UW-Oshkosh's Deb Vercauteren is among 12 accomplished cross country and track and field coaches who will be inducted into the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association's (USTFCCCA) Hall of Fame later this year.

The Class of 2006 features coaches who won National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men's and women's team titles at all three divisional levels in cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field. The distinguished group will be inducted Dec. 12 during the USTFCCCA's annual convention in San Antonio.

"This year's Hall of Fame class personifies the values of collegiate track and field and cross country," said Sam Seemes, CEO of the USTFCCCA. "The mark they've left on their sports is immeasurable. Our association is honored to induct such a group of individuals into the Hall of Fame."

Besides Vercauteren, the Class of 2006 consists of Bill Bergan of Iowa State University, Al Carius of North Central College (Ill.), John Coughlan of Illinois State University, DeLoss Dodds of Kansas State University, Bob Groseclose of the University of Louisiana at Monroe, Tom Heinonen of the University of Oregon, Don Hood, Sr. of Abilene Christian University (Texas), Ted McLaughlin of Southern Methodist University (Texas), Bill Moultrie of Howard University (Washington, D.C.), Jack Pyrah of Villanova University (Pa.) and Gary Wieneke of the University of Illinois.

UW-Oshkosh’s trophy case has been lavishly decorated during Vercauteren’s 25 seasons as the school’s head women’s cross country and women's track and field coach. The shrine includes trophies for winning 17 NCAA Division III titles and 36 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) championships.

In outdoor track and field, Vercauteren’s resume is highlighted by NCAA Division III titles won in 1990, 1991, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2004 and 2006. The Titans also finished second at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championship in 1989, 1992, 1994 and 2005 and third in 1988, 1993 and 1998.

UW-Oshkosh athletes have earned 171 All-America awards at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championship during the past 25 years. The Titans' All-America performances are led by 23 individual national titles, including five by Robyn Jarocki, four by Liz Woodworth and three by Stephanie Bostwick.

Competing for bragging rights at the WIAC Outdoor Championship, Vercauteren has directed UW-Oshkosh to 10 first-place and 10 second-place finishes. The Titans captured WIAC championships in 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2004 and 2006.

Vercauteren gained Outdoor Track and Field Coach of the Year honors by the NCAA Division III in 2004 and by the WIAC in 1988, 1989, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2004 and 2006.

In 2006, the USTFCCCA recognized UW-Oshkosh for owning the outstanding NCAA Division III women’s outdoor track and field program of the past 25 years.

Indoors, Vercauteren’s accomplishments are equally impressive. UW-Oshkosh’s efforts are led by NCAA Division III titles won in 1994, 1995, 1996, 2004, 2005 and 2006. The Titans also placed second at the NCAA Division III Indoor Championship in 1990, 1991, 1992 and 2002 and third in 1997.

Since the first NCAA Division III Indoor Championship was held in 1985, All-America awards have been presented 117 times to UW-Oshkosh athletes. The Titans' All-America performances are led by 21 individual national titles, including five by Jarocki and three by both Woodworth and Melissa Oleson.

At the WIAC Indoor Championship, Vercauteren has coached UW-Oshkosh to 11 first-place and nine second-place finishes. The Titans claimed WIAC titles in 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2006.

Vercauteren received Indoor Track and Field Coach of the Year accolades by the NCAA Division III in 2006 and by the WIAC in 1988, 1989, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999 and 2006.

Besides coaching track and field, Vercauteren has been the head women’s cross country coach at UW-Oshkosh since 1981. She began the sport at UW-Oshkosh from infancy that season and took the Titans to a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Division III Championship the following year.

UW-Oshkosh has claimed four NCAA Division III cross country titles under Vercauteren’s tutelage, with victories coming in 1987, 1988, 1991 and 1996. The Titans also placed second at the national meet in 1989, 1990 and 1995. Additionally, Vercauteren has trained UW-Oshkosh cross country athletes to 37 NCAA Division III All-America performances, including national titles won by Laura Horejs in 1991 and Tiffany Speckman in 1997.

