2003 UW-Oshkosh Women's Cross Country News

Woodworth Second, Titans 11th At NCAA Championship

Liz Woodworth (Jr. • Marinette) finished second individually to gain All-America honors as the UW-Oshkosh women's cross country team placed 11th at the NCAA Division III Championship held Saturday (Nov. 22) at the L.S. Ayres Athletic Complex in Hanover, Ind.

Woodworth, who charted eighth at the 2001 event to receive All-America recognition, completed the 6,000-meter course in a time of 21:03 to list as UW-Oshkosh's top runner. Missy Buttry of Wartburg College (Iowa), the defending national champion, retained her crown with a course-record time of 20:00. Kathleen Brice of Elmhurst College (Ill.) finished third in a time of 21:23, Carter Hamil of Amherst College (Mass.) fourth in 22:26 and Kristin Igielski of Carroll College fifth in 22:46

Middlebury College (Vt.), polled as the top team in the country all season, scored 135 points to capture its third NCAA Division III title in four years. Trinity College (Conn.) finished second in the 24-team meet with 174 points, while UW-Stevens Point placed third with 193 points, Williams College (Mass.) fourth with 206 and Amherst College (Mass.) fifth with 225. UW-Oshkosh, which was competing as a team entry at the NCAA Division III Championship for the 17th time in 18 years and 19th overall, totaled 311 points for its 11th-place finish.

UW-Oshkosh's scoring was completed by Emily Streinhafel's (So. • West Bend) 85th-place time of 23:42, Kristy Giljohann's (So. • Brookfield) 103rd-place time of 23:51, Katie Isermann's (Sr. • West Allis) 111th-place time of 23:56 and Kelly Crivello's (Fr. • Hales Corners) 154th-place time of 24:26.

The Titans' list of participants at the NCAA Division III Championship concluded with Erin Blum's (Fr. • Baraboo) 157th-place time of 24:26 and Jackie Munoz's (Sr. • Oshkosh) 174th-place time of 24:53. A total of 206 runners completed the race.

Titans Qualify For NCAA Championship

The UW-Oshkosh women's cross country team returns to the NCAA Division III Championship for the 17th time in 18 years and 19th overall following its second-place finish at the Midwest Regional held Saturday (Nov. 15) at the Whitetail Golf Course in Colfax.

UW-Stevens Point won the 35-team meet with 76 points, while UW-Oshkosh finished second with 98 points, UW-La Crosse third with 113 and both the University of Chicago (Ill.) and Washington University (Mo.) fourth with 142. The top-four teams at the Midwest Regional, with the University of Chicago winning a tie breaker with Washington University, join qualifiers from seven other regions at next Saturday's (November 22) NCAA Division III Championship in Hanover, Ind.

UW-Oshkosh's Liz Woodworth (Jr. • Marinette) continued her unbeaten season by winning the 6,000-meter race with a time of 20:48. Kathleen Brice of Elmhurst College (Ill.), the 2001 Midwest Regional champion, finished second with a time of 20:54 and Amy Aleshire of Principia College (Ill.) third in 21:42.

UW-Oshkosh, with Woodworth leading the way, was able to place all five of its scorers in the top-33 finishes. The Titans' scoring also included 13th-place Katie Isermann's (Sr. • West Allis) time of 22:45, 24th-place Kristy Giljohann's (So. • Brookfield) time of 23:08, 27th-place Emily Steinhafel's (So. • West Bend) time of 23:10 and 33rd-place Erin Blum's (Fr. • Baraboo) time of 23:17.

Also competing at the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional for UW-Oshkosh were Kelly Crivello (Fr. • Hales Corners) and Jackie Munoz (Sr. • Oshkosh). Crivello finished 44th with a time of 23:30, while Munoz finished 71st in 23:59. A total of 250 runners finished the race.

UW-Oshkosh, which failed to qualify for the NCAA Division III Championship a year ago, captured NCAA Division III titles in 1987, 1988, 1991 and 1996.

Titans To Compete At NCAA Regional

The UW-Oshkosh men's and women's cross country teams look to extend their seasons by one more week when they compete at the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional on Saturday (Nov. 15) at the Whitetail Golf Course in Colfax.

