UW-L Earns Bid to NCAA Championships; Eagles Finish Fourth at Regional

For Immediate Release: Sunday, November 11, 2007

Indianapolis, Ind. – The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse women's cross country team earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Championships Sunday afternoon it was announced by the NCAA Division III Men's and Women's Track and Field Committee. The Eagles are one of 16 teams to earn an at-large bid joining 16 automatic qualifiers.

UW-L finished fourth at the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional November 10 at Lake Breeze Golf Course in Winneconne. The Eagles totaled 113 team points while Washington University (Mo.) won the team title with 41 points. UW-Eau Claire was second (87 points) and UW-Platteville third (99). UW-Oshkosh rounded-out the top-five (221).

With its first and second-place finishes, Washington University and UW-Eau Claire earned automatic berths for the NCAA Division III Championships. UW-Platteville joined UW-L in receiving an at-large bid.

Katelyn Williams led UW-L at the Midwest Regional with a 15th overall finish as she ran the 6,000-meter course in 22:00.57. The Eagles' Kristen Howe placed 18th overall (22:16.04) while Megan Johnson finished 25th (22:25.39), Megan Dugan 26th (22:26.65) and Jena Gerten 29th (22:28.08).

UW-L's Zoe Brown placed 38th (22:44.56) and Lauren Moss 39th (22:47.43) as all seven runners finished in the top-40. A total of 266 runners participated.

The NCAA Division III Championships are scheduled for Saturday, November 17 in Northfield, Minnesota with St. Olaf College serving as the host institution. The meet begins at 11 a.m. St. Olaf Cross Country Trails.