Since 1986, Vercauteren’s Titans have been a perennial WIAC power. UW-Oshkosh has won the WIAC championship 15 times during the past 20 years while finishing second on three other occasions. The Titans were crowned WIAC champion in 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000.

The NCAA Division III selected Vercauteren as its Cross Country Coach of the Year in 1995 and 1996. She was named WIAC Cross Country Coach of the Year in 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1999.

Last fall, the USTFCCCA picked Vercauteren as its NCAA Division III Women’s Cross Country Silver Anniversary Coach. The award was given in conjunction with the NCAA’s 25-year celebration of sponsoring women’s sports.

Vercauteren, an Ashwaubenon, Wis., native, received a bachelor’s degree from UW-Stevens Point in 1976 and a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1980. The UW-Stevens Point and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics District 14 Hall of Fame member is married to John Zupanc, the head men’s cross country coach and head men’s track and field coach at UW-Oshkosh.

In addition to her coaching duties, Vercauteren also serves as the assistant director of athletics at UW-Oshkosh.

Bergan coached 23 years at Iowa State University, bringing the program unprecedented success in track and cross country. He guided the Cyclones to NCAA Division I men's cross country championships in 1989 and 1994.

Carius, now entering his 41st season as the men's track and cross country coach at North Central College, has led the Cardinals to 17 NCAA Division III titles in cross country and five national championships in track and field.

Coughlan's teams at Illinois State University won 25 Missouri Valley Conference titles in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track . When he retired in 2001 following 23 years as head coach, he had won more MVC championships than any coach in any sport.

Dodds may be best known as the athletic director at the University Texas, but he served 14 years as the head track and cross country coach at Kansas State University. During Dodds' tenure, Kansas State won six Big Eight Conference championships while he coached 10 NCAA individual and relay champions and two Olympians.

Groseclose led Northeast Louisiana State College (now University of Louisiana at Monroe) to 19 Southland Conference championships from 1960 to 1989. The late Groseclose coached John Pennel, a two-time Olympian in the pole vault who became the first athlete to clear 17 feet.

Heinonen won three NCAA team championships at the University of Oregon - two in cross country and one in outdoor track and field - during his 27 years as head coach. Heinonen's athletes made 17 Olympic appearances and set three American records.

Hood guided Abilene Christian University to eight NCAA Division II titles and one National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) championship during his 11 seasons as head coach. His 1984 Abilene Christian University men's team is considered the greatest in Division II history. Hood coached a succession of great pole vaulters, including Billy Olson, Brad Pursley and Tim Bright.

McLaughlin served as an assistant coach on the powerhouse University of Texas-El Paso teams of the late 1970s before building a national championship program at Southern Methodist University. The Mustangs won NCAA Division I outdoor titles in 1983 and 1986. McLaughlin was particularly effective at developing world-class throwers such as shot putter Michael Carter.

Moultrie won 10 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championships during 26 years as the head coach at Howard University. Moultrie was an Olympic assistant coach in 1992 and became the first African American to serve as Olympic track referee four years later in Atlanta.

Pyrah began his collegiate coaching career at Villanova University in 1966. With Pyrah assisting Jumbo Elliott, a member of the USTFCCCA Hall of Fame, Villanova's men captured eight NCAA championships in cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field.

Wieneke served 36 years as the head men's cross country coach and 29 years as the men's head track and field coach at the University of Illinois. The Fighting Illini won 12 Big Ten Conference championships under Wieneke's guidance, including the 1984 Big Ten cross country championship - the first Illini conference championship since 1947.

UW-Oshkosh's Rosa Alvarez (So. • Watertown) and Jenny Graef (Jr. • Lena) were two of 158 athletes named to the 2005 United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) NCAA Division III Women's Cross Country All-Academic Team.

Alvarez, who finished 81st at the 2005 NCAA Division III Championship held in Delaware, Ohio, owns a 3.564 cumulative grade point average as a Spanish Education major. She also placed 27th at the 2005 NCAA Division III Midwest Regional held in Peoria, Ill.

