Titans Return Seven Runners To WIAC Championship
UW-Oshkosh junior Hannah Lohrenz is among the top runners returning to the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Women's Cross Country Championship (Presented by Culver's) that will be held Saturday (Nov. 2) at the Cole Acres Golf Course in Cuba City. The 42nd version of the championship begins at 1 p.m.
Lohrenz is making her third appearance at the WIAC Championship after finishing ninth at last year's meet held in Colfax and 45th at the 2017 event held in Whitewater. Lohrenz owns a pair of top-four finishes this year, including a victory at the UW-Oshkosh Titan Fall Classic held Sept. 20 at the Lake Breeze Golf Club in Winneconne.
UW-Oshkosh returns six other runners to championship, including senior Ashton Keene who finished 32nd in 2018, 37th in 2017 and 26th at the 2016 event held in Stevens Point. Keene's four races this fall are highlighted by a second-place finish at the Lawrence University Gene Davis Invitational held Oct. 12 in Appleton.
Other UW-Oshkosh runners competing on Saturday with WIAC Championship experience are Megan Berg, Tayah Cunningham, Melissa Srnka, Amanda Van Den Plas and Breanna Van Den Plas.
Last year Amanda Van Den Plas finished 27th at the championship while Cunningham placed 61st, Breanna Van Den Plas 64th, Srnka 66th and Berg 75th. Srnka finished 84th and Cunningham 87th in 2017 while Amanda Van Den Plas listed 77th and Breanna Van Den Plas 81st in 2016.
Titans making their WIAC Championship debut on Saturday are Meygan Benzing, Tricia Cich, Alexandria Demco, Sydney Fricke and Lauren Urban. Benzing, Cich, Demco and Urban are all freshmen.
This year's WIAC Championship includes several runners who have earned all-league honors at previous league championships. They include UW-Eau Claire's Liz Cisewski (10th in 2017), Emma Drangstveit (13th in 2018), Alanna Huggett (20th in 2018), Naomi Long (12th in 2018), Maggie Louiselle (18th in 2016) and Lexie Tremble (eighth in 2018); UW-La Crosse's Rachel Jeffers (18th in 2017) and McKenzie Kirtz (13th in 2016); UW-Oshkosh's Hannah Lohrenz (ninth in 2018); and UW-Stevens Point's Georgia Harrison (11th in 2018) and Katie Schaefer (16th in 2018).
The top seven runners in Saturday's 6,000-meter race will receive All-WIAC First Team recognition while runners placing eight through 14 earn All-WIAC Second Team accolades. Individuals finishing 15 through 20 collect honorable mention laurels.
UW-Oshkosh, a 16-time WIAC champion, scored 110 points in achieving a third-place finish at last year's championship.
UW-Eau Claire tallied 39 points to win its second straight WIAC title and 10th overall. Trailing the Blugolds in the team standings were UW-La Crosse with 63 points, third-place UW-Oshkosh and fourth-place UW-Stout with 117.
Rounding out the team finishes were fifth-place UW-River Falls with 121 points, sixth-place UW-Stevens Point with 129, seventh-place UW-Platteville with 139 and eighth-place UW-Whitewater with 201.
UW-Eau Claire enters Saturday's meet ranked 11th in the NCAA Division III by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association and UW-La Crosse 23rd.
In addition to the WIAC championships won by UW-Eau Claire and UW-Oshkosh, UW-La Crosse owns nine league titles and UW-Stevens Point two.
Following a weekend off all eight WIAC teams will participate at the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional on Nov. 16 at the Lake Breeze Golf Club in Winneconne. The NCAA Division III Championship will be held Nov. 23 at the E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Ky.