EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – Three University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire seniors have been named UW-Eau Claire's Male Athletes of the Year for 2024-25.
Nathan Donovan (Sr. – Hazel Green, Wis./Wahlert Catholic),
Yakob Ekoue (Sr. – Hopkins, Minn.) and
Jared Stricker (Sr. – High Bridge, Wis./Ashland) all finished their careers as some of the best in Division III history in their respective sports, earning them a three-way tie for this year's award.
Donovan starred for the men's soccer team, Ekoue was a national champion for the men's track and field team, and Stricker won another national crown with the wrestling team.
Donovan became the first player in program history to earn United Soccer Coaches Division III National Player of the Year honors last fall. The two-time All-American led all of NCAA men's college soccer — regardless of Division — in scoring with 26 goals this fall. He also had a team-high 15 assists for a total of 67 points. His goal and points totals both set new UW-Eau Claire single-season records. He was the United Soccer Coaches National Scholar Player of the Year, Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Kwik Trip Offensive Player of the Year as well as the Max Sparger Scholar-Athlete this season.
Donovan's success was the Blugolds' success. With Donovan leading the line, UW-Eau Claire won WIAC regular season and tournament championships and qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season. The Blugolds won 17 games this season and spent the entire year nationally ranked.
The senior forward's career goes down as one of the best in the history of Division III men's soccer. He ranks third in DIII history with 229 career points and fourth with 94 career goals.
Ekoue, like Donovan, was also the national athlete of the year in his sport. He was the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association's NCAA Division III Field Athlete of the Year this spring, earning the honor for the second time in his career.
Ekoue won a second consecutive national championship in discus at the NCAA Division III Outdoor National Championships this season, setting a facility record in the process. He also placed third in both shot put and hammer throw to earn All-America honors in both events. He scored 22 team points for the Blugolds, helping the squad finish as national runner-up.
His efforts at nationals earned him Most Outstanding Field Performer of the Championships honors. It was his second time receiving that distinction.
Earlier in the season, Ekoue won a WIAC title in discus. He holds school records in both discus and hammer throw. He finished his Blugold career with 13 All-America honors and four national championships. He joined an elite group of athletes in Division III history to earn 10-plus All-America honors.
This marks the second consecutive year Stricker earned UW-Eau Claire Male Athlete of the Year honors. He became the first two-time national champion in the history of Blugold wrestling this winter. He went unbeaten at 43-0, posting the most victories by a Division III wrestler this season, as he clinched another 174-pound crown.
Stricker was named WIAC Wrestler of the Year for the second consecutive season and was named Most Outstanding Wrestler of the NCAA Championships. He finished his career with 169 victories, which is believed to rank in or near the top five in the history of Division III. There is no official leaderboard for career victories in Division III.
This season, Stricker became the WIAC's all-time leader in career wins and also broke UW-Eau Claire's career pins record with 75. He ended his career on a 71-match win streak, the longest in program history. He was a three-time All-American and four-time WIAC champion.
Off the mat, Stricker was named a National Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar All-American this season.
