By Brett Haffner, UWEC Sports Information
NORTHFIELD, Minn. (blugolds.com) – Competing in their first cross country meet against other schools in two years, the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's and women's cross country teams captured a third place finishes at the St. Olaf Invitational. The men finished with 68 points out of 13 teams and the women scored 57 points, out of the 15 teams competing on their side. The meet champion for the men was the host, St. Olaf, scoring 46 points and for the women was UW-La Crosse, with 42 points.
Men's Team Results | Men's Individual Results
Women's Team Results | Women's Individual Results
On the men's side, Connor Dolan (Sr. - Nekoosa, WI/Assumption) led the Blugolds, taking home a 4th place finish with a time of 25:44.1 over the 8K distance. Following closely behind him was Mason Shea (Fr. - River Falls, WI/River Falls), taking 5th place with a time of 25:49.2.
Regarding the team performance, Dolan said "I thought today was a strong opener for the team. We had a lot of new runners and I think it was a good learning experience for the team as we continue to get stronger throughout the season."
Rounding out the top 5 for the Blugold men were Tyler Osen (Jr. - Lakeville, MN/Lakeville North), Jace Bartz (Sr. - White Bear Lake, MN/White Bear Lake), and Dan Lau (Sr. - Eau Claire, WI/Immanuel Lutheran). Osen finished 15th, running 26:07.0; Bartz came in at 22nd, running 26:19.8; and Lau finished 27th, running 26:25.0.
For the women, Katie Faris (Sr. - Chippewa Falls, WI/Chippewa Falls) led the charge for the Blugolds, taking home a runner-up finish and running 23:04.6 for the 6K distance. Following her was Kylie Judd (Jr. - Anchorage, Alaska/AJ Diamond), earning 9th place, running 23:23.3.
Completing the top 5 for the Blugolds were Naomi Long (Sr - Medina, MN/Wayzata), Emma Drangstveit (Sr. - Lakeville, MN/Lakeville North), and Julia Karls (Jr. - St. Cloud, MN/Apollo). Long finished in 14th place, running 23:31.8; Drangstveit finished right behind Long in 15th place, running 23:33.1; and Karls finished in 17th place, running 23:34.9.
Overall, Coach Dan Schwamberger thought that "[the race] was a positive start to the season that shows both the men and women have high potential if we continue training smart."
Next up for the Blugolds will be the Blugold Invite on October 1st, held at Whitetail Golf Course in Colfax, Wisconsin.
Follow the Blugolds all season long at Blugold Game Day or on our app, UWEC Blugolds.
