CUBA CITY, Wis. (Blugolds.com) – The 10th-ranked UW-Eau Claire women's cross country team claimed its sixth straight WIAC Title today at Cole Acres Golf Course.
Three Blugolds placed in the top four and all five Blugolds that accumulated points finished 12th or better.
Eau Claire won the title with 32 points, nine fewer than last season, while UW-La Crosse took second with 69 points on the 6K course. UW-Oshkosh was third with 71.
Ashlyn Mauer (Sr.-Sheboygan Falls, Wis.) led the Blugolds as she took second with a time of 21:22.6, just under seven seconds behind the winner, Christy Cazzola from UW-Oshkosh.
Madi Sawyer (Jr.-Champlin, Minn./Park) and Steph Sjostrom (Sr.-Champlin, Minn./Park) crossed the line in third and fourth, respectively. Sawyer came in with a time of 21:58.9 while Sjostrom was fourth with a mark of 22:14.2.
In 11th place was Elaina Meurer (Fr.-Fond Du Lac, Wis./St. Mary's Springs), who crossed the finish line with a time of 22:42.1 while Kelsey Jaeger (So.-Waukesha, Wis./West) took 12th with a time of 22:42.6.
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.
At the conclusion of the championship, Mauer was named the Judy Kruckman Co-Scholar-Athlete with UW-River Falls' Katie Rydeen. Additionally, Jami Riley (Jr.-Fairmont, Minn.) was named to the WIAC All-Sportsmanship Team.
Next Friday, the Blugolds will be back in action at Luther College's JV Cup in Decorah, Iowa. The NCAA Regional is the following Saturday (Nov. 10) while nationals is Nov. 17.
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