WAVERLY, Iowa (UWECblugolds.com) - The UW-Eau Claire women's cross country team finished in fourth place at the 2010 NCAA Division III Championship at H. J. Max Championship Cross Country Course in Waverly, Iowa today.

The Blugolds, who won last year's national title, have finished eight or better in each of the last four years. This was the team's sixth straight trip to the national meet. Eau Claire finished with 218 points while Middlebury won the title with 185. Washington University (Mo.) was second with 193 and MIT was third with 214.

Eau Claire was paced by three All-American finishes. The top 35 overall finishers earn All-American status.

Elly Prunty (Sr.-Antigo, Wis.) was the top Blugold finisher, coming in 17th place with a time of 21:34.1. She improved greatly over last season's national championship where she took 120th place with a time of 23:47.

The next two finishers for Eau Claire were right on each other's heels, with Margaret Ho (Sr.-Wisconsin Rapids, Wis./Lincoln) finishing with a time of 21.38.9 while Alyssa Sybilrud (Jr.-Savage, Minn./Burnsville) came in with a mark of 21.39.1. They finished 22nd and 23rd overall, respectively.

Next in for Eau Claire was Ashlyn Mauer (So.-Sheboygan Falls, Wis.) with a time of 22:38.0 in 129th place while Madi Sawyer (Fr.-Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park) rounded out the top five with a time of 22:40.0 in 133rd place.

Also competing at this year's race was Kacey Rindy (Jr.-Fennimore, Wis.) (142nd) and Molly Woodford (Sr.-Waukesha, Wis./South) (222nd).

The three All-American finishes for Eau Claire is the most since 1985, when the Blugolds took second at NAIA nationals. Sybilrud and Ho became two-time All-Americans as they both received the honor a season ago. View Blugolds' All-American History