CUBA CITY, Wis. (Blugolds.com) – The eighth-ranked UW-Eau Claire men's cross country team recorded its best finish at the WIAC Championship since 1989, finishing in second place today at Cole Acres Golf Course.
The Blugolds, who took fifth at last year's championship, finished with 89 points this year. UW-La Crosse won the title with 30 while UW-Platteville was third with 92.
Two Blugolds finished in the top eight while seven finished 34th or better on the 8K course.
Aaron Easker (Sr.-Eland, Wis./Wittenberg-Birnamwood) led the Blugolds as he finished fourth with a time of 25:07.1, was just eight seconds outside of second place. The winner, Tim Nelson from UW-Stout, finished with a time of 24:34.2.
Jeremy Kieser (Sr.-Verona, Wis.) was the second Blugold to cross the finish line, taking eighth with a time of 25:15.1.
Also scoring for Eau Claire were Paul Hetke (Jr.-Chetek, Wis.), Conor Rafferty (Sr.-Menomonee Falls, Wis.) and Eric Knutson (Jr.-Brookfield, Wis./Central). Hetke took 23rd place with a mark of 25:43 while Rafferty was 27th with a time of 25:49.6 and Knutson was 32nd with a time of 25:55.4.
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, Rafferty 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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