ROCK ISLAND, Ill. (Blugolds.com) - The UW-Eau Claire men's cross country competed at the 2010 NCAA Regional today, racing to a sixth place finish out of the 39 teams.
Led by Tom Breitbach's (Sr.-Muskego, Wis.) 15th place finish, the Blugolds earned 187 total points on the day for sixth place. North Central College (Ill.) captured the regional victory by claiming four of the top 10 spots for a total of 37 points. North Central, along with second place finisher UW-Platteville, will advance to the NCAA Nationals next weekend.
Breitbach's time of 24:37.1 paced the Blugold team, while Aric Runzheimer (So.-Delafield, Wis./Kettle Moraine) crossed the line in 24:49.6 for 30th place. Aaron Easker (So.-Eland, Wis./Wittenberg-Birnamwood ) and Max Renner (Sr.-Green Bay, Wis./East) ran the course in 24:54.7 and 24:59.9 for 33rd and 36th places. Conor Rafferty (So.-Menomonee Falls, Wis.) rounded out the top five for the Blugold team for a 73rd place finish in a time of 25:35.2.
North Central and Platteville will join 30 other teams at the NCAA Championship next Saturday in Waverly, Iowa. Of the participating teams, 16 teams represent the top two finishers at each regional event while the remaining teams are selected through at-large bids. The Blugolds will now wait to see if they earn an at-large bid.
