Eagles would finish ahead of a respectable D1 distance program in Boston University and were a singular place behind Power Five program, Penn State, as well as Navy (the two teams had tied for the spot ahead of UWL).
After gaining some serious momentum at the WIAC XC Championships and the North Regional XC Championships, the UW-La Crosse men entered the national meet as the title favorites. Planning to be aggressive before the 5k mark, the Eagles certainly accomplished that goal. At the 5k mark, and still at the 6k split, the Eagles were scoring just outside of 100 points, sitting with a comfortable lead by over 50 points.
Yet, that early-race aggression, in the words of Coach Derek Stanley, turned out to be a "miscalculated energy expenditure," as the team's top-five proceeded to falter in the final stages of the race. And when all was said and done, the 2023 Division Three cross country national title had slipped out of their hands.
The Eagles had fallen into 2nd place yet again, this time by one lone point.
“We had the ability to do something special," Coach Nathan Petesch explained. "We didn't do what was really possible on that day with that exceptional group of guys.”
Amidst the disappointment of the single-point loss of a cross country team title, Ethan Gregg did take home individual gold, avenging back-to-back losses to WIAC rival and fellow D3 superstar, Christian Patzka, in their previous two meets.
But more importantly, Gregg avenged his devastating disqualification from the 2023 outdoor national meet and validated Coach Petesch's "done deal" theory from six months prior.
Gregg, a three-time national champion, has become a household name known for his aggressive Conner Mantz-like front-running tactics. With high school personal bests of 4:41 (1600) and 9:45 (3200), Gregg has made immense improvements, now boasting marks of 13:52 (indoor 5k) and 28:40 (10k), both of which sit in the top-three of the D3 all-time list.
That 10k PR, coming from last year, would have placed Gregg at NCAA #40 in the 2023 Division One ranks going into the regional meet. And with his credentials, he could have used his fifth year of eligibility just about anywhere in the NCAA.
But what did he do instead?
He decided to return to UW-La Crosse.
“I took a step back and realized I didn’t need that validation of knowing I’m that good of a runner to just go to that next Division," Gregg explained. “I just knew the way that Coach Nate Petesch and Coach Derek Stanley were developing me…I didn’t really see [myself] slowing down [at La Crosse].”
But while Gregg’s performances made an immense difference on the program, the reach of his influence extends beyond the results seen on paper. In fact, Gregg is one of two fifth-year distance stars who have helped guide the team through the dark times of the COVID pandemic.
The other veteran leader? Isaac Wegner.
“I can only hope that the guys on the team will carry the torch half as well as they did,” said Coach Derek Stanley. "Gregg and Wegner have put the program on their shoulders and got it to this place," Coach Nathan Petesch added. "That kind of leadership, it’s taxing, but it’s a privilege to pay that tax.”
And it was that same leadership that was put to the test last month at the 2024 NCAA Indoor Championships. Bringing what can best be described as a small army of men to the “Big Dance,” the UWL men were once again considered the favorites for the national title.
It was an all-too familiar position which held a clear eeriness following the Eagles' last two national meet appearances.
After a good, but not great, set of performances on day one, the consensus among the Eagle men at last month's indoor national meet was that the group felt down -- they had seemingly left a few points on the table.
And the following day? Well, that day held plenty of emotion...to put it lightly.
First, sophomore standout Cael Schoemann brought home a key win over 800 meters thanks to a dive across at the line for a thrilling photo finish. But while the initial elation felt like a major spark in the moment, the shadow of UWL's national meet woes continued to linger.
That's because Schoemann was disqualified shortly thereafter, seemingly for an interference with UW-Eau Claire's Sam Verkerke which was more specifically described as “intentionally veer[ing] out" of his lane. And as a result, just like they experienced with Ethan Gregg in the spring of 2023, the Eagles no longer had 10 possible points that they were projected to earn.
Thankfully, after a brief, but perceptually long, 30 to 40-minute period of uncertainty, Schoemann was ultimately reinstated and granted the national title. And it was that roller coaster moment that seemingly felt like an acute microcosm of UW-La Crosse's national meet campaigns over the past year.
There was, of course, a catch.
The UWL men who were entered in the 3000 meters didn't know that Schoemann had been reinstated when they toed the line. And with their 4x400-meter relay yet to race, the Eagles' contingent of men toed the line with a boosted level of urgency.
“That was an opportunity for [our] guys to step up." Coach Nathan Petesch told TSR. "And if you don’t want to be that guy, then you probably shouldn't be at that meet.” He continued: “If we have almost 30 guys at a meet and we can’t deal with some adversity, well then we don’t deserve to win that national title.”
The Eagles only secured two scoring positions in the top-eight of that 3k national meet final. However, it was those two finishes -- Ethan Gregg securing gold and Grant Matthai scoring one point in 8th place -- that ultimately cemented the Eagles as NCAA team champions. And maybe more importantly, that snapshot of All-American honors felt like an emblematic passing of the torch from the Eagles' juggernaut veteran to their rising underclassman star.
As the high of a team national title victory and the jubilation of recent results begin to erode, Grant Matthai has challenged himself to "get off of [his] high horse” and focus on his future goals for this outdoor track season.
He does, after all, need to prepare for an era that will soon no longer feature Ethan Gregg.
But when it comes longevity and the foundation for consistent year-over-year success, Gregg and the rest of his fellow Eagle teammates hardly seem worried. And why would they be? They do, after all, boast one of the best collections of young distance runners that Division Three has to offer.
"When you have that much belief in each other it’s kinda hard for me to imagine failing," Gregg told The Stride Report. "People think there’s a La Crosse secret and the corny thing is that there is a La Crosse secret -- it’s us. The secret sauce is our history and our culture.”
And if the "secret sauce" of UW-La Crosse's program is their history and culture, then the chefs are most certainly coaches Derek Stanley and Nathan Petesch.
"Input creates output," said Petesch. "We put intention into who it is we are and who we will be...the chase is fun."
Worded differently, Stanley would convey a similar message, "We want to create an experience that is wholesome, one that is nurturing, and that they feel like they are being provided an opportunity to be as successful as they possibly can through our running program, but more-so involving their academic journey."
When asked about future goals beyond the outdoor track season, Stanley had two answers. The first was that he wanted to elevate their women's team to a tier where they were a perennial top-10 program. And his second goal?
“We still haven't checked that box in cross country."