Chippewa Valley Times

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's cross country team achieved a notable fourth-place finish at the Augustana Interregional Invitational in Rock Island, Illinois. Competing against 40 teams, including three of the top five Division III teams, the Blugolds surpassed several nationally ranked competitors. This marks their third top-four placement this season.

The Blugolds scored 166 points. Wartburg College, ranked second, won with 41 points. The other teams ahead of UW-Eau Claire were North Central and UW-Whitewater, both ranked in the top five nationally. Despite being ranked No. 27, UW-Eau Claire finished ahead of four other ranked teams.

Mason Shea from River Falls, Wisconsin, led the Blugolds by finishing 14th with a personal best time of 24:36.9. Jack Hesse-Withbroe and Trevor LaMirande also set personal records; Hesse-Withbroe placed 31st with a time of 24:59.4, while LaMirande came in 34th at 25:05.4.

Sam Verkerke achieved a season-best time of 25:15.6 to take 48th place overall. Jesse Peterson rounded out the team's scorers by finishing 54th with a new personal record time of 25:22.7.

The Blugolds will compete next at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships on November 2nd, where they previously finished sixth last year.

For ongoing updates throughout the season, fans can follow the Blugolds on their website or via social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.