Pioneer Cross Country ready for WIAC Championships

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. -- The University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's and women's cross country teams will compete at 2013 WIAC Cross Country Championships Saturday, Nov. 2 at Kilkarney Golf Course in River Falls. The women's 6-kilometer race will begin at noon, while the men's 8-kilometer race will get underway at 1 p.m. 

On the men's side juniors Sam Poser and Joel Walden will be looked upon to lead the Pioneers as both finished in the top 26 last year. Walden earned all-WIAC honors mention after his 19th-place performance last fall. Poser ran his best race of the year at the UW-La Crosse Jim Drews/Tori Neubauer Invitational on Oct. 26 with a time of 25:44.5. Walden is also peaking at the right time as he crossed the finish line at the 26:00.0 mark at La Crosse. 

Junior Matt Kocak will be looking to improve his 29th-place finish from last year's conference meet. Juniors Matt Smaga and Evan Morgan and sophomore Michael Peterson round out the rest of the Pioneers returning from last fall's WIAC Championships. 

Junior Danielle Kunkel has ran extremely well this season after taking the off the 2012 season. She started the year finishing in second at the Warhawk Invitational with a time of 22:44. Her best time of the year came at the Pioneer Gender Equity Invitational with a time of 23:16.0.

Sophomore Kiera Depies is looking for a similar performance to the one she had at last year's WIAC Championship where she finished in eight-place for second team all-WIAC honors.

Freshman Chelsey Heiden has been the Pioneers third best runner and has gotten faster every week and clocked a time of 23:53.1 UW-La Crosse Jim Drews/Tori Neubauer Invitational.  The Pioneers have six other runners that competed in the 2012 conference meet, including Meleana Bennin, Olivia Bukowski, Andrea Knutson, Teagan Seneczko, Ashlynne Wampfler and Allison Wells at will be running on Saturday. 

All nine WIAC teams will return to action on Nov. 16, 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 (Ill.).  The NCAA Division III Championship is scheduled for Nov. 23, at L.S. Ayres Athletic Complex in Hanover, Ind., and will be hosted by Hanover College (Ind.).