The UW Oshkosh men’s and women’s cross-country teams competed at the Lawrence University Gene Davis Invitational on Oct. 7 where the women’s team managed to place third out of seven teams while the men’s team placed fourth out of six.
In the women’s race, junior Amelia Lehman led the Titans in the 6,000-meter run by finishing in sixth place with a time of 22:59.4. Alongside her, five other Titans made it within the top 25. Junior Libby Geisness placed 16th with a time of 24:01.6, sophomore Gwen Feitl placed 18th with a time of 24:10.1, sophomore MacKenzie Dix placed 20th with a time of 24:30.1, freshman Allison Van Der Wegen placed 22nd with a time of 24:41.0 and freshman Emma Maly placed 21st with a time of 24:37.7.
In the men’s race, freshman Lucas Nicholson led UWO with an 18th place finish in the 8,000-meter run with a time of 26:29.0. Evan Peterson placed 30th with a time of 26:58.0, Jason Skinkis placed 31st with a time of 27:02.9 and Zach Nelson placed 42nd with a time of 27:14.9.
Nicholson said the course felt fast.
“There was a hill in the back of the course that was a little challenging, but besides that the course was really fast,” Nicholson said.
Having been the first time he’s finished first for the team this year, Nicholson attributes a lot of his success to his teammates and coaches.
“The competition definitely pushed me to run faster, but not as much as my team and coaches who changed the dynamic of my race,” Nicholson said. “It took just listening and remembering what they say during every race, while also pushing through a mental barrier to run how I ran.”
The Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship is now only two meets away followed by a possible postseason berth for both UWO men’s and women’s cross-country.
Junior Cyna Madigan, who placed 31st in the UW-Eau Claire Blugold Invitational on Sept. 29, said the team is excited to head into the final stretch of the season.
“Our season has been going well so far,” Madigan said. “A lot of our team has been struggling with some injuries, but our team is starting to get back to full strength just before some of our most important meets.”
The Titans will race next at the Augustana College Interregional Invite on Oct. 14. The men’s race will start at 11:45 a.m. followed by the women’s race at 12:30 p.m.