Graef, who finished 69th at the 2005 NCAA Division III Championship, owns a 3.737 cumulative grade point average as a biology major. She also ranked 23rd at the 2005 NCAA Division III Midwest Regional.

Athletes needed to compile a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or better and finish in the top 25 percent at the NCAA Division III regional championships in order to be eligible for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team. A total of 17 athletes from the WIAC were recognized.

The entire UW-Oshkosh women's cross country team was also recognized for its excellence in the classroom. Last fall, the Titans registered a 3.211 cumulative grade point average while finishing 19th at the NCAA Division III Championship. A total of 108 schools were honored by the USTFCCCA, including seven from the WIAC.

The U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) has named UW-Oshkosh’s Deb Vercauteren as its National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Women’s Cross Country Silver Anniversary Coach.

During the 2005-06 academic year, the NCAA is celebrating its 25 years of sponsoring women’s sports. In conjunction with the NCAA celebration, the USTFCCCA is honoring outstanding coaches and schools of the past 25 years in women’s cross country and women’s outdoor track and field.

In addition to Vercauteren, other women’s cross country award winners were Peter Tegen of Stanford University (Calif.) and the University of Wisconsin in NCAA Division I and Damon Martin of Adams State University (Colo.) in NCAA Division II.

Vercauteren has served as the head women’s cross country coach at UW-Oshkosh since 1981. She began the sport from infancy that season and took the Titans to a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Division III Championship the following year.

Under Vercauteren’s tutelage, UW-Oshkosh has finished first at the NCAA Division III Championship four times (1987, 1988, 1991, 1996) and second three times (1989, 1990, 1995). The Titans have also placed in the top 10 nationally on 11 other occasions. UW-Oshkosh has been a team entry at the NCAA Division III Championship 21 times during Vercauteren’s 25 years as the Titans’ head coach.

Vercauteren, who was named NCAA Division III Coach of the Year in 1995 and 1996, has trained UW-Oshkosh athletes to 37 NCAA Division III All-America performances. Two UW-Oshkosh athletes won individual national titles, Laura Horejs in 1991 and Tiffany Speckman in 1997.

Since 1986, Vercauteren’s Titans have been a perennial power in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC). UW-Oshkosh has won the WIAC championship 15 times during past 20 years while finishing second on three other occasions.

Vercauteren is also the head women’s track and field coach and assistant director of athletics at UW-Oshkosh. Her 24 seasons as head women’s track and field coach have resulted in five NCAA Division III indoor championships and six NCAA Division III outdoor titles.

Vercauteren, an Ashwaubenon native, received a bachelor’s degree from UW-Stevens Point in 1976 and a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1980. She is married to John Zupanc, the head men’s cross country coach and interim head men’s track and field coach at UW-Oshkosh.

Liz Woodworth, who gained three NCAA Division III All-America awards while running for the UW-Oshkosh women's cross country team from 2000 to 2004, captured the individual title at the USA Track and Field (USATF) National Club Cross Country Championships on Saturday (Nov. 19) in Rochester, N.Y.

Woodworth, a Marinette native, took command in the middle of the second lap to win the open 6,000-meter race with a time of 20:29, six seconds ahead of Erika Aklufi of Santa Monica, Calif.

Samia Akbar of Herndon, Va., finished third among the 203 competitors with a time of 20:36, while Erin Dromgoole of Brighton, Mass., finished fourth in 20:37 and Erin Nehus of Galliolis, Ohio, fifth in 20:43.

Southern California's See Jane Run scored 86 points to successfully defend their women's team title. Boston Athletic Association (Mass.) finished second with 101 points and Raleigh Track Club (N.C.) third with 139.

The USATF National Club Cross Country Championships featured clubs from across the United States vying for top honors and bragging rights as the nation's best Cross Country teams. Over 60 clubs and 900 competitors took part in the event, which featured a 10-kilometer open and masters men's races and a 6-kilometer open and masters women's race.

