Placing five runners in the top 16, the UW-Eau Claire women’s cross country team won the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional Championship for the second straight year on Saturday (Nov. 14) at Lake Breeze Golf Course in Winneconne, Wis.
UW-Eau Claire tallied 52 points to outdistance the 72 points of second-place Washington University (Mo.) as both teams qualified for the NCAA Division III Championship next Saturday (Nov. 21) in Beachwood, Ohio. Last season Washington University took third-place after winning the Midwest Regional in 2006 and 2007.
Leading the Blugolds were sixth-place Beth Easker in a time of 21:41, eighth-place Alyssa Sybilrud in a time of 21:42, 10th-place Margaret Ho in a time of 21:46, 12th-place Hannah Humbach in a time of 21:56 and 16th-place Elizabeth Prunty in a time of 22:08. Washington University had four runners grab top-15 results to punch their ticket to the NCAA Division III Championship. Aiding the Bears were runner-up Taryn Surtees in a time of 21:06, seventh-place Elizabeth Phillips in a time of 21:41, 13th-place Molly Schlamb in a time of 21:59 and 15th-place Jessica Londeree in a time of 22:05.
The top team finishes included UW-La Crosse in third-place with 98 points, fourth-place UW-Oshkosh with 139, fifth-place North Central College (Ill.) with 208, sixth-place University of Chicago (Ill.) with 237, seventh-place Wheaton College (Ill.) with 251, eighth-place Illinois Wesleyan University with 263, ninth-place UW-Platteville with 272 and 10th-place UW-Stevens Point with 278.
UW-Oshkosh’s Ayla Mitchell won her second consecutive individual crown by completing the course in 20:51. Mitchell finished first last year in a time of 21:28 after claiming second-place honors in 2007 in a time of 21:18.
Rounding out the top 15 individual finishes were Jenny Scherer of St. Norbert College in a third-place time of 21:31, Stephanie Perleber of UW-La Crosse in a fourth-place time of 21:35. Megan O’Grady of Carroll University in a fifth-place time of 21:37, Kerry Devitt of Illinois Wesleyan University in a ninth-place time of 21:45, Katelyn Williams of UW-La Crosse in a 11th-place time of 21:47, and Mary Kate Beyer of Monmouth College (Ill.) in a 14th-place time of 22:03.
Besides team entrants UW-Eau Claire and Washington University, Mitchell, Scherer, Perleber, O’Grady, Devitt, Williams and Beyer automatically qualify for the NCAA Division III Championship as individuals.
Additional team and individual selections to the NCAA Division III Championship from the Midwest Regional will be announced Sunday (Nov. 15).
