2017 WIAC Women's Cross Country Championship Preview

University of Wisconsin-La Crosse will aim for a second consecutive title at the 2017 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Women’s Cross Country Championship (Presented by Culver’s). The 40th gathering of league teams will be hosted by UW-Whitewater at the UW-Whitewater Cross Country Trails on Oct. 28.
 
The Eagles claimed the ninth championship in program history – and third in the last four seasons –
a year ago with 26 points. UW-Oshkosh placed second with 55 points, UW-Eau Claire third with 61, UW-Stout fourth with 122, UW-River Falls fifth with 150, UW-Platteville sixth with 155, UW-Stevens Point seventh with 175 and UW-Whitewater eighth with 238.
 
Three teams are ranked among the finest in the NCAA Division III based on Oct. 18 rankings distributed by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. UW-La Crosse is ranked 12th, while UW-Eau Claire is 19th and UW-River Falls 35th.
 
Individually, UW-Oshkosh’s Cheyenne Moore is the defending champion after securing last year’s crown with a time of 21:49.8. She has won three races this fall – Roy Griak Invitational, UW-Eau Claire Blugold Invitational and Kollege Town Sports UW-Oshkosh Invitational. Moore placed 15th at the 2014 WIAC Championship.
 
Returning runners that have secured All-WIAC honors at previous conference championships consist of:  UW-Eau Claire’s Melody Becker (20th-2014), Callie Fischer (9th-2016), Karen Gomez-Ruiz (17th-2016), Morgan Marek (5th-2016) and Samantha Slattery (15th-2016); UW-La Crosse’s Hannah Beilke (16th-2015), Andrea Brekken (18th-2015, 10th-2016), Mackenzie Keller-Miller (19th-2015), Sadie Kroll (2nd-2016), Kaitlyn McDaniel (6th-2015, 4th-2016) and Rebecca Voss (5th-2015, 14th-2016); and UW-Platteville’s Janelle Ferguson (20th-2015).
 
Additional conference runners producing strong performances for their teams this fall include: 
UW-River Falls’ Abigail Fouts; UW-Stevens Point’s Kara Hoier and Bailey Wolf; UW-Stout’s Jessica Petruzates and Katie Repka; and UW-Whitewater’s Jessie Braun and Liz Mielke.
 
The top seven runners in the 6,000-meter race will 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.
 
All eight WIAC teams will return to action on Nov. 11, and participate in the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional at Saukie Golf Course in Rock Island, Ill. The regional event will be hosted by Augustana College. Principia College (Ill.) will host the NCAA Division III Championship on Nov. 18.
 

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