By Alanna Huggett, UWEC Sports Information
Eau Claire, WI (Blugolds.com) – It was another successful race day for the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's cross country team. The Blugolds raced at the City Wells Invitational, winning the meet with a score of 15 points.
Jackson Wichtendahl (So. – Alexandria, MN) was the first Blugold to finish for the team. Wichtendahl placed 2nd with a time of 16:12.
Wichtendahl said, "the race went well for me. I was feeling good leading into it which gave me a good amount of confidence."
The next Blugold to cross the line was Cole Michaelsen (Fr. – New Auburn, WI/Bloomer). Michaelsen placed 3rd with a time of 16:16. Following Michaelsen was Preston Guttenberg (Fr. – Black River Falls, WI/Blair-Taylor). Guttenberg finished 4th with a time of 16:21.
Payne Freske (Fr. – Rosemount, MN) was 5th with a time of 16:22. Braden Benson (So. – Rogers, MN/Buffalo) rounded out the top 5 for the men's team. Benson placed 6th with a time of 16:25.
Alex Percival (Jr. – Stillwater, MN) was the next Blugold to cross the finish line. Percival was 7th and finished in 16:26. Following Percival was teammate Harrison Redepenning (Sr. – Anoka, MN). Redepenning finished in 8th place and ran a time of 16:28.
Wichtendahl also said the City Wells is a fun course for the Blugolds.
"Our team raced really well out there," said Wichtendahl. "It seemed like just about everybody got a new PR (personal record), which makes a race so much more exciting. It really shows how well we've been working together as a team this year."
Head Coach Dan Schwamberger said he is looking forward to upcoming races based off Friday's performance.
"The team ran incredibly strong. It has me excited to see what's possible in our championship season."
The Blugolds will start their championship season this next Saturday, November 2 at the WIAC Conference Meet held at the Cole Acres Golf Course. The meet will be hosted by UW-Platteville.