UW-Eau Claire is serving as the host institution for an event that features 42 women's and 40 men's cross country teams. The top five men's and the top four women's squads from the meet will advance to the NCAA Division III Championship on November 22 in Hanover, Ind.

The women's division of the Midwest Regional includes three of the top 10 and five of the top 25 teams in the NCAA Division III according to the United States Cross Country Coaches Association. Teams expected to compete for the four available slots in the national meet are 22nd-ranked University of Chicago (Ill.), UW-Eau Claire, ninth-ranked UW-La Crosse, sixth-ranked UW-Oshkosh, third-ranked UW-Stevens Point and 18th-ranked and defending regional champion Washington University (Mo.).

Four of the top 10 and six of the top 25 men's teams in the NCAA Division III according to the United States Cross Country Coaches Association will be among the entries in the men's division. Teams expected to contend for the five available positions in the national championship are Augustana College (Ill.), third-ranked North Central College (Ill.), 24th-ranked University of Chicago, sixth-ranked UW-La Crosse, top-ranked and defending regional and national champion UW-Oshkosh, UW-Platteville, fourth-ranked UW-Stevens Point, UW-Whitewater and 19th-ranked Washington University.

Titans Finish Second At WIAC Championship

Liz Woodworth (Jr. • Marinette) easily ran to the individual title as the UW-Oshkosh women's cross country team finished second at the WIAC Championship held Saturday (Nov. 1) at the Whitetail Golf Course in Colfax.

Woodworth, who finished second at the event in 2001 and 10th in 2000, completed this year's 6,000-meter course in a time of 21:05 to become the sixth UW-Oshkosh runner to claim the league's individual championship. Previous UW-Oshkosh individual champions were Cheryl Niederberger (1987-88), Cathy Vandermar (1989), Laura Horejs (1990-91), Natalie Goetsch (1992) and Tiffany (Speckman) Ebensperger (1994, 1996-97).

Finishing behind Woodworth were second-place and defending champion Julia Rudd of UW-La Crosse in 22:06, third-place Jenna Mitchler of UW-Stevens Point in 22:10, fourth-place Megan Craig of UW-Stevens Point in 22:13 and fifth-place Leah Herlache of UW-Stevens Point in 22:21.

Aided by its three runners in the top-five individual finishes, UW-Stevens Point scored 26 points to capture its first WIAC team title. UW-Oshkosh, which has finished in the top three at the league championship every year since 1986, placed second with 52 points and two-time defending champion UW-La Crosse third with 86. The team scoring was completed by fourth-place UW-Eau Claire with 126 points, fifth-place UW-Stout with 154, sixth-place UW-River Falls with 162, seventh-place UW-Whitewater with 172, eighth-place UW-Platteville with 193 and ninth-place UW-Superior with 284.

UW-Oshkosh's team scoring was completed by ninth-place Katie Isermann's (Sr. • West Allis) time of 22:47, 11th-place Jackie Munoz's (Sr. • Oshkosh) time of 22:51, 15th-place Erin Blum's (Fr. • Baraboo) time of 22:58 and 16th-place Kelly Crivello's (Fr. • Hales Corners) time of 23:04.

The Titans also had Kristy Giljohann (So. • Brookfield) finish 18th in 23:06, Emily Steinhafel (So. • West Bend) 23rd in 23:13, Krystal Laurence (Jr. • Winnebago, Ill.) 36th in 23:41, Rachel Tedrick (Fr. • Winnebago, Ill.) 48th in 24:09, Annette Pufall (Jr. • Ashland) 60th in 24:53, Crystal Cook (Fr. • Lena) 62nd in 24:55 and Angie Bauer (So. • Buffalo City) 68th in 25:09. A total of 97 runners finished the race.

UW-Stevens Point's Len Hill was voted WIAC Coach of the Year by league coaches, while UW-Whitewater's Melissa Lutz received the WIAC's Judy Kruckman Scholar-Athlete Award.

