Pioneers Compete At North Region Championships Saturday

COLFAX, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville cross country teams competed at the NCAA North Region Championships on Saturday afternoon from the Whitetail Golf Course in Colfax. The Pioneers men's team took seventh place while the women came in 17^th.

Men's Highlights

UW-Platteville totaled 222 points, which placed them seventh overall. UW-La Crosse won the meet with 33 points, followed by UW-Whitewater (70) and St. Olaf (89).

Leading the team was sophomore Caden Schneider, who put together a personal-best time of 24:36.1 in the 8,000-meter race to finish eighth overall. He improved upon his last top time from two weeks by 23 seconds to earn All-Region honors.

Junior Jakob Eggen was next, taking 41^st with a new PR of 25:21.9. Not far behind was junior Korbin Eisler, wo took 54^th while also running a new personal-best at 25:31.5. Sophomore Isaiah Kruckman was just a second behind Eisler, with a PR of 25:32.7 to finish 57^th.

Rounding out the scorers was senior Caleb Christiansen, who placed 62^nd with a PR time of 25:36.9.

Also competing at the meet were freshman Zachary Sporaa and junior Riley Coulter. Both set new personal bests, led by Sporaa's 25:50.6 for 74^th. Coulter posted a time of 25:52.0, which was good for 76^th overall.

Women's Highlights

The Pioneers tallied 433 points for 17^th place in the 6,000-meter race. Carleton won the meet with 48 points, followed by UW-Eau Claire (68) and UW-La Crosse (77) to round out the top three.

Senior Hannah Fliss was the top finisher for UW-Platteville, taking 30^th behind a personal-best time of 22:39.2. She earned All-Region honors with her strong showing.

Junior Natalie Kreier and sophomore Avery Brown were the next two to place, with both running PRs as well. Kreier took 59^th at 23:28.6 while Brown ran a 23:53.9 for 82^nd overall.

Rounding out the scorers for the Pioneers were freshman Kendra Downing and sophomore Leah Digmann. Downing posted a time of 25:02.5 to cross the line in 132^nd and Digmann wasn't far behind for 137^th at 25:10.6.

The other two runners competing for UW-Platteville at the meet were junior Lydia Oakleaf and sophomore Angela Meiners. Both ran new personal bests, led by Oakleaf's 26:12.5, which placed her 169^th. Meiners was two spots behind at 171^st with a time of 26:22.2.

Up Next

The Pioneers will send qualifiers to the NCAA National Championships next Saturday. The meet is set to begin at 11 a.m. in Newville, Pennsylvania at the Big Springs High School course. Qualifiers for the NCAA meet will be released on Sunday, November 12.