Northland Sports Online

UWS Runners Place in Eau Claire

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NSO NEWS RELEASE

 

It was a rare Friday competition for the Yellowjacket women’s cross country team, as they hit the course for the first time in two weeks. The break, which allowed some nagging injuries to heal, also gave the Yellowjackets the chance to adjust their practice routine with the conference championships just around the corner.

Friday’s Blugold Invitational also was a mini-WIAC meet, with six of the nine teams in the conference taking part. The field included three teams nationally ranked, nine teams regionally ranked, on NCAA Division I team and two NCAA Division II teams.

“It was a good field and I think it was exactly what we needed at this point in the season,” Yellowjacket Head Coach Glen Drexler said. “I am very happy with what the women showed today. They ran very well and really started to show me what they are capable of.”

The meet was won by Carleton College, who placed first with a miniscule 49 points. Their Northfield, Minnesota neighbors St. Olaf College and the University of Minnesota tied for second place with 105 points. The College of St. Benedict and UW-Eau Claire rounded out the top five. The Yellowjackets placed 22nd with 693 points. Individually Carleton junior Ruth Steinke placed first, winning the race with a time of 21:59.7.

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For the Yellowjackets, the duo of Kate Weyenberg (Wrightstown, Wis./Wrightstown) and Jackie Erickson (Duluth, Minn./East) once again led the charge, finishing first and second, respectively, among Yellowjacket runners. Weyenberg came in with a time of 25:23.4, while Erickson completed the course with a time of 25:43.7. They were the two Yellowjackets that broke the 26-minute barrier.

In all the Yellowjackets set four personal records and three season bests on the day.

“We still have work to do. As a group they know they have room to grow and can continue to improve, but this was a very nice step in the direction I think the team should be going,” Drexler said. “Jessica Irvine (Spooner, Wis./Shell Lake) ran a very smart and calculated race and it resulted in a personal record. Kate and Jackie ran well, as they always do. We had some really good performances out of this group today.”

Yellowjacket Finishers
Kate Weyenberg (Wrightstown, Wis./Wrightstown) – 25:23.4
Jackie Erickson (Duluth, Minn./East) – 25:43.7
Brittney Kemi (Cloquet, Minn./Esko) – 26:58.4
Alissa Boyhtari (Duluth, Minn./Denfeld) – 27:24.3
Sara Schield (Two Harbors, Minn./Two Harbors) – 27:48.4
Hannah Kautz (Osceola, Wis./Osceola) – 29:03.8
Kayla Gibson (Chisago Lakes, Minn./Chisago Lakes) – 29:18.4
Sophia Bornowski (Edina, Minn./Edina) – 30:08.4
Kaylee Pollema (Mora, Minn./Mora) – 31:13.9
Rachel Hills (Hayward, Wis./Hayward) – 31:20.3
Jessica Irvine (Spooner, Wis./Shell Lake) – 31:56.5

The Yellowjackets return to action October 18 when they compete in the AAE Invitational in Winneconne, Wisconsin. The meet is hosted by UW-Oshkosh.

 


The Yellowjacket men’s cross country team returned to the course on Friday afternoon, competing in the Blugold Invitational, their largest meet of the season to-date. With eight nationally and regionally ranked teams in attendance, it was an important race for the Yellowjackets to see where they stood midway through the season.

And like it was two weeks ago, weather would be a factor. At the meet hosted by St. Olaf, temperatures soared into the 80s, forcing runners to adjust to the unseasonable heat. Friday it was the opposite, with temperatures more autumn-like in the 40s and a difficult wind for athletes to fight.

The field included three NCAA Division II teams, one team from the NAIA and a highly-ranked Canadian team.

St. Olaf College, one of those highly ranked teams, won the event with 48 points. They placed just ahead of the hosts from UW-Eau Claire, the runners-up with 52 points. The two were the class of the event and far outdistanced the rest of the field. Central College, UW-Stout and Carleton College rounded out the top five. The Yellowjackets, with 341 points placed 13th in the 25-team field.

The meet was won by St. Olaf’s Grant Wintheiser, who completed the eight-kilometer course with a time of 24:36.5.

Once again the Yellowjackets were paced by junior Charles Corbett (Park Falls, Wis./Chequamegon). Corbett earned himself a top-25 finish, completing the race with a time of 26:03.8. Right behind him was Jackson Lindquist (Thomson, Minn./Esko), who crossed the line with a time of 26:24.9. Jordan Koski (Park Falls, Wis./Chequamegon), Cam Tiberg (Forest, Wis./Glenwood City) and Evan Walpole (Superior, Wis./Superior) were not far behind, giving the Yellowjackets five runners finishing under the 28 minute mark.

“The men put a good effort in today, but we’re still finding that good race,” said Yellowjacket Head Coach Glen Drexler. “Just like any sport, we need to run a complete race and we aren’t quite there yet.

“Some of our guys may be a little disappointed, but they ran good races today, just not quite what we believe we can do.  We’ll get better and be ready for Oshkosh in two weeks.”

Yellowjacket Finishers
Charles Corbett (Park Falls, Wis./Chequamegon) – 26:03.8
Jackson Lindquist (Thomson, Minn./Esko) – 26:24.9
Jordan Koski (Park Falls, Wis./Chequamegon) – 27:11.1
Cam Tiberg (Forest, Wis./Glenwood City) – 27:20.9
Evan Walpole (Superior, Wis./Superior) – 27:42.4
Ed Martin (Chetek, Wis./Chetek-Weyerhaeuser) – 29:03.1
Aaron Peterson (Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet) – 29:53.1
Brandon Haling (Janesville, Wis./Craig) – 30:00.3
Mieszko Brikis (Berlin, Germany/Katholische Schule Liebfrauen) – 30:00.3
Nick Nemec (Ashland, Wis./Ashland) – 32:08.5

Next up for the Yellowjackets is the AAE Invitational, hosted by UW-Oshkosh Saturday, October 18.

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