UW-Superior will host the 2005 WIAC Men's & Women's Cross Country Championships on Saturday (Oct. 29) at the Nemadji Golf Course in Superior. This year's meet marks the 45th running of the men's event and 28th edition of the women's competition.

UW-La Crosse is heavily favored to successfully defend its men's title from last season. The Eagles, who are ranked second in the country by the NCAA Division III Cross Country Coaches Association, have claimed 26 WIAC championships, including four in the last seven years.

Other teams expected to challenge for an upper-division finish in the men's meet are UW-Oshkosh, UW-Platteville and UW-Stevens Point. UW-Oshkosh is ranked seventh in the NCAA Division III, while UW-Platteville is 25th. Last year, UW-Platteville finished second, while UW-Stevens Point placed third and UW-Oshkosh fourth.

UW-Oshkosh captured WIAC titles in 1966, 1967, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1995, 2000, 2002 and 2003.

UW-Whitewater's Gary Garcia will attempt to repeat as the individual champion. If successful, he would become the 12th individual in WIAC history to accomplish the feat. Garcia is expected to receive competition for the top spot from UW-La Crosse's Mark Creger, UW-Oshkosh's Nick Boehlke (Sr. • Sugar Camp) and Willy Kaul (So. • Menomonee Falls) and UW-Platteville's Tyler Sigl. Sigl finished third a year ago, while Creger placed eighth and Kaul 13th.

The women's meet is expected to be a battle between UW-La Crosse and two-time defending champion UW-Stevens Point. UW-La Crosse, which won the event in 2002, is ranked third in the NCAA Division III, while UW-Stevens Point is 15th.

Other teams looking to make a run at the top spots in the standings are UW-Eau Claire and UW-Oshkosh. UW-Eau Claire is ranked 13th in the NCAA Division III, while UW-Oshkosh is 17th.

UW-Oshkosh finished first at the WIAC Championship in 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000.

The individual title in the women's race should be a two-person competition between UW-Stevens Point's Jenna Mitchler and UW-La Crosse's Julia Rudd. Mitchler finished fourth at last year's championship, while Rudd did not participate.

Also expected to compete for top individual finishes are UW-Platteville's Marcia Taddy, UW-Stevens Point's Teresa Stanley and UW-Whitewater's Megan Kielar. Taddy finished seventh a year ago, while Kielar placed ninth.

The top seven performers in both the men's and women's races receive all-conference first team honors. Runners finishing in places eight through 14 will receive all-conference second team accolades.

WIAC teams will participate in the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional on Nov. 12 in Peoria, Ill., with the top teams and individuals advancing to the NCAA Division III Championship on Nov. 19 in Delaware, Ohio.

Sean Meehan (Sr. • New Berlin) ran to the individual title to lead the UW-Oshkosh men's cross country team to a dominating performance in a non-scoring meet the Titans hosted Friday (Oct. 21) at the Lake Breeze Golf Course in Winneconne. The event also included athletes from UW-Stevens Point and athletes running unattached.

UW-Oshkosh competed in the meet with only 13 of its 23 runners. The remaining members of the team were resting for the WIAC Championship on Oct. 29 in Superior.

UW-Oshkosh swept the top-four individual finishes as Meehan placed first in the 8,000-meter race with a time of 25:53. Meehan was followed by Andrew McGuire's (Fr. • Wisconsin Rapids) second-place time of 25:56, Adam Zamzow's (So. • Green Bay) third-place time of 26:05 and Dusty Dorshorst's (Fr. • Poynette) fourth-place time of 26:26.

The Titans also had Jon Simon (So. • Milwaukee) finish sixth in 26:45, Kyle Peterson (So. • Neenah) seventh in 26:47, Dan Curran (Fr. • Mt. Horeb) eighth in 26:58, Nick Sydow (Fr. • Marshfield) ninth in 27:10 and Justin Darrow (Fr. • Sobieski) 10th in 27:23.

Other UW-Oshkosh competitors in the meet were Jamie Selinske (Fr. • Madison), who finished 13th in 27:49, Harrison Fegley (So. • Menomonee Falls), who placed 20th in 28:09, Pat O'Brien (So. • Marinette), who ranked 22nd in 28:13, and Thayne Dettmann (Fr. • Watertown), who listed 27th in 30:01.

A total of 29 runners finished the race.

Willy Kaul (So. • Menomonee Falls) finished third among 223 runners to lead the UW-Oshkosh men's cross country team to a second-place performance in its own invitational held Saturday (Oct. 15) at the Lake Breeze Golf Course in Winneconne.

