UW-Whitewater's Christian Patzka (Black Earth, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) has been named the Men's Cross Country National Athlete of the Year by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. 

Patzka secured the individual national title at the 2024 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships in Terra Haute, Indiana Saturday. The Warhawk phenom traversed the 8k at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in 24:01.6, more than two seconds faster than the rest of the field. 

The senior is the first Warhawk to win the national title and the first USTFCCCA Athlete of the Year for cross country in program history. 

Over the course of his illustrious career at UW-Whitewater Patzka has accumulated numerous accolades in both cross country and track and field. In cross country, Patzka is a four-time All-WIAC honoree, four-time All-Region selection, four-time All-American, the 2023 WIAC individual champion, a two-time NCAA North Region champion (2022, 2023), a two-time North Region Athlete of the Year (2022, 2023) and the 2022 WIAC Cross Country Athlete of the Year.

On the track, Patzka has stood atop the podium five times earning the national title three times in the 5,000 (2023 and 2024 indoors, 2024 outdoors) and twice in the 3,000 steeplechase (2023, 2024). In total, Patzka holds six individual national titles and is now a 14-time All-American with five honors both indoors and outdoors and four in cross country.