Chadwick, Weber Garner At-Large Berths To NCAA Championship
UW-Oshkosh sophomores Lucas Weber and Cody Chadwick will run on their home course as UW-Oshkosh hosts the 46th chapter of the NCAA Division III Men's Cross Country Championship on Saturday (Nov. 17). The 8,000-meter race begins at 12:15 p.m. from the Lake Breeze Golf Club in Winneconne.
Weber and Chadwick earned two of 56 at-large berths into the national meet by finishing 21st and 26th, respectively, among 253 participants at the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional held Saturday (Nov. 10) at the Whitetail Golf Course in Colfax. Both runners will be competing at the national meet for the first time.
Weber led UW-Oshkosh at the Midwest Regional with his time of 25:18. He has been the Titans' top runner six times this season, including second-place finishes at the UW-Oshkosh Titan Fall Classic held Sept. 21 and the University of Minnesota Roy Griak Invitational held Sept. 29. Weber also finished eighth at the WIAC Championship held Oct. 27.
Chadwick finished second for the Titans at the Midwest Regional with his time of 25:23. His top finishes this season include fourth place at the UW-Oshkosh Titan Fall Classic, sixth place at the University of Minnesota Roy Griak Invitational and 12th place at the WIAC Championship.
Brad Hodkinson of Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.) captured Saturday's Midwest Regional title with a time of 24:32 while UW-Platteville's Zach Lee finished second in 24:36.
North Central College (Ill.) owned five of the next eight finishers as Chris Buechner listed third with a time of 24:36, Zach Hird fifth in 24:40, Dhruvil Patel sixth in 24:41, Al Baldonado seventh in 24:41 and Matt Osmulski ninth in 24:47.
UW-La Crossed possessed the remaining three top 10 finishers as Josh Schraeder finished fourth with a time of 24:39, Thomas Schultz eighth in 24:42 and Tyler Nault 10th in 24:51.
Besides Weber and Chadwick, other Midwest Regional at-large qualifiers for the Division III Championship were Lee and Zach Klokow from UW-Platteville, Josh Janusiak from Lawrence University and Jorge Villaneuva from Lake Forest College (Ill.).
The top 35 finishers at this Saturday's race will receive All-America accolades.
Seven-member squads from North Central College, University of Chicago (Ill.), UW-Eau Claire, UW-La Crosse and UW-Stout will represent the Midwest Region in the team competition at the NCAA Division III Championship.
Defending regional and national champion North Central College claimed last Saturday's Midwest Regional team title with 30 points while UW-La Crosse finished second with 74.
Washington University in St. Louis finished third in the field of 35 teams with 87 points while UW-Eau Claire placed fourth with 147 and UW-Stout fifth with 164. UW-Oshkosh compiled 231 points en route to an eighth-place finish.
North Central College is going after its third straight NCAA Division III title and 19th overall after defeating runner-up UW-La Crosse for the 2017 prize.
UW-Oshkosh is hosting the NCAA Division III Championship for the fourth time. The Titans also hosted the event in 1999, 2011 and 2015.
2018 NCAA Division III Men's Cross Country Championship Website • National Site (NCAA)
2018 NCAA Division III Men's & Women's Cross Country Championship Website • Host Site (UW-Oshkosh)