The field of 19 teams included three other nationally ranked NCAA Division III programs, including No.2 St. Olaf College, No. 8 UW-La Crosse and No. 28 UW-Platteville. UW-Eau Claire won the meet with 45 points, St. Olaf was second with 60 points, UW-La Crosse was third with 86 points and UW-Platteville was fourth with 134 points.
Josh Thorson (Jr.-Plymouth, MN/Wayzata), who was third at the 2014 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships and 5K National Champion on the track this past outdoor season, raced for the first time this fall and looked strong finishing third of 360 runners with an impressive opening 8K time of 24:34.
Eau Claire native Darin Lau (So.-Eau Claire, WI/Immanuel Lutheran) also had a great race placing fifth in 24:44, followed closely by seniors Ryan Mugan (Howards Grove, WI) and Christian Leitner (Redwing, MN) placing eighth and 16th, respectively, with times of 25:05 and 25:28. Nick Petersson (Jr.-Brookfield, WI/Central) had one of the best races of his career, passing through the 5K in 24th place and moving up nicely the final 3K to finish 19th overall in 25:33. Juniors Brendon Paucek (Sullivan, WI/Jefferson) and Ryan Graham (Maple Grove, MN) both had career personal best times of 25:36 and 25:58 placing 22nd and 31st respectively.
The men will take this upcoming weekend off from competition in preparation for the UW-Oshkosh AAE Pre-National Meet on Saturday, October 17th at Lake Breeze Golf Course near Winneconne, WI.
