NEW ORLEANS (Blugolds.com) – More awards are rolling in for the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's track and field team, as The United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced their national honors on Wednesday.
USTFCCCA release | Photos from the NCAA Championships
Head coach Chip Schneider, assistant coach Dan Schwamberger and thrower David Kornack (Sr. – Edgar, WI) received top honors as they were named National Coach of the Year, Assistant Coach of the Year and Field Athlete of the Year for the outdoor season.
Schneider led the Blugold men to the program's first outdoor national title. UW-Eau Claire dominated on their way to the crown, winning by a 30-point margin and collecting 13 All-American honors, the most of any institution. The Blugolds' 68 points were the most by a winning team since 2015 and is the second most in the past 12 years. In his 17th season, this is the first time Schneider has been named National Outdoor Coach of the Year.
Schwamberger's distance crew had a strong showing at the national meet, accounting for 25 of the team's points. They were led by Kyler Lueck, who won the 800m and was second in the 1500m for 18 points. Patrick Treacy finished right behind Lueck in the 1500 with a third place finish while Darin Lau claimed All-American honors in the 5K and 10K after finishing fourth and third, respectively. During the season, Schwamberger's athletes were ranked in the top 5 nationally in four different events. This is the first time Schwamberger has won the award.
Kornack, who was received the same honor for the indoor season, continued his impressive senior campaign, winning the shot put and placing third in the discus. The win in the shot put made Kornack the third Blugold male athlete in the past five years to win the event (Roger Steen in 2015, Alex Mess in 2016). In addition, all four of the senior's recorded marks at the national meet went over 18.73m (61-5.5); each of which landed in the top 10 in meet history and his winning mark of 19.32m (63-4.75) made Kornack just the second man in NCAA DIII history to put three career throws past 63 feet. The senior ended the year with three of the top-10 marks in NCAA DIII history in the shot put, including the seventh-best heave of 19.38m (63-7).
This is the first time that an athlete from UW-Eau Claire has been named National Men's Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year and the first from the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) since Kyle Steiner in 2008.
Earning All-American honors for Eau Claire were:
Brandon Christnovich (4x400)
Dylan Cooper (decathlon)
Hunter Henk (4x400)
David Kornack (shot put and discus)
Darin Lau (5K and 10K)
Kyler Lueck (800m, 1500m)
KJ Munn (4x400)
Abrahm Schroedl (decathlon)
Arik Skifstad (4x400)
Patrick Treacy (1500m)
View all USTFCCCA All-Americans HERE