The 2006 USATF National Club Cross Country Championships will be held Dec. 3 in San Francisco, Calif.

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.

Amanda Beard (Jr. • Wausau) finished second to lead UW-Oshkosh in a non-scoring women's cross country meet the Titans hosted Friday (Oct. 21) at the Lake Breeze Golf Course in Winneconne. The event also included athletes from UW-Parkside and UW-Stevens Point.

UW-Oshkosh competed in the meet with only seven of its 27 runners. The remaining members of the squad were resting for the WIAC Championship on Oct. 29 in Superior.

Beard paced UW-Oshkosh by completing the 5,000-meter course in a time of 20:01. Tiffany Belongia, running unattached, won the race with a time of 19:56. UW-Stevens Point had four top-eight efforts in the meet, including Samantha Leinon's third-place time of 20:09 and Christine Becker's fourth-place time of 20:17.

In addition to Beard, UW-Oshkosh also had Jamie Neitzel (Fr. • Mayville) finish seventh in 20:22, Whitney Langer (So. • New Richmond) 10th in 20:47, Megan Meyer (Fr. • Marinette) 11th in 20:48, Toni Morning (So. • Colfax) 16th in 21:14, Jennifer Meyer (Fr. • Marinette) 19th in 21:54 and Katie Kohn (Fr. • Mayville) 21st in 22:37.

A total of 23 runners finished the race.

The UW-Oshkosh women's cross country team finished third among four nationally-ranked squads competing in its own invitational held Saturday (Oct. 15) at the Lake Breeze Golf Course in Winneconne.

Washington University (Mo.), the fourth-ranked team in the NCAA Division III, won the UW-Oshkosh Invitational with 37 points. The Bears captured the team title by having four of the top-10 individual finishers.

UW-Stevens Point, the 15th-ranked squad in the NCAA Division III, finished second in the seven-team meet with 61 points, while 18th-ranked UW-Oshkosh placed third with 66 and 14th-ranked Calvin College (Mich.) fourth with 69.

The sequence of team finishes were completed by fifth-place Hope College (Mich.) with 154 points, sixth-place Bethel College (Minn.) with 167 and seventh-place Monmouth College (Ill.) with 213.

UW-Oshkosh had four of the top-14 individual finishers in the meet as Jenny Graef (Jr. • Lena) placed seventh with a time of 22:34, Rosa Alvarez (So. • Watertown) ninth with a time of 22:47, Jessica Linberts (Sr. • Fort Atkinson) 11th with a time of 22:59 and Beth Klimek (Fr. • Howard) 14th with a time of 23:12. The Titans' team scoring concluded with Rachel Tedrick's (So. • Winnebago, Ill.) 27th-place time of 23:39.

UW-Stevens Point owned the top-two individual finishers in the 6,000-meter race as Jenna Mitchler placed first in 21:41 and Teresa Stanley second in 21:43. A total of 112 runners finished the race.

The Titans also had Alysha Lee (Fr. • Winneconne) finish 30th in 23:49, Beth Baird (So. • Waukesha) 31st in 23:50, Jessie Scheer (So. • De Pere) 33rd in 23:54, Jenny Melville (So. • Waukesha) 46th in 24:21, Lindsey Mansueto (So. • Mayville) 47th in 24:21, Kristin Bemis (Fr. • Fond du Lac) 55th in 24:42, Katie Wondra (Fr. • Campbellsport) 66th in 24:54, Amanda Beard (Jr. • Wausau) 70th in 24:58, Jamie Neitzel (Fr. • Mayville) 84th in 25:41 and Megan Meyer (Fr. • Marinette) 87th in 25:57.

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.

Despite resting 17 of its 27 runners, the UW-Oshkosh women’s cross country team still had enough talent to place second at the Ripon College Invitational held Saturday (Oct. 8) in Ripon.

UW-Stevens Point scored 19 points to easily capture the team title. UW-Oshkosh finished second in the seven-team meet with 83 points, while Lawrence University placed third with 91, Beloit College fourth with 97 and Carroll College fifth with 126.

