Two national championships and a national runner-up trophy in a single school year is a dream season for almost any college program in the U.S. For UW-La Crosse cross country and track field, it’s just the latest chapter of a historic dynasty. By winning national titles in cross country and outdo or track, alongside a second-place finish in indoor track — losing the title by a point — the Eagles were officially named the NCAA Division III National Program of the Year — again, for the third consecutive school year. UW-L was awarded Tuesday the Al Carius Award, capping off an unprecedented three-year stretch of total national dominance. Out of nine possible national podium finishes across cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track over the last three seasons, the Eagles have captured seven national titles and two national runner-up finishes. The Eagles actually swept all three sports in 2024-25. When you map out the three-year streak, the national trophy haul looks completely ridiculous: 2023-24: 2nd (Cross Country), 1st (Indoor), 1st (Outdoor) — 4.0 points 2024-25: 1st (Cross Country), 1st (Indoor), 1st (Outdoor) — 3.0 points (The perfect “Triple Crown” season) 2025-26: 1st (Cross Country), 2nd (Indoor), 1st (Outdoor) — 4.0 points The Program of the Year honor, handed out by the U.S. Track Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), uses a scoring system where a first-place national finish equals one point and second equals two. Because of their dominant three-season run, UW-L finished with a near-perfect score of 4.0 this year. The gap between La Crosse and the rest of the country wasn’t even close; the national runner-up, SUNY Geneseo, finished a distant second with 13 points, while WIAC rival UW-Eau Claire finished fourth with 36. The historic year also brought individual hardware to the coaching staff: In the Fall: Cross country head coach Derek Stanley was named National Coach of the Year after guiding the Eagles to their second consecutive cross country national title. In the Spring: Track head coach Josh Buchholtz took home National Outdoor Coach of the Year honors after the Eagles obliterated the field at the outdoor national meet with 106 team points — the highest scoring total at an NCAA DIII outdoor championship since 1985. With seven total Program of the Year titles since the award was created in 2008, UW-L extends its own record for the most in Division III history. North Central College (Ill.) sits behind them with five. ...read more read less