Akita named next UW-Platteville head cross country/assistant track and field coach

PLATTEVILLE, Wis – James Akita has been named the next head coach of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's and women's cross country teams, as announced today by Director of Athletics and Assistant Chancellor for Sports Administration Dr. Kristina Navarro. In addition to leading the Pioneer cross country teams, Akita will also serve as a distance assistant coach to the UW-Platteville indoor and outdoor track and field teams under the direction of Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Chris Rotzenberg. 

"I am excited to welcome Coach Akita to the Pioneer family. His proven record of success as a head coach for the past 14 years clearly made him the top candidate for this role. His experience with building programs, specifically recruitment of new freshman and retention of second year student-athletes – two cornerstones of the campus strategic plan – makes him the perfect fit to lead our cross country and distance track programs," said Navarro.  

Akita becomes just the second coach in over thirty years to take over the helm of the Pioneers' nationally established programs following the retirement of Tom Antczak after 31 seasons.   

"I would first like to thank Dr. Navarro along with the search committee for trusting and supporting me for this wonderful opportunity. The UW-Platteville cross country teams have always had a strong tradition of athletic success and academic excellence. It's an honor to be able to continue these historic traditions and to bring both programs to new heights. I am honored to continue the legacy set by Coach Antczak and look forward to competing in one of the best conferences in the country," Akita said.  

The Elmhurst, Illinois native brings with him over two decades of coaching experience at the NCAA Division III level. He has coached over a dozen national qualifiers in cross country and track, producing eight All-Americans, including Brian McConnell who finished 2nd in the nation.   

"As we are very excited to welcome James Akita, it is also comforting to know that an experienced coach will be stepping into Coach Antczak's well established distance running program. Antczak has developed young men and women for the last 31 years and his legacy will forever be cemented at UW-Platteville.  Through the interview process, Coach Akita emphasized the importance of utilizing the rich history that Coach Antczak has laid as a foundation.  We are thrilled to entrust James with this next chapter of UW-Platteville distance running," said Rotzenberg. 

Most recently, Akita led the University of Minnesota Morris Cougars. He also had stops as head coach at Lake Forest College and a 14-season stint leading his alma mater Elmhurst College.  

Numerous teams have ranked nationally over the years, and his student-athletes have produced over 100 all-conference accolades. His teams have also been ranked over ten seasons in the top 25 nationally in team GPA.  

Akita earned his undergraduate degree while competing for the Blue Jays. He was a two-year team captain of both the cross country and track and field teams. As a student-athlete he earned eight All-CCIW honors, was a two-time NCAA DIII Track and Field National Qualifier and set five school records.   

Earning degrees in History and Secondary Education from Elmhurst, Akita received a Masters of Arts in Teaching from Rockford College. Outside of coaching, Akita enjoys running, gaming and golf.