Stevens Point, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse women's cross country team captured its fourth consecutive Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Championship Saturday afternoon at Wisconsin River Golf Club.
It is the Eagles' 13th league title in school history. The 13 conference crowns are the second-most in league history. UW-Oshkosh owns a conference-best 16 championship.
UWL, ranked 14th in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), finished with 37 team points while UW-Stout was second with 68 and UW-Eau Claire third with 79. UW-Whitewater and UW-Oshkosh tied for fourth (94) followed by UW-Platteville sixth (179), UW-River Falls seventh (189) and UW-Stevens Point (214).
The Eagles had six runners place in the top-12 in capturing Saturday's title.
Gwen Hinz led UWL with a fourth-place finish with a time of 21:31.1 on the 6,000-meter course.
Katelyn Chadwick was fifth (21:38.6),
Madelynn McIntyre eighth (21:41.7),
Sierra Rabe ninth (21:52.3),
Mallory Reiser 11th (21:59.0) and
Brooklyn Luebke 12th (22:01.0).
UWL's
Lucy Duchac finished 15th (22:06.5) with
Madison Twarling 23rd (22:28.4),
Julia Zalewski 25th (22:31.1),
Karlie Meyer 27th (22:33.6),
Elizabeth Schwartz 33rd (22:42.5) and
Kaleigh Burns 35th (22:44.7).
Amelia Lehman from UW-Oshkosh won the individual title (21:18.2). A total of 89 runners completed the race.
The top-seven runners in the 6,000-meter race receive All-WIAC first team recognition, while runners placing eight through 14 earn All-WIAC second team accolades. Individuals finishing 15 through 20 claim honorable mention laurels.
Chadwick became the fifth runner in school history to earn four career all-conference honors since 1998. Along with placing fifth this season, Chadwick was third in 2023, fourth in 2022 and 20th in 2021. Julia Rudd (2001-03, 2005), Rachel Schroeder (2010-13),
Maddie Hannan (2019-23) and
Maddy Vantassel (2019-23) also earned four All-WIAC recognitions.
Hinz, McIntyre and Rabe each earned their second career All-WIAC honor on Saturday. Hinz was 13th a year ago while McIntyre placed sixth and Rabe 14th.
Reiser, Luebke and Duchac picked up their first career all-conference recognition on Saturday.
Chadwick and UW-Stevens Point's Rachel Krouse were selected the co-recipients of the WIAC Judy Kruckman Scholar-Athlete Award.
Rabe was named to the WIAC All-Sportsmanship Team, chosen for individuals that displayed exemplary sportsmanship throughout the season. It included one member from each school.
Derek Stanley, in his 13th season as UWL's head coach, has now led the Eagles to seven WIAC Championships (2013-14, 2016, 2021-24) while finishing second on five occasions (2012, 2015, 2017-19). A total of 81 All-WIAC cross country honors have been earned under Stanley, including 34 first team selections and 26 second team choices.
UWL returns to action Saturday, November 16 at the NCAA Division III North Regional at Bill Huyck Championship Course in Northfield, Minnesota. The NCAA Division III Championships are set for Saturday, November 23 at LaVern Gibson Championship Course in Terre Haute, Indiana.
