By Dan Lau, UWEC Sports Information
LANSING, Mich. (blugolds.com) — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire women's cross country team competed in the NCAA Division III national championships on Saturday. The Blugolds took 17th out of 32 teams, scoring 459 points. Johns Hopkins won the national championship. Also competing in the men's race was Blugold captain, Mason Shea (Jr. - River Falls, Wis.).
The NCAA Division III National Championships were held at Forest Akers Golf Course in Lansing, Mich. The meet was run in snow and temperatures in the teens. The women's team qualified by placing fourth at Regionals and Shea earned an individual spot.
On the women's side, Naomi Long (Sr. - Medina, Minn./Wayzata) led the team in 83rd place out of 292 competitors with a 6K time of 23:14.6. Carolyn Shult (Sr. - Augusta, Wis.) was the next Blugold to finish in 85th with a 23:15.2. Katie Faris (Sr. - Chippewa Falls, Wis.) came in next at 99th place in 23:25.9. The fourth Blugold was Ashley Kachurik (Sr. - Wadsworth, Ill./Warrens Township) in 167th with a 23:55.9. Keeley Behr (Fr. - Aurora, Ill./Matea Valley) finished in 169th with a 23:56.3. Rounding out the top seven for the Blugolds were Morgan Dahl (Jr. - Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View) who placed 199th in 24:08.1 and Ava Matejcek (Fr. - Mankato, Minn./East) who finished 234th in 24:24.8
"Carolyn Shult put herself in a great position to earn one of the coveted top 40 All-American spots, passing through the 5K mark in 35th place," Blugolds coach Dan Schwamberger said, "but ran out of energy over the final 800 meters."
"The team placed 17th of 32 teams, which is a nice improvement over last year's 22nd-place team finish. Today was a great way to conclude a fun and successful season."
Shea took 108th place out of 292 competitors with an 8K time of 26:08.8.
"Mason had a successful national meet by moving up 16 places over the final kilometer," Schwamberger said. "I'm proud of the way he maintained a positive mindset despite the challenging conditions."