Calvin College (Mich.), last year's NCAA Division III champion, scored 19 points to capture its second consecutive UW-Oshkosh Invitational title. The Knights won the 12-team event by having five of the top-nine individual finishers.

UW-Oshkosh counted 75 points to finish second in the team standings. The Titans were followed by third-place Aquinas College (Mich.) with 100 points, fourth-place Washington University (Mo.) with 158 and fifth-place Carleton College (Minn.) with 161.

The order of finish in the team standings was completed by sixth-place Augustana College (Ill.) with 171 points, seventh-place UW-Stevens Point with 187, eighth-place Hope College (Mich.) with 196, ninth-place Elmhurst College (Ill.) with 221, 10th-place Carthage College with 239, 11th-place Bethel College (Minn.) with 295 and 12th-place Monmouth College (Ill.) with 316.

This year's meet featured five nationally-ranked teams, with Calvin College being ranked first, UW-Oshkosh seventh, Augustana College 11th and Carleton College 24th in the NCAA Division III and Aquinas College second in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).

Kaul paced UW-Oshkosh by completing the 8,000-meter course in a time of 24:44. Calvin College had the top-two finishers in the meet as Tim Finnegan placed first in 24:30 and Harrison Jorritsma second in 24:33. The Knights also had Jon Griese finish fourth in 24:54 and Jed Christiansen fifth in 25:03.

UW-Oshkosh's team scoring concluded with Nick Boehlke's (Sr. • Sugar Camp) 14th-place time of 25:21, Cal Kromm's (Sr. • Omro) 16th-place time of 25:25, Ryan Richardson's (Jr. • Winnebago, Ill.) 27th-place time of 25:43 and Patrick O'Brien's (So. • Appleton) 31st-place time of 25:47.

The Titans also had Geoff Gundlach (So. • Middleton) finish 36th in 25:51, Nate Boehlke (Jr. • Sugar Camp) 42nd in 25:55, Brian Kelley (Jr. • Winnebago, Ill.) 43rd in 25:56, Derek O'Connell (Sr. • Hartland) 44th in 25:58, Adam Zamzow (So. • Green Bay) 71st in 26:25, Jon Simon (So. • Milwaukee) 73rd in 26:33, Sean Meehan (Sr. • New Berlin) 77th in 26:37, Andrew McGuire (Fr. • Wisconsin Rapids) 82nd in 26:41 and Dusty Dorshorst (Fr. • Poynette) 97th in 26:52.

Athletes from nine nationally-ranked men's and women's cross country teams will race around Winneconne's Lake Breeze Golf Course on Saturday (Oct. 15) as UW-Oshkosh hosts its only invitational of the 2005 season.

The women's 6,000-meter race, which starts at 10:30 a.m., features four of the top-18 teams in the NCAA Division III. The list of participants is led by fourth-ranked Washington University (Mo.), 14th-ranked Calvin College, 15th-ranked UW-Stevens Point and 18th-ranked UW-Oshkosh.

Other teams in the women's division are Bethel College (Minn.), Hope College (Mich.) and Monmouth College (Ill.).

The men's 8,000-meter race, which begins at 11:15 a.m., includes four of the top-24 teams in the NCAA Division III. The field of competitors is led by top-ranked and defending NCAA Division III champion Calvin College, seventh-ranked UW-Oshkosh, 11th-ranked Augustana College (Ill.) and 24th-ranked Carleton College (Minn.). The men's category also includes Aquinas College (Mich.), the second-ranked team in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.

Other teams in the men's division are Bethel College, Carthage College, Elmhurst College (Ill.), Hope College, Monmouth College, UW-Stevens Point and Washington University.

Calvin College scored 30 points to win the men's division of last year's UW-Oshkosh Invitational, while UW-Oshkosh and UW-Stevens Point counted 33 points each to share the top spot in the women's section.

Admission to the meet is $5 per automobile.

The UW-Oshkosh men’s cross country team rested 14 of its 23 runners and still had enough talent to take first place at the Ripon College Invitational held Saturday (Oct. 8) in Ripon.

UW-Oshkosh won the nine-team event with 32 points, while Ripon College finished second with 37, UW-Stevens Point third with 84, Beloit College fourth with 96 and Milwaukee School of Engineering fifth with 122.

