Kunkel and Poser lead Pioneer Cross Country at WIAC Championships

UW-Platteville's Danielle Kunkel finished in second-place and Sam Poser placed third at the WIAC Cross Country Championships on Saturday

Results
Kunkel and Poser lead Pioneer Cross Country at WIAC Championships
November 2, 2013

RIVER FALLS, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville's Danielle Kunkel led the women's cross country team with a second-place individual finish, and Sam Poser placed third to lead the men's cross country team at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships in River Falls, Wis. at the Kilkarney Hills Golf Course on Saturday.

Kunkel helped the women's team finish in sixth-place, while UW-La Crosse won the conference meet with four of its top five finishing in the top010 individually for a total of 34 team points. Kunkel finished the 6,000-meter course in 22:08 and was 21 seconds behind the individual champion Laura Mead, from UW-La Crosse. The Pioneers' sophomore Kiera Depies earned her second-straight second team all-WIAC honors, finishing in 13th-place with a time of 22:55. Freshman Chelsey Heiden crossed the finish line in 23:12, good for 24th-place. Junior Meleana Bennin clocked a time of 24:08, while sophomore Kristine Amundson rounded out the Pioneers' point scorers with 46th-place and a time of 24:29.
On the men's side, the Pioneers scored 138 points as UW-La Crosse won the meet with 53 points. UW-Eau Claire was a close second with 58 points. Poser was on the heels of UW-Stout's Patrick Jenkins and Jessop Keene, who finished first and second respectively. Poser was only seven second back of second-place and 12 seconds from first with a time of 24:45. Junior Joel Walden earned second-team all-WIAC honors with his 12th-place finish with a time of 25:00. Classmate Matt Smaga secured honorable mention all-WIAC by finishing 20th with a time of 25:20. Junior Evan Morgan was the Pioneers' fourth runner to cross the finish line with at time of 27:03, and freshman Cole Shurbert-Hetzel was the Pioneers final point scorer with a time of 27:09, for 54th place.
The Pioneers will join the other eight WIAC teams at the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional on Nov. 16 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.).