The UW-Eau Claire cross country team raced in the WIAC Championships in Stevens Point, Wisconsin on Saturday, Nov 2. Both the men’s and women’s teams turned in third-place performances.
The women’s team was led by third-year Keeley Behr who placed sixth with a time of 21:41.3 in the 6k. On the men’s side, fourth-year Mason Shea earned WIAC first team honors for his performance. He came in at seventh place with a season best time of 24:13.8 in the 8k.
Alongside Behr, who earned all-conference honors, second-year Molly Heidorn and first-year Bella Hooker placed 13th and 14th overall, respectively both earning the same honors. Hooker was the highest finishing newcomer at the meet which earned her the WIAC Newcomer of the Year.
The Blugolds received two personal best performances from fourth-year team captain Allison Weissinger and first-year Jack Nelson. For Nelson, this was his first WIAC championship appearance. He placed 10th for the team and 78th overall.
Running at a time of 26:11.1 and a 5:16 average mile time, Nelson talked about the course and an aspect of the route he wanted to ascend through.
“Definitely [the course] being flat. Trying to take advantage of the tangents,” Nelson said. “It would be not smart to not take advantage of it.”
Taking advantage of the tangents can be a benefit as it creates a shortcut for runners by moving them towards the inside and running close to the flags.
Nelson has improved throughout the season, shedding off more than a minute in the WIAC championship compared to his first race of the season on Sept. 7.
Alongside personal improvements, the men’s team has stayed consistent all year with three third-place team finishes. In the WIAC championship, the racers stuck with each other on the course as they had five runners place in the top 30.
The women’s team, who also placed third, had six runners in the top 30 and an average time of 22:08. Weissinger, who placed 28th overall and sixth for the Blugolds with a personal best time of 22:34.01, said she had reminders she kept telling herself to set up her personal record effort.
“I really tried to get out quicker than usual. Our coaches really tried to lay out a gameplan of going out with the race and going out by feel,” Weissinger said. Saturday was a big improvement for Weissinger as she broke 23 minutes for the first time this year.
Having six runners in the top 30, the women’s team stayed together during the race. According to Weissinger, the Blugolds focused on running as a team.
“Our girls team is really strong at working [in] our small groups and really building off of the momentum of others,” Weissinger said. “We’re so much stronger when we run in groups, which really helps play into our success.”
For Nelson, running in the WIAC championships was a good opportunity for him and the first-years on the team moving forward for the program.
“This freshman group has been really dedicated and definitely a good step forward for Eau Claire in cross country,” Nelson said.
The WIAC championships were a successful one for a consistent Blugold program before they took on the Luther Cup Saga on Nov 8.
Benes can be reached at [email protected].
