Talent crowds this year’s UW-Whitewater men’s cross country senior class. The amount of accolades and leadership are unlike past senior classes that the Warhawks have berthed. As a team, they have not finished worse than 10th at the NCAA Division III Men’s Championships since these six seniors have joined the squad.
“Just one year into our careers, we went from fifth in the conference to fifth in the nation,” senior Christian Patzka said. “I think that how we’ve been consistent in excelling as not only a class, but also as a program, has become very apparent in the past couple years, sort of transforming Whitewater into sort of a D-III powerhouse.”
The goal for head coach Jeff Miller and most of the runners is to make this final season the most memorable. In alphabetical order, here are the seniors of the 2024 Warhawk men’s cross country senior class.
Aidan Johnson
As the only senior on this list that played with a different team before joining the Warhawks, Johnson is giving it his all as he wraps up a successful collegiate cross country career.
A transfer from Sauk Valley Community College, Johnson has fought injuries throughout his Warhawk career, despite injuries he’s cut down his personal best by over two minutes since his first UWW race.
“He’s been through a lot more than a lot of guys, and he’s stayed with it,” Miller said. “That gives him a lot of respect from the other runners.”
On top of his on-the-course success, he’s built great chemistry with the entire team. His work ethic rubs off on a lot of team members, his easygoing personality makes him a fun guy to be around, and overall, his presence on the team is a great one.
Chris Allen
Allen may not be the most decorated senior on the roster, but he’s one of the most important athletes. From Downers Grove, Illinois, Allen immediately made his impact visible by winning the team’s Most Valuable Freshman award for his contributions.
His development continued to shine, helping contribute to several Warhawks victories in meets, and even came home with a top-15 finish in the 2023 WIAC Championships, his best finish to date in that meet.
“He’s been a reliable guy the last two seasons and he’s had an opportunity to be a part of the big thing,” Miller said. “In cross country, he seems to thrive a little more [than track], and he’s had good success.”
Now in his final season, Allen has used his leadership and work ethic to help develop a future senior class just as strong as this one. Allen hopes to use his senior season to push the Warhawks to another nationals appearance, hopefully with his name etched in the team’s scorecard.
Christian Patzka
Three-time cross country All-American. Two-time national runner up. Region Athlete of the Year. WIAC Athlete of the Year. Not only is Patzka a record-breaking athlete, but he is also a trendsetter for all Warhawk athletic programs.
His decorated success kicked off during his freshman season, earning All-American honors by finishing 23rd at the national meet, second on the team only behind 2022 graduate David Fassbender. That finish was just a peek at the historical career Patzka was about to blossom.
Since then, he has finished runner-up at the national meet twice, raced against professional and DI athletes at meets across the country, broken Whitewater records, and more.
“He holds himself to the highest standard of competition,” Schlender said. “Christian has a lot of natural speed and just a natural ability to just run really fast.”
Patzka’s impact extends beyond the course as well. Excluding athletics, he is a great leader with a great personality that Warhawk athletics will surely miss. He gives a lot of credit to the senior class for his time at Whitewater.
“I’m very thankful to have that release with them and just to share all these moments,” Patzka said. “I can’t believe it’s been four and five years of us just doing the same thing every day, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
After his final cross country season, he will compete with the track and field team once more and hopefully bring home more hardware as a Warhawk.
Gunner Schlender
The cross country accomplishments brought in by Schlender also make him one of the most decorated athletes to ever compete for the Warhawks. Like Patzka, he is a three-time All-American with the mentality and drive to earn a fourth this season.
“He’s disciplined to do what he needs to do, whether it’s academics or athletics,” Miller said. “He’s got some high expectations of himself, and he’s pretty methodical about trying to go about it and improve.”
Schlender is a fifth-year senior whose 2020 collegiate season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Despite losing a crucial year of competition, he used that as an opportunity to develop as a runner and get a head start in collegiate experience.
The progress he has made is allowing his 2024 to treat him well, as he has registered first-place finishes in the Tom Hoffman Invitational and the DIII Pre-National Meet, and a fourth-place finish at the Augustana Interregional. He and Patzka have run up front in every meet this season, and many other meets in past seasons.
“There’s never a workout where we’re going to let each other slack,” Schlender said. “We contrast in training styles… it’s one of the reasons why our training styles have been a good blend throughout the years.”
Overall, Schlender is yet another successful athlete who current and soon-to-be Warhawks can look up to.
Landen Bratt
It is hard to talk about development as a Warhawk without referring to Bratt. Before joining the Warhawks in 2021, he was primarily a middle-distance runner for Waukesha West High School, with cross country as an insignificant thought. Joining the Warhawks brought that thought into reconsideration.
As described by Miller, Bratt is a fantastic, steady runner who has consistently improved year by year. His continued work as a track and field middle-distance athlete has turned him into a versatile weapon for the Warhawks.
“Landen has improved a lot this year,” Miller said. “Most times, he would probably be one of our top seven runners.”
Landen is not the only Bratt on the squad. His brother Keegan, a sophomore on the cross country team, will continue building the Bratt reputation of hard work.
“Having your own brother next to you in a race is very uplifting,” Landen said. “I could be feeling bad, but having him next to me is going to push me.”
Will MacCudden
Like Bratt, it’s hard to talk about development without talking about MacCudden. At the same time, his development strays more toward his personality.
According to Miller, his comfort level and ability to open up to his teammates has been the main source of his growth. He’s always been a laid back person, but now, he is more talkative than ever before.
“Will has done a really good job making a big part of his growth socially,” Miller said. “It’s been a really good experience for him. It’s parts that are important; being at practice, being around the team, and supporting each other.”
On the course, MacCudden shined during his sophomore season, earning his current personal record at the 2022 North Region Championships. His performance earned him a spot at that year’s national championship. Even after a down year in 2023, he remained with the team to give them one last run.
MacCudden’s growth sets an example not just in athletics, but for all groups and organizations: no matter your situation, you have the capability to open up.
While the graduation of these seniors are inevitable, Miller is focusing on the team’s present-day preparation for their final meets. They resume action at home as they host the Warhawk Open Oct. 25. Afterwards, the postseason kicks off in Stevens Point for the WIAC Conference Championship Nov. 2.