Blum Wins Non-Scoring Meet Against Pointers

Erin Blum (Fr. • Baraboo) outran a field of 16 competitors as the UW-Oshkosh women's cross country team concluded its regular season with a non-scoring dual meet against UW-Stevens Point on Friday (Oct. 24) in Plover. Both teams rested the majority of their top runners in preparation for the WIAC Championship on November 1 in Colfax.

Blum cruised to a first-place finish in the 5,000-meter race by posting a time of 19:20. Nicki Van Gheem of UW-Stevens Point finished second in 20:10, Angie Bauer (So. • Buffalo City) of UW-Oshkosh third in 20:28, Aubrey Wesley of UW-Stevens Point fourth in 21:08 and Angie Kraemer of UW-Stevens Point fifth in 21:15.

Other finishers for the Titans were sixth-place Amanda Beard (Fr. • Wausau) in 21:22, seventh-place Amanda Williams (Sr. • Pewaukee) in 21:30, eighth-place Julie Netzer (Fr. • Lena) in 21:35, 11th-place Megan Slempkes (So. • Lena) in 21:54, 15th-place Sheila Kruse (So. • West Bend) in 22:29 and 16th-place Jodie Klimas (So. • Hartland) in 24:40.

UW-Oshkosh is expected to battle UW-Stevens Point and defending champion UW-La Crosse for the team title at the upcoming WIAC Championship. The Titans have won the league event 15 times in the past 17 years, with a third-place finish recorded a year ago.

Titans Tie For Second At Hammer Strength Invite

The UW-Oshkosh women's cross country team had another strong showing as it tied for second place at the Hammer Strength Invitational held Saturday (Oct. 18) at the Lake Breeze Golf Course in Winneconne.

UW-Stevens Point, the third-ranked team in the NCAA Division III by the Cross Country Coaches Association, won the event hosted by UW-Oshkosh with 34 points. Fifth-ranked UW-Oshkosh and sixth-ranked Calvin College (Mich.) tied for second place with 49 points, while Augustana College (Ill.) finished fourth with 126 points and Hope College (Mich.) fifth with 195.

Running away with the individual title was UW-Oshkosh's Liz Woodworth (Jr. • Marinette), who dominated her competition by finishing a solid minute ahead of the next runner. Woodworth completed the 5,000-meter course in a time of 17:01, while Sarah Hastings of Calvin College finished second in 18:02. Completing the top-five finishers were third-place Jessie Lair of Calvin College in 18:12, fourth-place Megan Craig of UW-Stevens Point in 18:16 and fifth-place Katie Isermann (Sr. • West Allis) of UW-Oshkosh in 18:21.

UW-Oshkosh's team scoring was completed by 12th-place Jackie Munoz (Sr. • Oshkosh) in 18:47, 15th-place Kelly Crivello (Fr. • Hales Corners) in 18:54 and 16th-place Kristy Giljohann (So. • Brookfield) in 19:00.

Other UW-Oshkosh runners finishing in the top 40 were 17th-place Erin Blum (Fr. • Baraboo) in 19:05, 18th-place Emily Steinhafel (So. • West Bend) in 19:12, 22nd-place Krystal Laurence (Jr. • Winnebago, Ill.) in 19:30, 32nd-place Jenny Graef (Fr. • Lena) in 19:49 and 40th-place Rachel Tedrick (Fr. • Winnebago, Ill.) in 20:02.

UW-Oshkosh To Host Cross Country Invitational

The top four men's and three of the top six women's cross country teams in the NCAA Division III run at Lake Breeze Golf Course in Winneconne on Saturday (Oct. 18) as UW-Oshkosh hosts the Hammer Strength Invitational.

The women's race, which starts at 10:45 a.m., features third-ranked UW-Stevens Point, fifth-ranked UW-Oshkosh and sixth-ranked Calvin College (Mich.). The men's race, which starts at 11:20 a.m., features defending national champion and top-ranked UW-Oshkosh, second-ranked North Central College (Ill.), third-ranked UW-Stevens Point and fourth-ranked Calvin College.

Also competing in the meet are the men's and women's teams from both Augustana College (Ill.) and Hope College (Mich.) and the men's squad from Elmhurst College (Ill.).

