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David Fassbender (Slinger, Wis./Slinger) of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's cross country team was named Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Year, and the Warhawks' coaching staff, led by head coach Jeff Miller, was selected WIAC Men's Cross Country Coaching Staff of the Year for the 2021 season.
 
UW-Whitewater finished as WIAC runner-up, won the NCAA North Regional and placed fifth at the NCAA Championship. The Warhawks' second-place conference finish was the program's highest since 1999, and the team's regional title was the first in program history. UW-W's fifth-place showing at the national meet matched the 1999 team for the highest finish in program history.
 
The team's first-ever WIAC Athlete of the Year, Fassbender played an integral role in the team's success, becoming the program's first individual conference champion since 2004 (Gary Garcia) and first-ever individual regional champion. He earned the third All-America honor of his career with his sixth-place individual performance at the NCAA Championship.
 
Fassbender posted a career-best 23:57.1 in his final race, the second-fastest 8-kilometer time run in program history. He was topped by only six different runners in all meets this season (combined), and was not defeated by a conference foe in 2021. Fassbender was a two-time WIAC Athlete of the Week during the regular season and garnered North Region Male Athlete of the Year accolades from the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
 
Miller, who just finished his 40th season at the helm of the program, is now a three-time winner of the Coach/Coaching Staff of the Year award (1992, 1995). His staff also includes assistant coaches RJ Soderman and Amanda Moehling.