By Dan Lau, UWEC Sports Information
COLFAX, Wis. (Blugolds.com) The University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire men's cross country team competed in their home Blugold Invite this Friday. The Blugolds took 3rd out of 25 teams, scoring 124 points behind St. Olaf with 44 and UW-Stout with 71.
The UW- Eau Claire men raced in pretty ideal conditions with temperatures in the mid-60's at their annual Blugold Invite at Whitetail Golf Course in Colfax. The home course was very familiar to the team who raced their three times in 2021.
Mason Shea (Jr.- River Falls, WI) was the top Blugold with a 16th place finish at 25:23.48. Next in for Eau Claire was Sam Verkerke (Jr.- White Bear Lake, MN) with a 21st place finish at 25:35.43.
Also scoring for the Blugolds in the team's top five were Dan Lau (Sr.- Eau Claire, WI/Immanuel Lutheran) in 31st with a 25:49.85, Jack Hesse-Withbroe (So.- Stillwater, MN) in 33rd with 25:53.08, and Zach Yengo (Sr.- Eau Claire, WI/Regis) in 42nd with a 26:00.26.
Blugold captain Zach Yengo said, "The team did a great job running together as a unit and staying in tuned to how the race was developing. The start went out quicker than we thought, but we rolled with it and we put ourselves in position to be successful. Obviously, we always strive to win every meet and that was not the outcome today, but it was a step in the right direction for the bigger meets ahead. Today was good practice getting out fast which we will need to do at our next meet in Augustana which has a deep field on a fast course."
The Blugolds will be back in action at the Augustana Invitational in Rock Island, IL on Saturday October 15 with a race at 11:15 AM and the open at 12:45 PM.
Follow the Blugolds all season long at Blugold Game Day or on our app, UWEC Blugolds.