UW-Oshkosh’s top individual finish belonged to Beth Klimek (Fr. • Howard), who placed fourth after completing the 6,000-meter course in a time of 20:14. UW-Stevens Point swept the top-three individual listings as Jenna Mitchler finished first in 18:58, Teresa Stanley second in 19:27 and Ashleigh Potuznik third in 19:59.

The Titans’ team scoring was completed by Kristin Bemis’ (Fr. • Fond du Lac) 18th-place time of 21:18, Katie Wondra’s (Fr. • Campbellsport) 20th-place time of 21:18, Amanda Beard’s (Jr. • Wausau) 24th-place time of 21:56 and Whitney Langer’s (So. • New Richmond) 28th-place time of 22:04.

Also participating at the meet for UW-Oshkosh were Megan Meyer (Fr. • Marinette), who finished 33rd in 22:27, Jamie Neitzel (Fr. • Mayville), who finished 36th in 22:29, Toni Morning (So. • Colfax), who finished 42nd in 22:52, Katie Kohn (Fr. • Mayville), who finished 48th in 23:16, and Jennifer Meyer (Fr. • Marinette), who finished 50th in 23:22.

Facing arguably its strongest competition of the season, the UW-Oshkosh women's cross country team finished 14th in the Gold Division of the Notre Dame Invitational held Friday (Sept. 30) in South Bend, Ind.

NCAA Division I University of Michigan scored 60 points to win the 24-team event, while Edinboro University (Pa.) finished second with 173, University of Cincinnati (Ohio) third with 181 and Indiana State University and Santa Clara University (Calif.) fourth with 189.

Finalizing the top-10 teams were sixth-place University of Wyoming with 197 points, seventh-place Ohio University with 207, eighth-place University of Notre Dame (Ind.) with 208, ninth-place Belmont University (Tenn.) with 220 and 10th-place Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne with 284. UW-Oshkosh scored 330 points for its 14th-place listing.

UW-Oshkosh had two of its runners rank in the top-37 individual finishes as Rosa Alvarez (So. • Watertown) placed 30th in the 5,000-meter race with a time of 18:48 and Jenny Graef (Jr. • Lena) 37th in 18:53. Also contributing to UW-Oshkosh's team score were Jessica Linberts (Sr. • Fort Atkinson), who finished 52nd in 19:05, Beth Baird (So. • Waukesha), who finished 98th in 19:37, and Jenny Melville (So. • Waukesha), who finished 117th in 19:57.

Laura Engle of Indiana State University captured the individual title with a time of 17:40, while Susan Davis of West Virginia University finished second in 17:43. A total of 186 runners finished the race.

UW-Oshkosh's participants in the meet concluded with Alysha Lee's (Fr. • Winneconne) 118th-place time of 19:59, Lindsey Mansueto's (So. • Mayville) 113rd-place time of 20:17 and Jessie Scheer's (So. • De Pere) 158th-place time of 20:49.

Beth Klimek (Fr. • Howard) finished third to lead all UW-Oshkosh runners at the non-scoring UW-Whitewater Women's Cross Country Open held Friday (Sept. 30) in Whitewater. The Titans competed in the meet without eight athletes who were participating at the Notre Dame Invitational held earlier in the day.

Klimek completed the 6,000-meter course in a time of 24:06. She trailed the first-place time of 23:38 by unattached Desiree Toldt and the second-place time of 23:48 by University of Wisconsin's Maggie Collison.

UW-Oshkosh also had Rachel Tedrick (So. • Winnebago, Ill.) finish 12th in 25:25, Amanda Beard (Jr. • Wausau) 13th in 26:16, Jamie Neitzel (Fr. • Mayville) 14th in 26:41, Megan Meyer (Fr. • Marinette) 15th in 26:58, Jennifer Meyer (Fr. • Marinette) 16th in 27:25, Trisha Hagene (So. • Oshkosh) 17th in 27:36, Toni Morning (So. • Colfax) 18th in 27:41, Mary Kate Lowery (Fr. • Menomonee Falls) 19th in 28:03 and Katie Kohn (Fr. • Mayville) 20th in 28:06.

