MADISON, Wis. (Blugolds.com) - The Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) announced today the Women's Cross Country All-Time Team that will be recognized in conjunction with the conference's upcoming Centennial Celebration. All-Time Teams are being selected in those men's and women's sports that have been classified as "championship" sports at some point during the conference's 100-year history. Additional teams will be released on a weekly basis throughout much of the 2011-12 academic year.
Named to the All-Time Team were Katie Somers and Deanna Marchello (see more info below).
| Women's Cross Country All-Time Team | |||
| Name | School | Years Participated | Hometown (High School)* |
| Sarah Anderson | UW-Superior | 1996-99 | Maple, Wis. (Northwestern) |
| Wendy Burman | UW-Parkside | 1979-80 | Fond du Lac, Wis. (Goodrich) |
| Tiffany (Speckman) Ebensperger | UW-Oshkosh | 1994-97 | Juda, Wis. |
| Jenny Fiedler | UW-La Crosse | 1996-99 | Buffalo, Minn. |
| Laura Horejs | UW-Oshkosh | 1988-91 | Oshkosh, Wis. (Lourdes) |
| Ayla Mitchell | UW-Oshkosh | 2007-09 | New Richmond, Wis. |
| Tori Neubauer | UW-La Crosse | 1980-83 | Oshkosh, Wis. (North) |
| Cheryl Niederberger | UW-Oshkosh | 1985-88 | Verona, Wis. |
| Julia Rudd | UW-La Crosse | 2002-05 | Oshkosh, Wis. (West) |
| Katie Somers (More Info) | UW-Eau Claire | 1981-84 | Germantown, Wis. (Washington) |
| Liz Woodworth | UW-Oshkosh | 2000-01, 03-04 | Marinette, Wis. |
| Katie Webb | Marquette Univ. | 1981-84 | |
| Tiffany Fox | UW-Oshkosh | 1986-89 | Markesan, Wis. |
| Deanna Marchello (More Info) | UW-Eau Claire | 1981-83 | Fond du Lac, Wis. (St. Mary's Springs) |
| Women's Cross Country All-Time Coach: Deb Vercauteren (UW-Oshkosh) (1981-2000) | |||
| *Indicates hometown and high school whie attending school | |||
WIAC Commissioner Gary Karner remarked that this has been an extremely difficult process given the 100-year span and incomparable success the conference has experienced in most of its sports. Karner noted that in some sports, even achieving All-American status didn't necessarily guarantee an athlete a spot on the team. He also acknowledged that while disagreement is inherent and expected whenever there is a selection of an all-time anything (be it a team, restaurant or movie), the conference nonetheless felt it important to recognize student-athletes and coaches who have contributed to the success of the most accomplished Division III conference in NCAA history.
The student-athlete representation on each team has relied heavily on input provided by the sports information director from each of the nine WIAC campuses, while the process for selecting the head coach(es) for each team also includes input from a panel of media representatives. The number of individuals selected per team varies depending upon the nature of the sport itself as well as the number of years the sport has/had been sponsored within the conference.
The conference has also elected to establish a special "legacy" category to recognize those student-athletes and coaches who had extremely accomplished careers but competed during an era(s) when the compilation of statistical data was spotty at best and/or the style of play at that time does not translate for comparative purposes to the stats prevalent in the modern era. The WIAC "Legacy Team" will also be named at a later date.
All-Time Team members will receive certificates from the conference and it is hoped that most, if not all, of the recipients will be in attendance or represented at the WIAC Centennial Banquet to be held at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison on August 4, 2012.
More information on the activities and events associated with the WIAC Centennial can be accessed via the WIAC website at www.wiacsports.com.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is the proud sponsor of the WIAC Centennial Celebration