Titans Perfect In Winning UW-Platteville Invite

Recording a perfect score of 15 points, the UW-Oshkosh women's cross country team easily won the UW-Platteville Invitational held Saturday (Oct. 11) in Platteville.

UW-Oshkosh took the top-six individual positions and 12 of the top 17 to register its first perfect score since 1995. Lawrence University finished second to the Titans in the team standings with 59 points, while UW-Platteville placed third with 67 points and the Milwaukee School of Engineering fourth with 118. UW-Oshkosh entered the meet as the third-ranked team in the NCAA Division III by the Cross Country Coaches Association.

UW-Oshkosh's Katie Isermann (Sr. • West Allis) claimed the individual championship, completing the 6,000-meter course in a time of 24:19. She was followed by teammates Kelly Crivello (Fr. • Hales Corners) in second place at 24:34, Kristy Giljohann (So. • Brookfield) in third place at 25:09, Krystal Laurence (Jr. • Winnebago, Ill.) in fourth place at 25:18, Emily Steinhafel (So. • West Bend) in fifth place at 25:21 and Jenny Graef (Fr. • Lena) in sixth place at 25:26.

Completing UW-Oshkosh's top-20 individual finishers were ninth-place Rachel Tedrick (Fr. • Winnebago, Ill.) in 25:57, 11th-place Jackie Munoz (Sr. • Oshkosh) in 26:11, 14th-place Annette Pufall (Jr. • Ashland) in 26:32, 15th-place Crystal Cook (Fr. • Lena) in 26:32, 16th-place Angie Bauer (So. • Buffalo City) in 26:49 and 17th-place Amanda Williams (Sr. • Pewaukee) in 27:08.

Titans Crowned Notre Dame Invitational Champs

Liz Woodworth (Jr. • Marinette) ran to the individual title while four of her teammates placed in the top 40 as the UW-Oshkosh women's cross country team won the Gold Division of the prestigious Notre Dame Invitational held Friday (Oct. 3) in South Bend, Ind.

UW-Oshkosh, ranked 10th in the NCAA Division III by the Cross Country Coaches Association, won the 17-team Notre Dame Invitational with 96 points. Calvin College (Mich.), the third-ranked team in the NCAA Division III, finished second with 101 points, while NCAA Division I University of Alabama-Birmingham finished third with 113, NCAA Division I Valparaiso University (Ind.) fourth with 120 and NCAA Division II Hillsdale College (Mich.) fifth with 127.

Woodworth coasted through 5,000 meters of rainy, muddy and cold conditions to the individual championship by posting a time of 17:23. Sarah Hastings of Calvin College finished second to Woodworth with a time of 18:09. Woodworth and Hastings also went one-two at the Midwest Collegiate Championship held September 20 in Kenosha.

UW-Oshkosh's team scoring was completed by Katie Isermann's (Sr. • West Allis) seventh-place time of 18:31, Kelly Crivello's (Fr. • Hales Corners) 20th-place time of 18:51, Jackie Munoz's (Sr. • Oshkosh) 28th-place time of 19:02 and Kristy Giljohann's (So. • Brookfield) 40th-place time of 19:10.

Also running at the Notre Dame Invitational for UW-Oshkosh were Emily Steinhafel (So. • West Bend) and Krystal Laurence (Jr. • Winnebago, Ill.). Steinhafel placed 63rd among the 134 finishers with a time of 19:33, while Laurence placed 81st with a time of 19:55.

Titans Finish Eighth At Midwest Challenge

Missing several of its top runners who were competing at the Notre Dame Invitational earlier in the day, the UW-Oshkosh women's cross country team finished a respectable eighth at the Midwest Long & Short Challenge held Friday (Oct. 3) in Colfax.

Luther College (Iowa) won the 14-team event with 34 points, while the College of St. Benedict (Minn.) finished second with 40. UW-Oshkosh tallied 133 points for its eighth-place finish.

Jessica Linberts (So. • Fort Atkinson) was the top UW-Oshkosh finisher, placing 21st in the 6,000-meter race with a time of 23:45. The Titans also received team-scoring from Jenny Graef's (Fr. • Lena) 35th-place time of 24:14, Rachel Tedrick's (Fr. • Winnebago, Ill.) 50th-place time of 24:33, Annette Pufall's (Jr. • Ashland) 67th-place time of 25:08 and Crystal Cook's (Fr. • Lena) 69th-place time of 25:10. Jackie Mulrooney of UW-Platteville won the race with a time of 22:04.

