EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (Blugolds.com) - The UW-Eau Claire women's cross country team is set to compete in Saturday's NCAA Division III Championship, hosted by Wartburg College at H. J. Max Championship Cross Country Course in Waverly, Iowa.
In addition to the women's team, Tom Breitbach (Sr.-Muskego, Wis.) will represent the Blugold men at nationals. He earned an at-large bid earlier this week.
The men's 8K race will get underway at 11 a.m. while the women's 6K competition will start at noon.
The Blugold women won last year's national title, the second in program history but first in the NCAA (also won the 1984 NAIA title).
This year's team has improved steadily throughout the season and has a chance to contend for the top spot again.
The Blugolds enter the race ranked fifth in the country and most recently won the NCAA Midwest Regional for the third straight year, while they won their fourth straight WIAC title two weeks earlier.
Competing at nationals for Eau Claire will be Margaret Ho (Sr.-Wisconsin Rapids, Wis./Lincoln), Ashlyn Mauer (So.-Sheboygan Falls, Wis.), Elly Prunty (Sr.-Antigo, Wis.), Kacey Rindy (Jr.-Fennimore, Wis.), Madi Sawyer (Fr.-Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park), Alyssa Sybilrud (Jr.-Savage, Minn./Burnsville) and Molly Woodford (Sr.-Waukesha, Wis./South).
Ho, Prunty and Sybilrud have consistently led the Blugolds all season long, with all three finishing in the top 10 a number of times this season. Both Sybilrud and Ho earned All-American honors at nationals last season after finishing 21st and 33rd, respectively, to lead the Blugolds.
