By Alanna Huggett, UWEC Sports Information
Winneconne, Wis. (Blugolds.com) – The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's cross-county team raced at the Pre-Nationals/UW-Oshkosh/Kollege Town Invite this past Saturday at the Lake Breeze Golf Course.
Pre-Nationals Results | UWO Invite Results | Photos
It was a cool and crisp morning as the Blugolds competed against 50 other teams in the Pre-Nationals race. Racing on a flat and muddy course, the men finished 18th in the Pre-Nationals race. North Central College won the meet. The Pre-Nationals race consisted of the top seven men for the Blugolds.
Wyatt Elmer (Sr. – Mankato, MN/Mankato Loyola) led the Blugolds, finishing 66th with a time of 26:17. Elmer said his race was a success despite the muddy race day conditions.
"It went very well – I had a lot of fun in the mud," said Elmer.
Following Elmer was teammate Patrick Treacy (Sr. – Fall Creek, WI/Eau Claire Memorial) who finished 108th with a time of 26:35. Connor Dolan (So. Nekoosa, WI/Assumption) was the third finisher for the Blugolds, placing 114th with a time of 26:37.
Rounding out the scoring five for the Blugolds were Sam Kuhlmann (Sr. – Shorewood, WI/Shorewood) and Anthony Dupont (Sr. – Mendota Heights, MN/Henry Sibley). Kuhlmann finished 126th with a time of 26:44, and Dupont finished 129th with a time of 26:46.
Jace Bartz (Fr. – White Bear Lake, MN/White Bear Lake) and Alex Winn (Jr. – Kingston, WA/Kingston) finished the top seven for the team in the Pre-Nationals race. Bartz finished 189th with a time of 27:17 and Winn finished 212th with a time of 27:34.
In the UW-Oshkosh/Kollege Town Invite (8+ runners on the team), the Blugolds finished 8th out of 33 teams.
Harrison Redepenning (Jr. – Anoka, MN/Anoka) was the first finisher, placing 76th with a time of 27:48. Following Redepenning were David Bachmeir (Jr. – Long Prairie, MN/ Long Prairie-Grey Eagle) and Sid Gross (Fr. – Saint Paul, MN/Highland Park). Bachmeir finished 78th with a time of 27:50 and Gross finished 82nd with a time of 27:54.
Bailey Wilson (Jr. – New Richmond, WI/New Richmond) and Chad Couser (So. – Rochester, MN/Rochester Mayo) rounded out the top 5 for the Blugolds in the open invitational. Wilson finished 88th with a time of 27:55 and Couser finished 92nd with a time of 27:57.
Head Coach Dan Schwamberger said the team worked hard during the race on Saturday and the team's performance was representative of where the Blugolds are at in their training.
"I think there's some things we can definitely work on – but I think we're at a good spot," Schwamberger said.
The UW-Eau Claire men's cross-country team will be back in action at the City Wells Invite on Friday, October 19th at the Eau Claire City Well Fields.
The top 12 men who raced at the Lake Breeze Golf Course on Saturday will be racing again at the WIAC Conference meet on Saturday, October 27th. This will be another home meet for the Blugolds. The WIAC Conference meet is located at Whitetail Golf Course in Colfax, WI.
