The UW-Eau Claire women’s cross country team secured first place and the men second at the WIAC Championships last Saturday.

The Blugolds hosted the meet at Whitetail Golf Course in Colfax. Head Coach Daniel Schwamberger also acted as meet director.  He said the teams had a great race day.

“Both the men and women ran very smart (and) finished strong. Obviously, with the women winning — that’s awesome — and with the men finishing second,” Schwamberger told Blugolds.com. “I was proud of them. I thought they were capable of that. It’s nice to see that sort of come together.”

The women’s team won the first place title for the second year in a row with a score of 39 points. The top seven finishers each received all-conference honors.

Sam Slattery, a third-year, lead the way for the Blugolds. With a six-kilometer time of 21:49.6, Slattery finished nine seconds behind Hannah Beilke of UW-La Crosse. Slattery earned first team all-conference honors for her efforts.

Slattery was followed by teammates Morgan Marek, a fourth-year, and Lexie Tremble, a third-year, who finished fourth and eighth, respectively. Marek delivered a time of 22:11.1 to receive first team all-conference honors. Tremble finished with a time of 22:41.8 to receive second team all-conference recognition.

Next, Blugold Naomi Long, a first-year, crossed the finish line in 12th place with a time of 22:54.5. Emma Drangstveit, a second-year, finished about three seconds later in 13th place. The pair received second team all-conference honors.

Emily Jaeger, a fourth-year, and Alanna Huggett, a second-year, finished in 17th and 20th place. Jaeger recorded a time of 23:07.1 and Huggett 23:14.0. Both runners collected all-conference honorable mention. Huggett also earned a spot on the WIAC Sportsmanship team.

Jaeger told Blugolds.com she was pleased with her individual efforts and the opportunity to showcase Blugold cross country.

“I’m really excited about the team’s score and how we did today,” Jaeger said. “I feel like the team really got to show where we’re at, physically, and show off our fitness a little bit.”

With a total of 69 points, UW-Eau Claire men’s cross country team placed second at the championship behind UW-La Crosse.

Patrick Treacy, a fourth-year, lead the way for the Blugolds, continuing his individual success. Treacy finished fourth overall with an eight-kilometer time of 25:01.9 and earned first team all-conference.

Wyatt Elmer and Anthony Dupont, both fourth-years, finished behind Treacy. Elmer finished in 10th place with a time of 25:24.1 and Dupont in 13th with a time of 25:23.1. Both earned second team all-conference honors.

Connor Dolan, a second-year, placed 17th with a time of 25:35.1 and received all-conference honorable mention. Sam Kuhlmann, a fourth-year, placed 26th and David Bachmeier, a third-year, came in 34th place with a PR of 26:13.8. The final Blugold finisher was Jace Bartz, a first-year, who ran 26:19.9.

Bachmeier, who improved his best time by about a minute, said he was proud of both himself and the team’s performance on Saturday.

“I think we did really well,” Bachmeier told Blugolds.com. “I think it really helps our spot for getting to regionals and nationals. Obviously, Stout’s a really good team, and beating them shows that we’re ready to run fast, too.”

Bailey Wilson, a third-year, was awarded a spot on the WIAC Sportsmanship team.

Next, the Blugold cross country teams will travel to Luther College in Decorah, Iowa for the Luther Saga Cup on Nov. 2. 

Neupert can be reached at [email protected].