UW-Eau Claire senior Darin Lau made history twice this weekend when he took top honors during the NCAA Division III cross-country championships.
The Eau Claire native is the first Blugold runner to win an individual national championship and the university’s first four-time All-American in men's cross country.
He already was a four-time All-American in track, so he has eight All-American awards during his Blugold career.
The UW-Eau Claire women’s team also excelled at the championship meet, placing second as a team.
The Blugold men’s team placed seventh.
Earlier this month, Lau was named the Midwest Region’s Athlete of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
This season Lau — a mathematics and education major — won four individual titles, including the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship.
Read Blugold Athletics stories about Lau’s history-making championship race and the men's team results, as well as the women's team second-place finish. Also see an Eau Claire Leader-Telegram story about the Blugolds' successes at nationals.
Photo cutline: Darin Lau runs in a Blugold cross-country meet this fall. The senior took top honors during the NCAA Division III cross-country championships Nov. 18.