UW-La Crosse Earns Men’s Cross Country Title
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CUBA CITY, Wis.--University of Wisconsin-La Crosse won the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) men’s cross country championship at Cole Acres Golf Course on Oct. 27.
The Eagles secured the 31st first-place trophy in program archives with 30 points. UW-Eau Claire placed second with 89 points, UW-Platteville third with 92, UW-Stevens Point fourth with 98, UW-Stout fifth with 105, UW-Oshkosh sixth with 117, UW-River Falls seventh with 212, UW-Whitewater eighth with 218 and UW-Superior ninth with 295.
UW-Stout’s Tim Nelson collected the individual title for the second straight year, completing the 8,000-meter course in a time of 24:34.2 and topping the field of 105 competitors. He is the 13th individual in WIAC annals to claim multiple crowns.
UW-La Crosse’s Josh Dedering finished second in 24:59.7, UW-Oshkosh’s John Dewitt third in 25:04.5 and UW-Eau Claire’s Aaron Easker fourth in 25:07.1. They were followed by the UW-La Crosse trio of Garrett Kerska in fifth in 25:09.3, Josh Kaul sixth in 25:10.6 and Nate Routhier seventh in 25:14.4.
UW-Eau Claire’s Jeremy Kieser placed eighth in 25:15.1, UW-Platteville’s Derek Fahrenkrug ninth in 25:16.6, UW-La Crosse’s Sam Simones 10th in 25:22.0, UW-Platteville’s Ian LaMere 11th in 25:23.3, UW-Stout’s Patrick Jenkins 12th in 25:24.8, UW-Stout’s Mitch Easker 13th in 25:26.5 and UW-La Crosse’s Tom Linner 14th in 25:27.4.
UW-Stevens Point’s Evan Cooper was 15th in 25:29.5, UW-Oshkosh’s Kenny Halloran 16th in 25:32.5, UW-Platteville’s Joel Walden 17th in 25:35.0, UW-La Crosse’s Justin Lauria-Banta 18th in 25:35.1, UW-La Crosse’s Jacob Peterson 19th in 25:38.1 and UW-Stevens Point’s Logan Seipel 20th in 25:38.4.
The top seven runners in the race received All-WIAC first team recognition, while runners placing eight through 14 earned All-WIAC second team accolades. Individuals finishing 15 through 20 claimed honorable mention laurels.
Dewitt and Nelson were named co-recipients of the Max Sparger Scholar-Athlete Award.
An All-Sportsmanship Team was chosen for individuals that displayed exemplary sportsmanship throughout the season. It included one member from each school. Named to the squad were: UW-Eau Claire’s Conor Rafferty; UW-La Crosse’s Jacob Peterson; UW-Oshkosh’s John Dewitt; UW-Platteville’s Derek Fahrenkrug; UW-River Falls’ Charles Collins; UW-Stevens Point’s Evan Cooper; UW-Stout’s Mitch Easker; UW-Superior’s Andy Kast; and UW-Whitewater’s Kevin Buntman.
All nine WIAC teams will return to action Nov. 10, and participate in the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional at Lake Breeze Golf Club in Winneconne, Wis. The regional event will be hosted by UW-Oshkosh. The NCAA Division III Championship is scheduled for Nov. 17, at LaVerne Gibson Course in Terre Haute, Ind., and will be hosted by Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (Ind.).
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