The UW-La Crosse women's cross country team races for another conference crown on Saturday, Oct. 31, at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship at UW-Whitewater. The 48th annual meet is set for noon on the campus course, and a win would give the Eagles their 15th league title and their sixth straight.
UWL won last year's championship with 21 points, the strongest team total at the meet since UW-Oshkosh scored 19 in 1996. UW-Eau Claire finished second last year with 63 points, ahead of UW-Whitewater, UW-River Falls, UW-Stevens Point, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Stout Polytechnic and UW-Platteville.
The Eagles' 14 league titles rank second in conference history, behind UW-Oshkosh's 16. UWL enters the meet ranked third nationally in NCAA Division III in the Oct. 21 coaches association rankings, while UW-Eau Claire is ranked 15th.
Seven Eagles who have earned All-WIAC honors are back, led by Mallory Reiser, who placed 11th at the league meet in 2024 and 19th last season. Annika Elliott was fifth last year, followed by Milana Pisto in seventh, Julia Zalewski in eighth, Molly Novotny in 11th, Becca Immer in 15th and Madison Twarling in 16th.
Head coach Derek Stanley is in his 15th season and has led UWL to eight WIAC titles. The top seven finishers in the 6,000-meter race earn first-team All-WIAC honors, with second-team honors for eighth through 14th and honorable mention for 15th through 21st. All eight WIAC teams will race next at the NCAA Division III North Regional on Nov. 14 at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota.
