WINNECONNE, Wis. - The UW-Eau Claire women's cross country team took first place today at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship hosted by UW-Oshkosh, winning its first conference title since 1985.

The Blugolds, who are ranked ninth in the latest NCAA Division III U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association poll, did just enough to pull off the victory, beating UW-Platteville by five points. Eau Claire had three runners in the top ten at the meet, with the two other point-scorers in the top 14. Last season, the Blugolds finished second at the conference championship and have only finished in second twice since its last conference title in 1985.

Eau Claire finished the meet scoring 44 points, while Platteville came in second with 49. Last year's champion, La Crosse, edged the Blugolds by five points at the championship last season, but finished in third place with 77 this year. UW-Oshkosh finished the day in fourth with 121 points, UW-Stevens Point finished with 131 in fifth place and UW-River Falls finished in sixth with 167 points. In seventh, UW-Whitewater finished with 193 points, UW-Stout scored 202 for eighth place and UW-Superior took last place with 253 points.

On the individual side, Mary Palmer (Jr.-Anoka, Minn.) was the top Blugold runner today, finishing in fourth place overall with a time of 22:16. Molly Warner (Sr.-Mosinee, Wis.), who finished fifth in last year's conference championship and was the top Blugold runner, came in fifth again with a time of 22:24. Junior Beth Lutz (Eau Claire, WI/Memorial) had a time of 22:42, good enough for ninth place, while Hannah Humbach (So.-Madison, Wis./Abundant Life Christian) finished 12 seconds behind her for a 12th place finish. The fifth finisher for the Blugolds today was Amber Hertz (Sr.-Baraboo, Wis.) who finished in 14th place overall with a time of 22:56.

The top runner of the day was UW-Oshkosh's Ayla Mitchell, who completed the course with a time of 21:27.

The Blugolds will have a week off before heading back to Winneconne, Wis. on Saturday, November 10 for the NCAA Midwest Regional, hosted by UW-Oshkosh. Last season the Blugolds finished in fourth place at the regional and will look to finish even better this season.

Complete Results

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