Brown Collects WIAC Coach Of The Year Honor

UW-Oshkosh’s Paul Brown was named the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year after leading the Titans to their first league crown in eight years.

Brown guided UW-Oshkosh to finishes of first at the WIAC Championship, third at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Midwest Regional and fifth at the NCAA Division III Championship. The Titans also won the 32-team Roy Griak Invitational hosted by the University of Minnesota.

At the WIAC Championship on Oct. 29 in Menomonie, UW-Oshkosh totaled 51 points to capture its 10th league title. UW-La Crosse finished second with 64 points and UW-Platteville third with 81. The Titans had four runners finish in the top eight positions, including Nate Stymiest (Sr. • Oconto Falls) who placed second and Sean Kutz (So. • Grantsburg) who ranked fifth.

UW-Oshkosh qualified for the NCAA Division III Championship after finishing third at the 39-team Midwest Regional on Nov. 12 in Rock Island, Ill. The Titans scored 136 points to list behind the 42 of first-place North Central College (Ill.) and the 114 of second-place Washington University (Mo.). John Dewitt (Jr. • Oshkosh) led UW-Oshkosh with a ninth-place finish.

Brown, in his first year as UW-Oshkosh's head coach, had three All-Americans at the NCAA Division III Championship on Nov. 19 in Winneconne. The Titans' fifth-place score of 277 points was fueled by the finishes of 16th by Stymiest, 32nd from Tyler Morey (Sr. • Combined Locks) and 34th from Kutz. North Central College won the meet with 119 points, while Haverford College (Pa.) finished second with 172.

Brown also led UW-Oshkosh to a fifth-place finish at the 47-team Brooks Invitational on Oct. 15 in Winneconne and a sixth-place standing at the 20-team Notre Dame Invitational on Sept. 30 in South Bend, Ind.

The WIAC selected UW-Stout’s Tim Nelson as its Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Year.