By Brendon Paucek, UWEC Sports Information
Winneconne, Wis. (Blugolds.com) – For the fourth consecutive year, the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's cross country team earned a bid to complete in the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships.
By placing first and second in the team standings, North Central and UW-Eau Claire automatically qualified for this weekend's national championships. In addition, UW-La Crosse and Washington University in St. Louis were awarded at-large bids.
The men placed second overall behind North Central at the Midwest Regional meet and had five runners earn All-Region honors. Junior standout Darin Lau (Jr. - Eau Claire, WI/Immanuel Lutheran) placed third overall, completing the 8,000m course in 24:32 to lead the Blugolds.
"I felt my race went well," said Lau. "My goal was to just stick in the top five and not give any ground. I felt fairly comfortable in third the whole race."
Also finishing with All-Region recognition were Nick Petersson (Sr. - Brookfield, WI/Central), Patrick Treacy (So. - Fall Creek, WI/Memorial), Matt Cyra (Sr. - Eagle, WI/Mukwonago), and Riley Huffman (Jr. - Oshkosh, WI/North). The four Blugolds finished 6th (24:53), 20th (25:15), 29th (25:29), and 33rd (25:36), respectively.
"I got out right where I wanted in the first mile with Cyra and Patrick, and just stayed as relaxed as possible for as long as I could," said Petersson. "Even at the end of the race I felt really in control; it was a nice confidence-booster for sure heading into nationals."
Rounding out the Blugolds' top seven were Sam Kuhlmann (So. - Shorewood, WI/Shorewood), who finished 58th (26:07), and Ryan Graham, finishing 65th (26:11).
Head Coach Dan Schwamberger was pleased with how smart the men raced.
"They did what they needed to do, and I don't think they over-extended themselves," said Schwamberger. "They should be ready for next week."
Expectations are high; the men are all too familiar with competing on a big stage; however, Petersson noted it's the first year they return as the reigning national champions.
"Now we are returning to back our program up," he said. "We have talked a lot about finishing in the top four teams and bringing home a trophy, but I don't want to limit us just to that. On a great day I think we can surprise some people; I wouldn't count our team out of anything."
Lau, a two-time All-American in cross country, is also well prepared for the big meet. He credits the team's smart approach.
"The main thing that has gotten this team to nationals these last few years is that we have all bought in to the training Dan has given us," he said. "We are well aware that other schools train a lot different than we do, but we believe our training works for us."
The NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships will be held this Saturday, November 19 in Louisville, Kentucky. Follow the action on Blugold Game Day.
