UW-Oshkosh To Host 10th NCAA Cross Country Regional
Ten nationally ranked teams will be among the programs competing for titles at the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional Cross Country Championships on Saturday (Nov. 12) in Winneconne.
The 6,000-meter women’s race begins at 11 a.m. at the Lake Breeze Golf Club followed by the 8,000-meter men’s competition at noon. A total of 41 teams and nearly 350 runners will compete in both races.
The top two men’s and women’s teams will secure automatics berth into the NCAA Division III Championships that will be held Nov. 19 at the E.P. Tom Sawyer Park in Louisville, Ky. Sixteen other at-large bids will be awarded from the nation's eight total regions. The top seven individual finishers from each region not on one of the team qualifiers will also earn an invitation to the national championships.
The women’s race will feature four top-35 teams in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) poll. Headlining the women’s field are fourth-ranked Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.), seventh-ranked UW-La Crosse, 13th-ranked University of Chicago (Ill.) and 20th-ranked St. Norbert College.
At the 2015 Midwest Regional in Rock Island, Ill., Washington University in St. Louis cruised to its second straight regional title with 68 points. The Bears easily outscored UW-Oshkosh’s second-place total of 106 points. University of Chicago and UW-La Crosse followed in third place with 126 points apiece while UW-Eau Claire was fifth with 130.
There will be a new individual champion in the women’s race as UW-Eau Claire’s Lucy Ramquist claimed the title as a senior a year ago.
Runners returning from last year’s top 10 are third-place Khia Kurtenbach from the University of Chicago, sixth-place Erin Artz from St. Norbert College, eighth-place Kaitlyn McDaniel from UW-La Crosse, and 10th-place Ellie Degen from Washington University in St. Louis.
Just seven programs have won women’s Midwest Regional titles since 1981. UW-Oshkosh has won the event 14 times, Washington University in St. Louis seven, UW-La Crosse six, UW-Stevens Point five, UW-Eau Claire four, and Central College (Iowa) and University of Chicago one apiece.
The men’s field is led by top-ranked North Central College (Ill.). The Cardinals, who have won 27 of the 38 Midwest Regional titles since 1978, are expected to be challenged by fourth-ranked and defending national champion UW-Eau Claire, fifth-ranked UW-La Crosse, 11th-ranked Washington University in St. Louis, 25th-ranked Augustana College (Ill.) and 35th-ranked UW-Platteville.
At last year’s regional, UW-Eau Claire scored 54 points to eke past the 60 by North Central College. The Blugolds then went on to claim the first national title in program history at the Lake Breeze Golf Club.
Also finishing among the top five teams at last year’s Midwest Regional were third-place UW-La Crosse with 124 points, fourth-place UW-Oshkosh with 147 and fifth-place UW-Platteville with 159.
UW-Platteville’s Ian LaMere is back to defend his individual regional title. He won the 2015 Midwest Regional in a time of 23:32 before going on to win the national title by nearly 40 seconds, setting a new division record for margin of victory with his run of 23:36.
Also returning from last year’s regional top 10 are North Central College’s Zach Plank and Ethan Adlfinger, who finished second and seventh, respectively. UW-Eau Claire’s Darin Lau is back after placing sixth as is ninth-place finisher Brett Harms from UW-Whitewater.
UW-La Crosse has won six men's Midwest Regional championships. UW-Oshkosh owns four regional titles and UW-Eau Claire one.
UW-Oshkosh will be paced on the women’s side by Cheyenne Moore, Kristen Linzmeier and Erica Munyan, who each finished in the top 10 at the WIAC Championship on Oct. 29 as the Titans were the runners-up to UW-La Crosse in the team competition. Moore won the race in 21:50 while Linzmeier finished sixth and Munyan eighth.
Other women competing for UW-Oshkosh on Saturday are Michelle Draxler, Cammy Garvelink, Ashton Keene, Leah Rendflesh, Jessica Stamn, Hannah Thorn and Amanda Van Den Plas.
The UW-Oshkosh men, who finished fourth at the WIAC Championship, are expected to be led by Tyler Miletti and Charlend Howard. Miletti led the Titans with his sixth-place effort at the conference meet while Howard finished 14th.
Rounding out the regional lineup for the UW-Oshkosh men are Corbin Bevry, Trevor Damkot, Bennett Krueger, Dan Massey, Mitch Pauers, Jacob Rost, Justin Skinkis and Joe Zack.
The Lake Breeze Golf Club was the host facility for the NCAA Division III Championships in 1999, 2011 and 2015 and the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional in 1997, 2007, 2009, 2012 and 2014. UW-Oshkosh also hosted the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional at the Westhaven Golf Club (Oshkosh) in 1989, 1991 and 1993 and the Far Vu Golf Course (Oshkosh) in 1995.
Spectator Parking & Shuttle Bus Information
There is no spectator parking at Lake Breeze Golf Club.
Spectator parking will be located at Winneconne High School at 100 Wolf Run, Winneconne, WI 54986.
Winneconne High School is located 3 miles from the Lake Breeze Golf Club. The shuttle buses will pick-up and drop-off spectators at the main entrance of the high school. Spectators must use Highway 116 (Main Street) to N. 9th Ave. to access the parking lots at Winneconne High School.
Uniformed patrols will monitor all access points to the Lake Breeze Golf Club and the shuttle service to ensure this route for spectators.
Spectator shuttles are available to transport spectators for a round trip cost of $5. Anyone 5 years old or younger is free. Accessible shuttles are available. The shuttle service begins at 8:30 a.m. and concludes at 3:30 p.m. There are portable restrooms at the parking venue.
No dogs, unless a service dog, or bikes are allowed on the shuttle buses or at Lake Breeze Golf Club.
2016 NCAA Division III Midwest Regional Cross Country Championships Program
2016 NCAA Division III Midwest Regional Cross Country Championships Website