The NCAA News - News Features

Titans, Eagles do the expected in III cross country

Wisconsin-Oshkosh wins women's event by 51 points

Possessing an abundance of talent and experience, the Titans were ranked No. 1 nationally in the coaches' top-25 poll.

On November 16, Wisconsin-Oshkosh proved worthy of the ranking, dominating the field to win the championship at Augustana (Illinois).

The Titans, who registered 62 points, claimed their fourth team title, and in the process, ended Cortland State's four-year reign as champion. Wisconsin-Oshkosh finished runner-up in 1995.

Turena Johnson of Luther won the individual crown. Johnson, who finished with a time of 17 minutes, 40 seconds, is the first Luther runner to win the individual crown. Johnson's time was 12 seconds better than runner-up Cheri Lichtensteiger of Carroll (Wisconsin).

St. Thomas (Minnesota) placed second, 51 points behind the Titans. The runner-up showing is the fourth for St. Thomas (Minnesota), but first since 1988.

The College of New Jersey, Calvin and Williams rounded out the top five, registering 150, 157 and 198 points, respectively.

Four-time defending champion Cortland State placed eighth with 250 points.

Jenn LaLonde, Tiffany Speckman, Joey Balsis and Amanda Dabalack all garnered top-20 individual showings to lead the way for the Titans. LaLonde, a sophomore, set the pace, placing 10th overall with a time of 18:13. Speckman, Balsis and Dabalack finished within 12 seconds of LaLonde to earn the 17th, 18th and 20th positions, respectively.

Laura Nelson accounted for the remainder of the team points for the Titans, placing 27th individually in a time of 18:28.

Wisconsin-La Crosse men break through to win first national title

In 1996, Wisconsin-La Crosse solidified its reputation among the Division III elite by garnering a finish it never had attained previously: No. 1.

Placing three runners among the top 11, the Eagles amassed 86 points to win the Division III Men's Cross Country Championships team title November 16 at Augustana (Illinois).

Wisconsin-La Crosse, which earned runner-up showings on three occasions (1986, 1987 and 1993), outdistanced runner-up North Central by eight points (86 to 94).

North Central, which has won a championships-record nine team titles, placed second for the third consecutive year and 11th overall. The Cardinals have placed first or second at 20 of 24 championships.

Matt Brill of North Central earned the individual title, the second consecutive Cardinals runner and fifth overall to win the crown. Brill finished in 23 minutes, 57 seconds.

Karl Paranya of Haverford, who placed fifth individually in 1995, earned runner-up honors, finishing 14 seconds behind Brill.

Wisconsin-La Crosse earned its first championship behind the performances of Brad Wilson, Brett Altergott and James Ratcliff, who earned seventh-, eighth- and 11th-place individual finishes, respectively.

Wilson, a junior, set the pace for the Eagles, finishing in 24:38. Altergott and Ratcliff were four and eight seconds, respectively, off Wilson's time.

Dan Murphy and Elliot Schultz solidified the Eagles' No. 1 standing, garnering 36th- and 46th-place finishes, respectively. Murphy finished with a time of 25:13, while Schultz clocked in at 25:22.