|
| A tree-mendous accomplishment for the Pioneers |
Posted 10/27/07
UW-Platteville's record-breaking Tyler Sigl won his third straight individual cross country title, and the Pioneer women finished second, their best placing ever, at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships Saturday at the Lake Breeze Golf Course in Winneconne.
"We're very happy with the day," 16th-year Pioneer Coach Tom Antczak said. "Obviously we have come a long, long way."
The ninth-ranked UW-Eau Claire women edged the 10th-ranked Pioneer women, 44-49 for the team title.
"We were neck-and-neck with them the whole way," Antczak said. "We ran about as well as we hoped, but they just ran a little better. On the scale of one to 10, we were about a nine-plus. To be second by only five points is outstanding."
Paced by Sigl's school-record 24:12, the Pioneer men also placed second for their best showing since a similar finish in 2004. Third-ranked UW-La Crosse won its fourth straight team title with 40 points, while seventh-ranked UWP and 11th-ranked UW-Stevens Point tied at 65.
 |
| Tyler Sigl won his third title |
Sigl became just the fourth runner in WIAC history to win three individual titles, joining UW-Whitewater's Tom Hoffman and UW-La Crosse's Jim Drews and Joe Hanson. Hoffman won titles from 1966-68, while Drews and Hanson captured championships from 1970-73 and 1974-77, respectively.
"Tyler joined some pretty elite company," Antczak said. "He just went out running 4:50 miles the whole race. The La Crosse runner (Paul Zdroik) was with him for a while, but by three miles, Tyler was off by himself."
Sigl broke his own Pioneer record by 11 seconds with his time of 24:12 over 8,000-meters. Zdroik finished 24 seconds behind.
Tony Kilburg earned second team all-conference honors, placing 10th in 25:20. Jason Garvens (25:41), Aaron Whalen (25:46), and Cameron Klein (25:49) were honorable mention selections after placing 17th through 19th. The men finished in at least the top three for the sixth time in eight seasons.
The women had five all-conference runners as well. Jessica Scott was third in 21:52, and Emma Dreis was seventh in 22:33 to earn first team honors. Ayla Mitchell of host UW-Oshkosh won the meet in 21:27 over 6K, while UW-River Falls' Becca Jordahl was second in 21:29. Scott's third-place finish was the third-best in Pioneer history.
Alli Tank (8th in 22:36) and Eileen McGuine (13th in 22:55) earned second team all-WIAC honors, while Lindsey Vick (18th in 23:07) was honorable mention.
"We're pretty happy to have the top five all get all-conference," Antczak said. "We did that last year with the men, but we have never had more than two or three on the women's side. We've had a great year."
The year continues back on the same course on Nov. 10 when the NCAA III regionals will be contested.
"We're really excited about regionals and our chances at qualifying for nationals," Antczak said.
Related Links