The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men’s and women’s cross country teams have announced the recipients of their 2025 team awards. The awards were presented during a year-end banquet held last Sunday in Eau Claire.
This year’s honors, determined by a vote among team members, recognized both athletic performance and contributions to team culture.
For Most Valuable Newcomer, Gavin Stewart was acknowledged for consistently finishing in the top seven in every race except one and achieving an 8K personal record (PR) of 25:27, which places him fourth on the Blugold freshmen list. Brooke Marchewka received the same award on the women’s side after steady improvement throughout the season and a 6K PR of 22:52, ranking her thirteenth among Blugold freshmen.
The Most Improved award went to Troy VerStrate and Violette Culp. VerStrate lowered his 8K best from 27:07 last year to 25:25 this season while competing at conference, regionals, and nationals for the first time. Culp improved her 6K best from 25:44 to 23:01 and competed at conference for the first time.
Jack Hesse-Withbroe earned Most Valuable Runner honors after leading the team in every race this season. He placed third at Conference and finished twenty-fourth nationally as an All-American. His best time of 23:54 ranks second on UW-Eau Claire’s all-time list for the event. Molly Heidorn also received Most Valuable Runner recognition as she became Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) individual champion, WIAC runner of the year, and placed thirty-first nationally as an All-American with a personal record of 21:18—the seventh fastest in program history.
The Blugold Award—which recognizes exceptional teamwork—was given to Ian Barnes and Ryann Wagner. According to the announcement: “Ian Barnes connected with everyone on the team this year making the transition to college for our freshmen easier. Radiant personality that made practice a fun place to be. Committed himself to doing everything training wise this summer/fall and it showed with his best season as a Blugold.” The statement continued regarding Wagner: “A leader who is always positive and gives her teammates words of encouragement. Committed to the team throughout her four-year career. This season said no to a few things outside of running that allowed her to focus more energy on training / the team and led to the best season of her career.”
With cross country concluded for now, athletes will prepare for indoor track & field competition beginning Saturday, January 17th at home against Alumni/River Falls Dual.
