Walden leads Pioneer Cross Country at NCAA Midwest Regional

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's and women's cross country team competed in the Division III Midwest Regional Cross Country Championships on Saturday at the Saukie Golf Course in Rock Island, Ill. 

The Pioneer men's team finished in ninth place with 270 points, while North Central won the meet with 56 points. The Wisconsin Intercollegiate Conference (WIAC) had five teams in the top-10 with UW-Oshkosh leading the way in third-place. 

Individually, junior Joel Walden ran his fastest 8,000-meter race in his career with a time of 24:43, good for 10th-place. Fellow junior Sam Poser was right on Walden's heels and crossed the finish line with at time of 24:45 for 11th-place. Both Walden and Poser ran a pace of 4:59 and completed the first two-kilometers in 6:05 to be in the lead pack of runners. Junior Matt Smaga finished in 29th-place with a time of 25:08, while Evan Morgan crossed the finish line at the 26:47 mark. Freshman Cole Shurbert-Hetzel rounded out the Pioneers' top-five with a time of 27:08. 

On the women's side, the Pioneers finished in 16th-place out of 38 teams, while the WIAC had five teams in the top-10. UW-La Crosse led the WIAC with a second-place finish. 

Freshman Chelsey Heiden ran the 12th fastest six-kilometer race in school history with a time of 22:54, good for 40th place. She improved on her personal-best time by nearly 20 seconds. Junior Meleana Bennin posted a time of 23:56 and sophomore Kiera Depies crossed the finish line at 24:15. Sophomore Kristine Amundson was right behind Depies with a time of 24:18, and classmate Teagan Seneczko rounded out the top-five with a time of 24:50. 

The Pioneers will find out what individuals qualified for the Division III Cross Country National Championships on Sunday.