Women's Cross Country Dominates at the NACC Championships
WEST ALLIS, Wis. – The Concordia Wisconsin women's cross country team obliterated the competition at the 2023 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Cross Country Championships on Saturday.
The NACC is asking not to refer to team finishes due to an incident that is being addressed. We will not state the finish for the Falcons, but the top-five runners for Concordia Wisconsin finished faster than all of the other schools in the NACC.
Once again, no team scores have been announced from today's competition, but the Falcons won five NACC titles in 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2017. CUW has also won Lake Michigan Conference titles in 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2005.
The NACC is allowing individual finishes to be shared publicly.
The Falcons landed seven runners to the All-NACC Team.
Sophomore Ainara Sainz De Rozas (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.) finished in third place at 23:22.4.
Freshman Emma Ahrens (Stephens City, Va.) was named the NACC Freshman of the Year at 23:54.1.
Junior Alicia Kawa (Medford, Wis.) collected fourth-place honors at 24:05.6.
Senior Anessa Yim (Spokane, Wash.) snagged an eighth-place finish at 24:11.3.
In 11th place was sophomore Danielle Van Grinsven (Appleton, Wis.), who grabbed 11th place at 24:15.1.
The top-five Falcons would have finished with a combined score of 31 points. The 31 points tie Edgewood's score from the spring 2021 championships and the lowest score at a full NACC Championship since Aurora in 2014.
Sophomore Abigail Poehlman (Hubertus, Wis.) picked up a 13th-place finish at 24:24.6.
Sophomore Melanie Arvis (Berwyn, Ill.) also landed All-NACC honors in 19th place at 24:46.4.
In 30th place was junior Ella Stader (Oostburg, Wis.) at 25:23.6.
Senior MaryGrace Cleinmark (Danvers, Ill.) crossed the finish line at 25:51.2 in 35th place.
Freshman Faith Konzak (Cedar Grove, Wis.) clocked in at 25:57.9 in 36th place.
Sophomore Elizabeth Van Rixel (Athens, Wis.) ran a time of 26:00.5. Senior Abigail Van Rixel (Athens, Wis.)was in 42nd place at 26:25.5.
Freshman Abigail Lange (Pleasant Prairie, Wis.) scurried across the line at 26:28.9 in 44th place.
In 47th place was freshman Hailey Foster (Pewaukee, Wis.) at 26:40.5.
Freshman Sarah Tinder (Fredonia, Wis.) took home 51st place at 26:58.5.
Freshman Bailee Schlender (Brillion, Wis.) was in 57th place at 27:09.6.
Freshman Mikayla Becker (Plantation, Fla.) broke a time of 27:19.1 in 59th place.
74th place was secured by freshman Sydney Leschisin (Turtle Lake, Wis.) at 28:33.6.
Freshman Alexandria Blankenship (Medinah, Ill.) finished in 83rd place at 29:45.7.
Freshman Kylee Camble (Cudahy, Wis.) rounded out the flock in 87th place at 30:21.3.
The NACC Runner of the Year Award was awarded on Saturday to Dey Colon Maldonado of Aurora. The Coaching Staff of the Year was not awarded on the women's side. Head coach Russ De Lap and Phillip Senn have done a tremendous job of building one of the best teams in the region and recording three victories on the season heading into the NACC Championships on Saturday.
Last year, the Falcons finished in fifth place with 70 points.
The Falcons will compete again at the NCAA Division III North Regional Championships on Nov. 11.
