The UW-Whitewater cross country team competed in the WIAC Championships, Saturday, Nov. 2, at Wisconsin River Golf Club in Stevens Point. The Warhawk men took second place for the fourth year in a row, while the women claimed fourth place for their second straight top-half finish in the conference.
On the men’s side, the duo of Christian Patzka and Gunner Schlender led the charge with remarkable runs that etched their names into UW-Whitewater history. Patzka finished second overall, shattering his own school record for the second meet in a row with a time of 23 minutes 48.7 seconds in the 8-kilometer race, beating his previous mark by four seconds.
Schlender was just a fraction behind, crossing the finish line at 23:49.5, securing a personal record and the second best time in program history. Their impressive finishes not only earned them all-conference honors but also placed them among an elite group as they are now the second and third Warhawk athletes in the past 50 years, alongside former teammate Justin Krause (2019-2023), to achieve four all conference selections. Schlender was also honored with the WIAC Max Sparger Scholar-Athlete award, recognizing his academic and athletic achievements.
Reflecting on the performance of Patzka and Schlender, head coach Jeff Miller praised their leadership and consistency.
“Their ability to race at the highest level almost every time they step on the course has given the team a lot of confidence and inspiration,” Miller said. “They have been a solid foundation for our programs to build on over the past four years.”
Rounding out the Warhawk mens top performers, Dan Anderson claimed ninth place with a personal-best time of 24:19.0, now ranked as the eight-best in school history, earning himself his second all-conference accolade.
The Warhawk women had a historic day as well, with four runners finishing in the top 20 and earning all-conference honors, a first for the program. Their efforts contributed to a fourth place finish, marking another strong season for the Warhawks.
Senior Ari De La Cerda led the women with a 10th place finish, crossing the line at 21:53.5. Another personal best record as De La Cerda shattered her previous record by nearly 30 seconds and now stands as the second-fastest time in program history. De La Cerda’s performance earned her all-conference recognition for the third time in her career.
Miller emphasized the importance of teamwork and confidence heading into the event.
“Be confident and race with your teammates. Draw strength from each other and show those you are racing against how together our teams are,” Miller said. “Enjoy the moment and accept whatever outcome you have as you were prepared to give your best.”
The Warhawks depth shined brightly with Payton Scoggin, Renee Forystek and Ella Hansen all posting personal best times and finished in the top 20, earning honorable mention All-WIAC status.
Scoggin, a two-time all-conference honoree, set a personal record with her 16th place time of 22:10.8, moving her to third in the program’s record book. Forystek followed closely in 18th place with a time of 22:18.2, while Hansen rounded out the top 20, clocking in at 22:19.0.
Miller was thrilled with the team’s depth and personal records set but is now looking forward to the last phase of the season.
“Chris Allen and Abbey Wedwick are seniors and had PRs today as well, so it was a great day for them and our team,” Miller said. “All of our difficult training is pretty much complete, and now we look to sharpen our abilities to race at the highest level. We have two weeks until regionals, and that is where you qualify for nationals, so that is our main emphasis now.”
With these record breaking achievements under their belts, both the Warhawks look forward to carrying this momentum into the upcoming NCAA regional championships in Northfield, Minnesota, on Saturday Nov. 16.
