Titans Invited To Run At NCAA Championship

A major player in the history of the NCAA Division III Women's Cross Country Championship is back for another year as UW-Oshkosh received an at-large selection to a national spectacle that will be held Saturday (Nov. 20) at the Max Cross Country Course in Waverly, Iowa.

UW-Oshkosh, which will be making its 22nd appearance at the NCAA Division III Championship in 25 years, was one of 32 teams the NCAA invited on Sunday (Nov. 14) to participate in the meet. The top two, seven-person teams automatically qualified from each of the eight regions, while 16 additional squads were selected at-large. The event also includes 56 individuals who were not a part of a qualifying team.

Earning automatic bids to the championship were Calvin College (Mich.), Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges (Calif.), Dickinson College (Pa.), Emory University (Ga.), Hope College (Mich.), Johns Hopkins University (Md.), Luther College (Iowa), Middlebury College (Vt.), Rhodes College (Tenn.), St. Lawrence University (N.Y.), State University of New York-Geneseo, defending national champion UW-Eau Claire, Wartburg College (Iowa), Washington University (Mo.), Whitworth University (Wash.) and Williams College (Mass.).

UW-Oshkosh earned its at-large selection with an outstanding effort at the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional held Saturday (Nov. 13) at the Saukie Golf Course in Rock Island, Ill. UW-Eau Claire won the team title with 85 points, while Washington University finished second with 93, UW-Stevens Point third with 98, UW-Oshkosh fourth with 122 and the University of Chicago (Ill.) fifth with 133. UW-Stevens Point and the University of Chicago also received an at-large bid to the championship.

UW-Oshkosh, ranked 22nd in the NCAA Division III by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, will be appearing at the NCAA Division III Championship for the 24th time in school history. The Titans have recorded 10 top three finishes, including first-place performances in 1987, 1988, 1991 and 1996. UW-Oshkosh finished second at the championship in 1989, 1990 and 1995 and third in 1986, 1994 and 1998.

Christy Cazzola (So. • Kaukauna) is expected to lead UW-Oshkosh in the championship's 6,000-meter race. Cazzola captured the individual title at the WIAC Championship held Oct. 30 and finished fourth at the Midwest Regional.