UW-Oshkosh had four of the top-seven individual finishers in the 8,000-meter race. Dusty Dorshorst (Fr. • Poynette) led the Titans with a fourth-place time of 26:51, while Dan Curran (Fr. • Mt. Horeb) finished fifth in 27:13, Justin Darrow (Fr. • Sobieski) sixth in 27:13 and Nick Sydow (Fr. • Marshfield) seventh in 27:17. UW-Oshkosh completed its scoring with Kyle Peterson’s (So. • Neenah) 10th-place time of 27:33.

Dave Billings of Ripon College won the individual title with a time of 25:36, while Joe Cardillo of Beloit College finished second in 25:51 and Jim Hein of Ripon College third in 26:43. A total of 97 runner finished the race.

UW-Oshkosh’s list of participants concluded with Jamie Selinske’s (Fr. • Madison) 34th-place time of 28:33, Harrison Fegley’s (So. • Menomonee Falls) 39th place time of 28:41, Patrick O’Brien’s (So. • Marinette) 43rd-place time of 29:00 and Thayne Dettman’s (Fr. • Watertown) 65th-place time of 30:16.

Competing against its strongest field of teams of the season, the UW-Oshkosh men's cross country squad posted a sixth-place finish in the Gold Division of the Notre Dame Invitational held Friday (Sept. 30) in South Bend, Ind.

Defending NCAA Division III champion Calvin College (Mich.) scored 45 points to win the 26-team event that featured several NCAA Division I squads. The University of Windsor (Ontario, Canada) finished second with 53 points, while the University of Notre Dame (Ind.) placed third with 140, University of Wyoming fourth with 154 and North Central College (Ill.) fifth with 157.

Ending the top-10 teams were sixth-place UW-Oshkosh with 163 points, seventh-place University of Akron (Ohio) with 195, eighth-place Belmont University (Tenn.) with 206, ninth-place Edinboro University (Pa.) with 256 and 10th-place Augustana College (Ill.) with 281.

Willy Kaul (So. • Menomonee Falls) was the top UW-Oshkosh finisher, placing third in the five-mile race with a time of 24:44. Cristiano Mauricio of the University of Windsor won the race of 208 participants with a time of 24:21, while Tim Finnegan of Calvin College finished second in 24:44.

In addition to Kaul, UW-Oshkosh also received scoring from Nick Boehlke's (Sr. • Sugar Camp) 21st-place time of 25:42, Cal Kromm's (Sr. • Omro) 26th-place time of 25:45, Ryan Richardson's (Jr. • Winnebago, Ill.) 51st-place time of 26:09 and Andrew McGuire's (Fr. • Wisconsin Rapids) 62nd-place time of 26:14.

UW-Oshkosh's entries in the meet were concluded by Derek O'Connell's (Sr. • Hartland) 68th-place time of 26:20, Patrick O'Brien's (So. • Appleton) 92nd-place time of 26:36, Nate Boehlke's (Jr. • Sugar Camp) 96th-place time of 26:40 and Brian Kelley's (Jr. • Winnebago, Ill.) 103rd-place time of 26:45.

UW-Oshkosh had four athletes compete in the Junior Varsity/Open Division of the Notre Dame Invitational. Matt Berndt (Sr. • Grafton) led the Titans with a 10th-place time of 26:32 on the five-mile course. UW-Oshkosh also had Adam Zamzow (So. • Green Bay) finish 11th in 26:33, Sean Meehan (Sr. • New Berlin) 23rd in 27:13 and Geoff Gundlach (So. • Middleton) 29th in 27:33. Ryan McKenzie, competing unattached, outran the 54 participants in the race with a time of 24:21.

Jon Simon (So. • Milwaukee) captured the individual title as the UW-Oshkosh men’s cross country team ruled the non-scoring UW-Whitewater Open held Friday (Sept. 30) in Whitewater. The Titans competed in the meet without 13 athletes who were participating at the Notre Dame Invitational held earlier in the day.

UW-Oshkosh swept the top-five individual finishes as Simon edged teammate Dusty Dorshorst (Fr. • Poynette) by five-tenths of a second for first place. Simon ran to a winning time of 28:10.0, while Dorshort finished second in 28:10.5. The Titans also had Dan Curran (Fr. • Mt. Horeb) place third in 28:13, Justin Darrow (Fr. • Sobieski) fourth in 28:19 and Kyle Peterson (So. • Neenah) fifth in 28:22.

