UWEC Athletics Hall of Fame
Jason Finch rates as one of the best distance runners in school history with seven conference championships and five All-American finishes in cross country and track. As a cross country runner, Finch won the WIAC championship in 1998 after finishing 49th as a freshman, 16th as a sophomore and fourth as a junior. He capped his senior season by placing third in the NCAA regional and then sixth in the NCAA nationals to earn All-American honors, the first Blugold to do so in cross country. His sixth-place finish was the best in school history until Josh Thorson placed third and second in 2014 and 2015. In track, the Hudson High School graduate dominated the conference indoor and outdoor distances in 1998 and 1999, winning three golds each year. He won the 5K twice indoors and twice outdoors in addition to grabbing an indoor 3K crown and an outdoor 10K title. His indoor 3K time of 8:23.81 was a school record from 1999 until 2014. He earned four All-American finishes at the NCAA nationals, including a second in the 1999 NCAA outdoor 10K and a third in the 1998 NCAA indoor 5K.
Finch graduated from UWEC in 1999.  Between 1999 and 2003, he was an assistant store manager or store manager of Footlocker stores in Wisconsin, Oregon, Washington and Minnesota. From 2003-06, he was assistant general merchandise manager at Shopko in River Falls. At the time of his induction, Finch had worked for U.S. Bank in St. Paul since 2006 and was an account associate. He had been recognized with six awards by the three employers. In addition to working full-time, Finch has continued to compete for regional USATF running teams Wisconsin Runner and Run n Fun. He won the Portland (OR) Marathon in 2009 and had a top 30 finish at the 2011 USA National Half-Marathon Championships.
