Results

STEVENS POINT, Wis.--UW-Stevens Point finished fourth at the 2008 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) cross country Championships as the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire won its second consecutive WIAC championship at Wisconsin River Golf Club Nov. 1.

The conference title for the Blugolds is the fourth in program history and second time they have won back-to-back trophies - also accomplishing the feat in 1984 and 1985.

UW-Eau Claire totaled 42 team points to easily outdistance UW-Oshkosh's second-place sum of 62 points. UW-La Crosse finished third with 65 points, UW-Stevens Point fourth with 112, UW-Platteville fifth with 159, UW-River Falls sixth with 173, UW-Whitewater seventh with 178, UW-Stout eighth with 220 and UW-Superior ninth with 249.

UW-River Falls junior Becca Jordahl became the first Falcon to win the WIAC meet after crossing the finish line on the 6,000-meter course with a time of 21:00.59. UW-Oshkosh junior Ayla Mitchell, the defending conference champion, took second with a time of 21:04.71 in the field of 100 competitors.

UW-Eau Claire had five runners finish in the top 12 to direct the winning effort. Senior Mary Palmer led the quintent with a fifth-place time of 21:54.68, while sophomore Beth Easker took sixth with a time of 22:15.33. Junior Hannah Humbach was eighth in 22:26.46, freshman Alyssa Sybilrud 11th in 22:31.06 and sophomore Molly Woodford 12th in 22:33.52.

UW-Platteville senior Jessica Scott placed third with a time of 21:43.29, UW-Oshkosh freshman Christina Cazzola fourth in 21:49.76, UW-La Crosse junior Katelyn Williams seventh in 22:19.15, UW-La Crosse senior Megan Johnson ninth in 22:28.61, UW-Oshkosh senior Katie Wondra 10th in 22:29.07 and UW-La Crosse senior Lauren Moss 13th in 22:34.46.

The top seven runners received All-WIAC first team recognition, while runners placing eighth through 14th earned All-WIAC second team accolades. Individuals finishing 15th through 20th claimed honorable mention recognition.

UW-Eau Claire head coach Dan Schwamberger was voted the Coach of the Year for the second straight season, while the Blugolds' Beth Lutz and UW-Platteville's Jessica Scott were co-recipients of the Judy Kruckman Scholar-Athlete Award.

Named to the All-Sportsmanship Team were: UW-Eau Claire's Molly Woodford, UW-La Crosse's Lauren Moss, UW-Oshkosh's Katie Wondra, UW-Platteville's Alli Tank, UW-River Falls' Christine Peters, UW-Stevens Point's Alison Wolter, UW-Stout's Karla Kultgen, UW-Superior's Katee Rosburg and UW-Whitewater's Andrea Newman. The team was selected for individuals that displayed exemplary sportsmanship throughout the season. It included one member from each school as selected by that school.

All nine WIAC teams will return to action Nov. 15 at the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional in Rock Island, Ill. The regional event will be hosted by Augustana College. The NCAA Division III Championship is scheduled for Nov. 22 in Hanover, Ind., and will be hosted by Hanover College.

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- release courtesy of WIAC Sports Information