A total of 20 runners competed in the meet.

The UW-Oshkosh women’s cross country team finished ninth out of 24 squads in the Maroon Division of the Roy Griak Invitational held Saturday (Sept. 24) in Falcon Heights, Minn.

UW-La Crosse coasted to the team title with 60 points, while Black Hills State University (S.D.) finished second with 141, University of North Dakota third with 155, University of South Dakota fourth with 156 and Wartburg College (Iowa) fifth with 161.

The top-10 finishers were completed by sixth-place UW-Stevens Point with 162 points, seventh-place Concordia University (Neb.) with 171, eighth-place Augustana College (S.D.) with 177, ninth-place UW-Oshkosh with 199 and 10th-place University of Manitoba (Canada) with 243.

Jenny Graef (Jr. • Lena) led UW-Oshkosh by covering the 6,000-meter course in a 22nd-place time of 23:31. The Titans also had Rosa Alvarez (So. • Watertown) finish 29th in 23:45, Beth Baird 44th (So. • Waukesha) in 24:10, Kristy Giljohann (Sr. • Brookfield) 45th in 24:11 and Jenny Melville (So. • Waukesha) 80th in 24:48. UW-La Crosse’s Julia Rudd took the individual title with a time of 21:56, while Minot State University’s (N.D.) Genevieve Binsfield finished second in 22:11. A total of 279 runners finished the race.

Besides its five scorers, UW-Oshkosh also had Jessie Scheer (So. • De Pere) finish 85th in 24:40, Lindsey Mansueto (So. • Mayville) 93rd in 24:52, Alysha Lee (Fr. • Winneconne) 98th in 24:56, Rachel Tedrick (So. • Winnebago, Ill.) 112th in 25:11, Kristin Bemis (Fr. • Fond du Lac) 132nd in 25:39, Katie Wondra (Fr. • Campbellsport) 143rd in 25:52 and Whitney Langer (So. • New Richmond) 174th in 26:25.

Rosa Alvarez (So. • Watertown) ran to the individual title as the UW-Oshkosh women’s cross country team opened its 2005 season with a fourth-place finish at the Midwest Collegiate Championship held Saturday (Sept. 10) in Kenosha.

Northwestern University (Ill.) captured the team title with 64 points, while Northern Michigan University finished second with 75. Calvin College (Mich.) placed third in the 20-team meet with 96 points, while UW-Oshkosh ranked fourth with 120 and Wayne State University (Mich.) fifth with 122.

Completing the top-10 teams were sixth-place University of Wisconsin with 154 points, seventh-place North Central College (Ill.) and UW-Parkside with 187, ninth-place Michigan Tech University with 211 and 10th-place Kenyon College (Ohio) with 294.

Alvarez took the individual championship by completing the 5,000-meter course in a time of 18:44. The individual title was the first of her collegiate career. Camille Medema of Calvin College finished second in the field of 250 runners in a time of 18:45.

Also contributing to UW-Oshkosh’s team score were Jenny Graef’s (Jr. • Lena) 11th-place time of 18:58, Emily Steinhafel’s (Sr. • West Bend) 20th-place time of 19:12, Kristy Giljohann’s (Sr. • Brookfield) 48th-place time of 19:50 and Beth Baird’s (So. • Waukesha) 54th-place time of 19:53.

The Titans also had Rachel Tedrick (So. • Winnebago, Ill.) finish 69th in 20:11, Jenny Melville (So. • Waukesha) 79th in 20:19, Alysha Lee (Fr. • Winneconne) 80th in 20:19, Lindsey Mansueto (So. • Mayville) 102nd in 20:36, Whitney Langer (So. • New Richmond) 111th in 20:50, Kristin Bemis (Fr. • Fond du Lac) 113th in 20:55 and Katie Wondra (Fr. • Campbellsport) 120th in 21:05.