Women's Cross Country Season Starts For Titans In Somers
The nationally ranked UW-Oshkosh women's cross country team opens the 2017 season at the Vic Godfrey Open on Saturday (Sept. 9) in Somers.
The Titans, ranked 26th in the NCAA Division III by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), are seeking their third consecutive and 28th overall NCAA postseason appearance.
After their season opener, the Titans travel to UW-Whitewater for the Tom Hoffman Invitational on Sept. 16, to Falcon Heights, Minn., for the Roy Griak Invitational on Sept. 23, and to Colfax for the UW-Eau Claire Blugold Invitational on Sept. 29.
UW-Oshkosh then travels to Appleton for the Gene Davis Invitational on Oct. 7 before hosting a pair of meets at the Lake Breeze Golf Club in Winneconne. The Titans host the UW-Oshkosh Kollege Town Sports Invitational on Oct. 14 and the UW-Oshkosh Open on Oct. 20 to conclude the regular season.
This year's WIAC Championship will be contested at UW-Whitewater on Oct. 28 before the Titans journey to the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional on Nov. 11 in Rock Island, Ill.
The 2017 season concludes with the NCAA Championship on Nov. 18 at the Principia College North Farm Cross Country Facility in Elsah, Ill.
Last year, UW-Oshkosh opened the season by finishing sixth at the 13-team Midwest Open (now called Vic Godfrey Open) and sixth among 12 teams at the Tom Hoffman Invitational before winning the Roy Griak Invitational for the first time since 2010.
The Titans then placed 25th at the 28-team Notre Dame Invitational, fourth at the nine-team Gene Davis Invitational and ninth at the 36-team UW-Oshkosh Kollege Town Sports Invitational.
UW-Oshkosh produced a second-place showing at last year's WIAC Championship with 55 points. UW-La Crosse claimed the league title with 26 points while UW-Eau Claire finished third with 61, UW-Stout fourth with 122, UW-River Falls fifth with 150, UW-Platteville sixth with 155, UW-Stevens Point seventh with 175 and UW-Whitewater eighth with 238.
UW-Oshkosh third-year head coach Eamon McKenna welcomes back senior Cheyenne Moore, the 2016 WIAC champion, who went on to place fourth at the NCAA Midwest Regional and 45th at the NCAA Championship. Also back from the Titans' 16th-place team at the 2016 NCAA Championship are sophomore Ashton Keene and senior Jessica Stamn.
The Titans, who are seeking their first WIAC championship since 2015, own a league-record 16 titles, including 15 consecutive from 1986-2000.
UW-Oshkosh, one of the most successful women's cross country programs in the country, claimed NCAA Division III titles in 1987, 1988, 1991 and 1996. The Titans also finished second in the nation in 1989, 1990 and 1995.
