Chippewa Valley Times

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's cross country team achieved a third-place finish at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Championships. The event took place on Saturday at the Wisconsin River Golf Club in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. The Blugolds, who are ranked 15th, accumulated 105 team points, placing them behind UW-La Crosse with 24 points and UW-Whitewater with 55 points.

Mason Shea from River Falls, Wisconsin, earned All-WIAC honors for the third time in his career and secured a spot on the first team for the first time. He led the Blugold runners by finishing seventh with a time of 24:13.8. Previously, he was named to the second team last season and received an honorable mention in 2022.

Jack Hesse-Withbroe from Stillwater, Minnesota, followed as the next best performer for UW-Eau Claire by placing 20th overall with a time of 24:46.9. Another senior, Sam Verkerke from White Bear Lake, Minnesota, also placed in the top 30 by finishing 28th in 24:59.6.

Trevor LaMirande from Dresser/St. Croix Falls and Carl Lundgren from Auburndale completed the scoring lineup for UW-Eau Claire by securing 34th and 35th places respectively. LaMirande clocked in at 25:10.2 while Lundgren finished just behind him by two-tenths of a second.

This result marks UW-Eau Claire's first top-three finish in the WIAC since 2019.

The Blugolds will next compete on Friday, November 8 at the Luther Saga Cup in Decorah, Iowa.

For more updates throughout their season, follow along on Blugolds.com or through their app Blugold Sports and social media platforms including Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.