La Crosse, Wis. – Following the retirement of long-time head men's cross country coach Don Fritsch, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Director of Athletics Josh Whitman announced today organizational changes to UW-L's cross country and track & field programs and named Derek Stanley as the new head coach of both its women's and men's cross country teams.  Along with serving as the head cross country coach, Stanley will be an assistant coach for the women's and men's track & field squads and will assist with athletic facilities.  Stanley was an assistant men's cross country coach and assistant women's and men's track & field coach for the Eagles in 2011-12.
 
“There are no words to describe this honor for me,” said Stanley.  “I am overwhelmed with the athletic department's endorsement of me to continue the rich, competitive tradition of the women's and men's cross country programs at UW-L.  Both teams are already nationally competitive, and I couldn't be more excited to continue working with them to become the strongest program we can be.”
 
The new organizational structure brings UW-L's men's and women's cross country teams, two of the nation's most tradition-rich programs, under a single head coach for the first time in their history.  The restructure also benefits the men's and women's track & field programs.  In addition to adding Stanley as an assistant coach for both track & field teams, the organizational changes provide for significant increases to the time allocated to the coaching appointments of Josh Buchholtz and Pat Healy, head coaches of the men's and women's track & field programs, respectively.
 
“We are extremely excited to make these structural improvements to our women's and men's cross country and track & field programs, and, in particular, to welcome Derek Stanley to our head coaching staff,” said Whitman.  “We believe these changes, in both the short- and long-term, will enhance the competitiveness of these programs and improve the student-athlete experience, two goals that we strive for with every decision.”
 
“We are confident that Coach Stanley is the right person to lead our cross country programs, now combined under a single coach, into a new and exciting era,” added Whitman.  “He brings a wealth of Division III head coaching experience with both women's and men's programs, having spent more than 10 years in that role at three different schools.  He is well prepared to accept the challenges of leading a powerhouse program like UW-L.  We expect that, under Derek's leadership, both programs will take a step forward on the national stage.”
 
“Succeeding Coach Fritsch and Coach Healy, combining the men's and women's teams and continuing the sustained excellence of these programs will be a large undertaking, but I am confident in my experience and the team's ability to meet these challenges,” said Stanley.  “I am grateful to Coach Fritsch and Coach Healy for providing me the opportunity to work with each program and helping me understand the history of each team and the commitment the coach must have to succeed and provide a positive student-athlete relationship.”
 
Prior to coming to UW-L last year, Stanley was the head coach of the women's and men's cross country and track & field programs at Marietta College (Ohio), a position he held from 2004 to 2011.  Stanley took the reins of a program near the bottom of the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) and moved it progressively higher.  The women's cross country team finished last at the OAC Championships in Stanley's first year, but improved to fifth by 2008. The Pioneer women also recorded three sixth-place showings (2006, 2007, 2009) under Stanley. 
 
On the men's side, the team improved from a ninth-place finish at the OAC Championships during Stanley's first year to consecutive sixth-place finishes during his last two years.  During Stanley's tenure at Marietta, the cross country teams earned nine All-OAC and two all-region honors.  The women's squad earned the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Academic All-America award for eight straight years while the men's team earned the honor in 2010.
 
While at Marietta, Stanley also built a solid record as the head coach of the Pioneers' track & field programs.  He was named the USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region Women's Indoor Track & Field Coach of the Year in 2009.  He was also selected the USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region Women's Outdoor Track & Field Coach of the Year in 2010.  Marietta's women's coaching staff was named the 2010 OAC Indoor Track & Field Staff of the Year.  The track & field programs fielded 98 all-conference athletes under Stanley's tutelage, including 26 conference champions.  Marietta also had 23 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III qualifiers and five All-Americas.
 
Stanley recruited and coached Caleb Muller at Marietta, a national qualifier in the 10,000-meters at this year's outdoor national championships.  Muller competed at the 2010 NCAA III Cross Country Championships under Stanley, Marietta's first national qualifier in 30 years.  He was also a national qualifier in 2011.  Muller became the first male in school history to win an OAC cross country title in 2011.
 
Before becoming head coach at Marietta, Stanley was the head women's and men's cross country and track & field coach at Bluffton University (Ohio) from 2001 to 2003.  He also served as the head men's cross country and assistant men's track & field coach at Tiffin University (Ohio) from 1999-2001.  Stanley earned his bachelor's degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing from Tiffin in 1999.  Later, in 2002, he obtained his master's of education from Bowling Green State University (Ohio).
 
“Coach Stanley's former student-athletes and colleagues speak in glowing terms about his vision and training acumen,” added Whitman.  “Although cross country is termed an 'individual sport,' Derek places a heavy emphasis on building a strong team concept, and he excels at developing individual relationships with his student-athletes.”
 
“With such a strong alumni following, one of my priorities is to communicate with both alumni bases,” said Stanley.  “The alumni connection is very important for our current student-athletes and I am committed to nurturing that relationship for both the women and men.”
 
Stanley succeeds Fritsch as the head coach of the men's cross country program.  Fritsch announced his retirement today following 14 years leading one of the nation's premier cross country programs.  Under Fritsch's guidance, the men's program won two NCAA Division III titles (2001, 2005) and eight Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) championships (1998, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009). 
 
On the women's side, Stanley takes the reins from Healy, who, in addition to serving as the head coach of the women's track & field team, guided the women's cross country program for the last 21 years.  Under Healy, UW-L won four cross country conference titles (2001, 2002, 2005, 2006).  The Eagles finished in the top-10 at the NCAA Division III championships 13 different times under Healy, including fourth-place finishes in 2001 and 2005.  During the 2001-02 campaign, the Eagles earned top-four national trophies in the “triple crown” (cross country, indoor and outdoor track & field) for the first time since 1983-84.  Healy was named the WIAC Coach of the Year four times in cross country.
 
“This is going to be a big change for UW-L cross country and track & field,” said Healy.  “I am going to miss coaching cross country here after doing so for 21 years, but I am excited to be able to put more emphasis on our track & field program.  We have been fortunate to have strong cross country and track & field programs over a long period of time.  It is my hope with the changes we will be even stronger in both sports.”
 
“It is with mixed emotions that we make today's announcement,” said Whitman.  “We look forward to the benefits that this new organizational structure will bring to our men's and women's cross country and track & field programs, and we are excited about the addition of Derek Stanley to our head coaching staff.  But Don's retirement leaves a major void on our staff, and the changes also bring to a close the cross country coaching tenure of Pat Healy.  For many years, Don and Pat have directed our cross country programs with great enthusiasm and skill.  Their efforts have led to tremendous competitive success and have left an indelible mark on the lives of their student-athletes.  Their leadership will be missed.”