Men’s and women’s cross country teams earn spots at nationals

Men’s and women’s cross country teams earn spots at nationals

The men’s and women’s cross country teams traveled to Oshkosh Saturday to compete in the NCAA Regional Meet at the Lake Breeze Golf Course. The men’s team finished second overall; the women placed fifth.

The men earned a bid to nationals, with their best regional finish since 1998.

Sophomore Josh Thorson finished third on Saturday with a time of 24:09 in the 8K. Junior Ryan Mugan also placed in the top ten, finishing eighth and set a personal record with a time of . Altogether, the Blugolds racked up 128 points.

With their fifth place finish, the women’s team had to wait a day to see if the NCAA will grant the Blugolds an at-large bid to nationals. Waiting worked in their favor, and they too are going to Ohio for the national meet this Saturday.

Junior Lucy Ramquist was the women’s front runner, placing 10th with a time of 21:44 in the 6K. The second woman to cross the line, junior Clara Williamson, came in 32nd place.

Nationals will take place in Mason, Ohio, this Saturday. The men run at 11 a.m. EST, the women’s race at 12:30 p.m. EST.