COLFAX - The UW-Eau Claire men's cross country team claimed sixth place out of 23 teams here today in the NCAA Division III Pre-National Meet held at the White Tail Golf Course in Colfax.

The Blugolds will be hosting the Division III National Championships on November 20, also at the White Tail Golf Course. St. Olaf won the Pre-Nationals with 85 points while UW-La Crosse took second with 102 points. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology scored 103 points for third place while Nebraska Wesleyan claimed fourth with 139 points. Macalester totaled 158 points for fifth place and the Blugolds scored 191 points.

Paul Zdroik (Fr.-Stevens Point/SPASH) led the Eau Claire team for the third time in as many meets this season, claiming 14th place overall with a time of 26:10.5. Ethan Kreul (Jr.-Poynette) finished second on the Blugold roster and 21st overall with a time of 26:23.7.

Ben Schmiege (Sr.-Madison/Lakeside Lutheran) finished in a time of 26:38.7, good for 35th overall. Zach Severson (Jr.-Sun Prairie) and Adam Wolfe (Fr.-Marshfield) finished just two-tenths of a second apart, as Severson finished in 27:17.4 and Wolfe finished in 27:17.6. The finishes were good for 60th and 61st respectively.

Dan Winder of Loras took the individual title with a time of 25:30.9 while Andrew Podgurski of Emory was second with a time of 25:47.8.

The Blugolds will have two weeks off before returning to action on October 16, when they will compete in the Jim Drews Invite in La Crosse. The meet is set to begin at 10:30 a.m.

Team scores: 1) St. Olaf 85, 2) UW-La Crosse 102, 3) MIT 103, 4) Nebraska Wesleyan 139, 5) Macalester 158, 6) UW-Eau Claire 191, 7) Emory 198, 8) St. Thomas 200, 9) Loras 217, 10) Wheaton (IL) 285, 11) St. John's 293, 12) Eau Claire Alumni 350, 13) Gustavus 363, 14) UW-Stout 385, 15) Augsburg 440, 15) Concordia-Moorhead 440, 17) Bethel 461, 18) UW-River Falls 465, 19) UW-Superior 522, 20) McMurry 611, 21) St. Mary's 655, 22) Winona State 677, 23) North Central (MN) 705.

Top-10 Individuals: 1) Dan Winder (Loras) 25:30.9, 2) Andrew Podgurski (Emory) 25:47.8, 3) Ben Schmeckpeper (MIT) 25:49.7, 4) Malcolm Richards (St. Olaf) 25:51.4, 5) David Borner (Bethel) 25:51.8, 6) Kelly Fulton (St. Olaf) 25:58.6, 7) Craig Dye (Nebraska Wesleyan) 25:58.9, 8) Mark Creger (UW-La Crosse) 26:01.6, 9) Aaron Dye (Nebraska Wesleyan) 26:02.1, 10) Bo Rydze (Macalester) 26:03.1.

Blugold finishers: 14) Paul Zdroik 26:10.5, 21) Ethan Kreul 26:23.7, 35) Ben Schmiege 26:38.7, 60) Zach Severson 27:17.4, 61) Adam Wolfe 27:17.6, 68) Nate Hall 27:24.1, 87) Adam Condit 27:41.7.

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