Also finishing in the top 150 for the Titans were 76th-place Angie Bauer (So. • Buffalo City) in 25:21, 120th-place Amanda Williams (Sr. • Pewaukee) in 26:18, 132nd-place Amanda Beard (Fr. • Wausau) in 26:34 and 146th-place Julie Netzer (Fr. • Lena) in 26:52.

Titans Finish Fourth At Midwest Championship

Liz Woodworth (Jr. • Marinette) outran her individual competitors to lead the UW-Oshkosh women's cross country team to a fourth-place finish at the Midwest Collegiate Championship held Saturday (Sept. 20) in Kenosha.

Northern Michigan University finished first in the 28-team meet with 45 points, while Wayne State University (Mich.) placed second with 82, Calvin College (Mich.) third with 104, UW-Oshkosh fourth with 111 and Michigan Tech fifth with 165. Northern Michigan University, Wayne State University and Michigan Tech are all NCAA Division II members, while Calvin College and UW-Oshkosh are both affiliated with the NCAA Division III.

Woodworth took the individual title for the Titans after completing the 5,000-meter course in a time of 17:28. Kathleen Rice of Elmhurst College (Ill.) finished second in a time of 17:49 and Sarah Hastings of Calvin College third in 18:08.

In addition to Woodworth, UW-Oshkosh also had four other runners place in the top 35 as Katie Isermann (Sr. • West Allis) finished 14th in 18:55, Kelly Crivello (Fr. • Hales Corners) 29th in 19:14, Jackie Munoz (Sr. • Oshkosh) 32nd in 19:16 and Erin Blum (Fr. • Baraboo) 35th in 19:19. All four runners counted in the Titans' team scoring.

Other UW-Oshkosh runners finishing in the top 100 were 41st-place Kristy Giljohann (So. • Brookfield) in 19:27, 46th-place Krystal Laurence (Jr. • Winnebago, Ill.) in 19:35, 51st-place Renee Pilon (Sr. • Waukesha) in 19:41, 58th-place Emily Steinhafel (So. • West Bend) in 19:49, 79th-place Rachel Tedrick (Fr. • Winnebago, Ill.) in 20:05, 93rd-place Jenny Graef (Fr. • Lena) in 20:22 and 100th-place Annette Pufall (Jr. • Ashland) in 20:30. A total of 308 runners completed the race.

Pointers Outrun Titans In Season Opener

Liz Woodworth (Jr. • Marinette) finished first individually, but UW-Stevens Point took six of the next eight places as the Pointers defeated the Titans, 34-23, in a women's cross country dual meet held Saturday (Sept. 13) in Plover. The competition was the Titans' first of the 2003 season.

Woodworth, who returns to the Titans after receiving a medical redshirt a year ago, completed the 5,000-meter course in a time of 19:03. Woodworth easily finished ahead of UW-Stevens Point's Megan Craig and Jenna Mitchler, who finished second in 19:19 and third in 19:28, respectively.

UW-Oshkosh's team scoring was completed by fifth-place Katie Isermann's (Sr. • West Allis) time of 19:37, seventh-place Jackie Munoz's (Sr. • Oshkosh) time of 19:39, 10th-place Kristy Giljohann's (So. • Brookfield) time of 19:50 and 11th-place Erin Blum's (Fr. • Baraboo) time of 19:51.

Other UW-Oshkosh runners placing in the top 20 were 12th-place Kelly Crivello (Fr. • Hales Corners) in 19:55, 14th-place Renee Pilon (Sr. • Waukesha) in 20:03, 15th-place Krystal Laurence (Jr. • Winnebago, Ill.) in 20:07, 16th-place Emily Steinhafel (So. • West Bend) in 20:30, 18th-place Jenny Graef (Fr. • Lena) in 20:41 and 20th-place Annette Pufall (Jr. • Ashland) in 20:47.