When Zach Wilhelmy graduated from Aquinas High School in 2008, he kept right on running toward what he believed was his ideal destination.

Wilhelmy, a state champion in both cross country and track and field for the Blugolds, had set his finish line at the University of Wisconsin.

Then, the course shifted. But Wilhelmy kept going, more than happy to wind up at UW-La Crosse.

"It's been such a blessing," Wilhelmy said.

Wilhelmy and the NCAA Division III No. 3-ranked Eagles will compete in their only home meet of the season, the Jim Drews Invitational, at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Maple Grove Country Club in West Salem.

The powerhouse UW-L men's cross country program was already loaded with talented athletes before the 2009 season started. The addition of Wilhelmy was like the New York Yankees grabbing another prize free agent.

Except this had nothing to do with money, just an athlete finding the place he was meant to be at all along.

"When you're in high school, you want to be the big man on campus and say you're going D-I," Wilhelmy said. "But when you get to college, it becomes all about what fits you and where you are comfortable. I could have gone to a couple D-I or D-II programs, but they wouldn't have fit me. I have great teammates now, and when you're here, you really feel you're a part of something bigger than you."

Wilhelmy won the WIAA Division 3 state individual cross country title in 2006 as a junior, and led the Blugolds to a team state title in 2007. Wilhelmy, who switched from football to cross country his sophomore year, finished his prep career by winning the Division 2 3,200-meter race at the WIAA State Track and Field Meet.

On to Wisconsin, or so Wilhelmy thought. He wasn't accepted into the school on his first try, so he enrolled at Viterbo to improve his grades and train on his own.

Several things happened last fall that pointed Wilhelmy toward UW-L.

He went to watch his friends on the Eagles men's team, including former Aquinas runner Connor Lonning, at the Drews/Neubauer Invitational, the Eagles' home meet, and got caught up in the camaraderie and competition.

Then, the Wisconsin cross country coaching staff changed, and the new coaches didn't know about Wilhelmy and didn't seem to have him in their plans for the future.

"Connor and I would have these talks," Wilhelmy said, "he'd make me think about, 'What's the reason for your running? Is it good enough to go to D-I and travel to a couple meets, and are you really going to develop, or go somewhere like La Crosse where you're wanted and actually contributing?'"

Lonning, a senior this fall, said he asked Wilhelmy the same questions he'd asked of himself after high school.

"We really cut it down to the bone: 'Why do you want to run?'" Lonning said. "For me, it's because I love it. He had to decide for himself."

Wilhelmy knew the answer. He enrolled at UW-L for the 2009 spring semester.

"I really am fortunate that they kept tabs on me and wanted me to come here," Wilhelmy said.

Wilhelmy didn't break stride, joining the indoor and outdoor track teams. He won the WIAC 1,500-meter title. This fall, he's stepped in as the cross country team's No. 1 runner, and has won two races, including the University of Minnesota Roy Griak Invitational on Sept. 26.

"We always hoped he'd run at this level, but he's really gotten there faster than I thought he would," UW-L coach Don Fritsch said. "It's going to be a challenge now to see how good he can be. If we can surround him with enough talent in the coming years to complement him, that's our goal when he's here is to win some national titles, and he's definitely a major building block for that."

UW-L also competed in the Wisconsin adidas Invitational on Oct. 3 as the only Division III team in a Division I race.

Wilhelmy was the Eagles' top runner, finishing 21st. His time (24 minutes, 33 seconds) was better than four of the Badgers' runners.

"That really was like the closer," Wilhelmy said. "I would have been on (Wisconsin's) varsity, at least on that day, and I know I could have ran there."

Not that Wilhelmy is looking back.

"It's the best decision I made," Wilhelmy said. "I really just wanted to run."