UW-Oshkosh’s individual rankings were completed by Nick Sydow’s (Fr. • Marshfield) eighth-place time of 29:14, Harrison Fegley’s (So. • Menomonee Falls) 10th-place time of 29:34, Jamie Selinske’s (Fr. • Madison) 11th-place time of 29:42, Patrick O’Brien’s (So. • Marinette) 13th-place time of 29:54 and Thayne Dettmann’s (Fr. • Watertown) 15th-place time of 31:08.

A total of 16 runners competed in the meet.

The UW-Oshkosh men’s cross country team had a pair of top-25 individual finishers as it placed fifth in the Maroon Division of the Roy Griak Invitational held Saturday (Sept. 24) in Falcon Heights, Minn.

UW-La Crosse scored 80 points to successfully defend its Maroon Division title, while NCAA Division II Minnesota State University-Mankato placed second with 104. University of South Dakota finished third in the 43-team meet with 152 points, while Wartburg College (Iowa) ranked fourth with 185 and UW-Oshkosh fifth with 195.

The top-10 listings were completed by the 242 points of sixth-place University of Manitoba (Canada), 248 of seventh-place University of Minnesota-Duluth, 256 of eighth-place Hamline University (Minn.), 266 of ninth-place UW-Platteville and 279 of 10th-place Carleton College (Minn.).

Willy Kaul (So. • Menomonee Falls), who completed the 8,000-meter course in a 10th-place time of 25:38, led UW-Oshkosh. The Titans also had Derek O’Connell (Sr. • Hartland) finish 21st in 26:13, Nate Boehlke (Jr. • Sugar Camp) 49th in 26:46, Ryan Richardson (Jr. • Winnebago, Ill.) 62nd in 26:58 and Brian Kelley (Jr. • Winnebago, Ill.) 67th in 27:00. UW-Platteville’s Tyler Sigl finished first among the 411 runners with a time of 25:12, while University of South Dakota’s Tony Turgeon placed second in 25:14.

In addition to its five scorers, UW-Oshkosh also had Andrew McGuire (Fr. • Wisconsin Rapids) finish 75th in 27:09, Geoff Gundlach (So. • Middleton) 81st in 27:12, Adam Zamzow (So. • Green Bay) 104th in 27:28, Matt Berndt (Sr. • Grafton) 124th in 27:37, Sean Meehan (Sr. • New Berlin) 126th in 27:38 and Jon Simon (So. • Milwaukee) 133rd in 27:43.

The UW-Oshkosh men's cross country team opened its 2005 season by placing fifth out of 22 squads at the Midwest Collegiate Championship held Saturday (Sept. 10) in Kenosha.

Defending NCAA Division III champion Calvin College (Mich.) and NCAA Division II Wayne State University (Mich.) tied for the team title with 44 points, while North Central College (Ill.) placed third with 67. UW-La Crosse finished fourth with 69 points and UW-Oshkosh fifth with 171.

Completing the top-10 teams were sixth-place Michigan Tech University with 226 points, seventh-place UW-Parkside with 234, eighth-place UW-Eau Claire with 274, ninth-place UW-Green Bay with 282 and 10th-place Kenyon College (Ohio) with 291.

UW-Oshkosh had four runners place in the top-60 individual finishes as 44th-place Derek O'Connell (Sr. • Hartland) completed the 8,000-meter course in 26:52, 54th-place Andrew McGuire (Fr. • Wisconsin Rapids) in 27:01, 57th-place Ryan Richardson (Jr. • Winnebago, Ill.) in 27:04 and 58th-place Brian Kelley (Jr. • Winnebago, Ill.) in 27:05. The Titans' scoring was rounded out by Geoff Gundlach's (So. • Middleton) 63rd-place time of 27:11.

Timothy Finnegan of Calvin College captured the individual title with a time of 25:06, while Justin Kessler of Wayne State University finished second in 25:07.

UW-Oshkosh also had Adam Zamzow (So. • Green Bay) 70th in 27:22, Jon Simon (So. • Milwaukee) 72nd in 27:25, Matt Berndt (Sr. • Grafton) finish 79th in 27:32, Sean Meehan (Sr. • New Berlin) 84th in 27:42, Nate Boehlke (Jr. • Sugar Camp) 87th in 27:48, Dan Curran (Fr. • Mt. Horeb) 95th in 27:58, Justin Darrow (Fr. • Sobieski) 115th in 28:13, Dusty Dorshorst (Fr. • Poynette) 127th in 28:23, Nick Sydow (Fr. • Marshfield) 131st in 28:30 and Kyle Peterson (So. • Neenah) 141st in 28:48.