By Brett Haffner, UWEC Athletics
WEST SALEM, WI. (blugolds.com) - The University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire men's cross country team finished 3rd at the Jim Drews/Tori Neubauer Invitational, scoring 89 points. The women's cross country team took home 2nd place, scoring 61 points. The men's team champion was UW-La Crosse, scoring 60 points, and the women's team champion was also UW-La Crosse, scoring 19 points.
Men's Results | Women's Results
The men's cross country team ran a strong, patient race on Friday, finishing third behind UW-La Crosse (USTFCCCA Nationally Ranked #11) and Iowa Central Community College. Connor Dolan (Sr. - Nekoosa, WI/Assumption) and Brett Haffner (Jr. - Darien, IL/Hinsdale South) were the top two finishers for the Blugolds, finishing 7th, and 12th, respectively. Dolan covered the 8k distance in 25:00.7, and Haffner ran 25:13.9.
Rounding out the top 5 for the Blugolds were Mason Shea (Fr. - River Falls, WI/River Falls), Tyler Osen (So. - Lakeville, MN/Lakeville North), and Jake Petri (Sr. - Muskego, WI/Muskego), completing a narrow split of 46 seconds between the 1st and 5th scoring runners. Shea finished in 19th, running 25:28.6; Osen finished in 26th, running 25:41.9; and Petri finished in 28th, running 25:46.4.
On the women's side, the Blugolds finished in a strong 2nd place behind USTFCCCA Nationally Ranked #8 UW-La Crosse. Katie Faris (Jr. - Chippewa Falls, WI/Chippewa Falls) continued her impressive season as the Blugolds' low-stick, finishing in 7th place, running 22:22.5. Carolyn Shult (So. - Augusta, WI/Augusta) stepped up as the Blugolds' second runner, finishing in 9th place and running 22:29.1.
"I think everyone worked well together with their groups today and pushed each other well. The next few weeks should be exciting, heading into the championship season," Shult said.
Finishing right behind Shult, Naomi Long (Jr. - Medina, MN/Wayzata) finished in 10th place, running 22:35.0. To complete the Blugolds' scoring five, Emma Drangstveit (Sr. - Lakeville, MN/Lakeville North) and Christi Forman (So. - Waterloo, WI/Waterloo) finished in 20th and 21st, respectively. Drangstveit ran 22:47.0, and Forman was right behind her in 22:48.8.
On the team's performance, "today was the best that both the men's and women's team has raced this season, which has me very excited for the next few weeks of racing," said Coach Dan Schwambeger.
Next up for the Blugolds will be the City Wells 5k, held at the Eau Claire City Municipal Well Fields, in Eau Claire, WI.
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