Titans Set To Race At WIAC Championship

Christy Cazzola (Jr. • Kaukauna) can become the first repeat winner since 2004 when UW-Oshkosh runs at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Women's Cross Country Championship on Saturday (Oct. 29) in Colfax. The 6,000-meter race on Whitetail Golf Course is set for 11 a.m.

UW-Eau Claire is the four-time defending champion of the event. A year ago, the Blugolds totaled 43 team points to squeeze past UW-Stevens Point's second-place sum of 45. UW-Oshkosh placed third with 61, UW-La Crosse fourth with 103, UW-Platteville fifth with 130, UW-Whitewater sixth with 151, UW-Stout seventh with 192, UW-River Falls eighth with 215 and UW-Superior ninth with 287. The two-point margin of victory by the Blugolds was the second-closest in the 33-year history of the championship. There were one-point victories in 1980 and 1983.

UW-Eau Claire is ranked seventh in the NCAA Division III based on rankings distributed by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

Cazzola was last year’s individual champion and will try to match her coach, Liz Kujawa, who took the title in 2003 and 2004. Additional runners expected to challenge for this year’s gold are UW-Stevens Point's Kelly Haen, UW-Platteville's Ann Tank and UW-Eau Claire's Alyssa Sybilrud and Ashlyn Mauer. Haen finished second in the meet last season, while Sybilrud crossed the line fourth.

The Titans send 12 runners to the competition, including Katelyn Brooks (Fr. • Winneconne), Allie DeBaker (So. • Green Bay), Morgan Engelhart (So. • Tigerton), Tori Johnson (Jr. • Valders), McKenzie Kelly (Jr. • New Richmond), Alexandria Mahoney (Fr. • Spring Green), Mariah McMullen (So. • Byron, Ill.), Lauren Reigel (So. • Greenville), Kristin Stockheimer (Jr. • West Salem), Kelsey Sweeney (Jr. • Verona) and Natalie Wilke (Fr. • Waunakee). UW-Oshkosh won this event a record 15 times from 1986-2000.

The top seven runners in the race will receive All-WIAC first team recognition, while runners placing eight through 14 earn All-WIAC second team accolades.