NCAA Division III Championships

La Crosse, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse women's cross country team will compete at the NCAA III Championships Saturday, November 17, at LaVern Gibson Course in Terre Haute, Indiana. The women's race begins at 11 a.m. (Central Time). Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology is the host of the championships.

The Eagles will be represented at the NCAA III Championships by senior Abby Gustafson of Oshkosh (West) and Megan Wagner Stats of Stevens Point (H.S.); junior Rachel Schroeder of Wales (Kettle Moraine); sophomores Corissa Conard of Green Bay (Denmark) and Rebecca Zych of Mount Prospect, Ill. (Rolling Meadows) and freshmen Natalie Powell of River Falls (H.S.) and Ellen Smith of Palatine, Ill. (H.S.). Junior Alyssa Luker of Overland Park, Kan. (Blue Valley) is listed as the alternate for the Eagles.

UW-L placed eighth at the 2008 NCAA III Championships. The Eagles have had 13 top-six finishes in school history, including eight in the top-four. UW-L won the national title in 1983 and placed second in 1982. The Eagles are making their first appearance in the national championships since 2009.

UW-L has had 10 individuals in school history finish in the top-10 at the NCAA III Championships. Tori Neubauer captured the individual national title in 1982 and 1983. Other top-10 finishes include: Patty Reynolds (5th) and Sheri Winter (6th) in 1985; Winter (4th) in 1986; Sara Gilles (9th) in 1988; Sarah Bashinski (9th) in 1996; Jenny Fielder (8th) in 1999; Julia Rudd (2nd) in 2005 and Stephanie Perleberg (7th) in 2009.

The Eagles earned one of 16 at-large berths for this year's NCAA Division III Championships after finishing fifth at the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional November 10 at Lake Breeze Golf Course in Winneconne, Wisconsin. UW-L totaled 162 team points to finish fifth while UW-Eau Claire won the regional title with 67. The University of Chicago (Ill.) was second with 99 points. UW-Eau Claire and Chicago (Ill.) each earned automatic bids to the NCAA Division III Championships. UW-Oshkosh also earned an at-large berth.

Conard was UW-L's top finisher, placing 12th overall (22:17.68) on the 6,000-meter course. Powell was 15th (22:23.35) and Schroeder finished 35th (22:46.64). Conard, Powell and Schroeder each earned NCAA III All-Region honors.

Stats-Wagner was 46th (23:05.29), placed 54th (23:07.34), was 69th (23:21.54) and Smith finished 72nd (23:23.79).

Christy Cazzola of UW-Oshkosh won the individual title (20:51.83). A total of 276 runners competed.

The Eagles placed second at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Championships October 27 at Cole Acres Golf Course in Cuba City, Wisconsin.  UW-L finished with 69 team points while UW-Eau Claire won the league title with 32.  UW-Oshkosh was third with 71 points.

Powell placed sixth overall (22:21.3) while Schroeder was 10th (22:39.7), Conard 13th (22:42.8) and Smith 19th (23:12.0). Powell earned All-WIAC First Team honors while Schroeder and Conard were all-conference second team selections. Smith was an All-WIAC Honorable Mention choice.

Zych placed 21st (23:12.5) at the WIAC Championships while Stats-Wagner was 23rd (23:14.8), Gustafson 25th (23:19.7), Laura Mead 28th (23:22.1), Luker 29th (23:24.3), Abbey Singleton 42nd (23:46.5), Lisa Rydeen 58th (24:11.1) and Allison Richman 72nd (24:36.4).

Cazzola won the individual title (21:16.0). A total of 105 runners competed.

In the final regular season poll by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) released November 12, UW-La Crosse is ranked 33rd in NCAA?Division III. MIT is ranked first followed by Johns Hopkins University (Md.), Williams College (Mass.), Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges (Calif.) and Middlebury College (Vt.) to round-out the top-five. UW-Eau Claire is seventh and UW-Oshkosh 29th.

Schroeder is the only runner with previous experience in the NCAA Division III Championships entering this year's meet after placing 208th last season.

Gustafson, Wagner Stats, Conard, Zych, Powell and=Smith are making their first career appearances in the national meet.

Derek Stanley is in his first season as the head coach of the UW-L men's and women's cross country teams in 2012. He was an assistant men's cross country coach and assistant women's and men's track & field coach for the Eagles in 2011-12.

Prior to coming to UW-L, Stanley was the head coach of the women's and men's cross country and track & field programs at Marietta College (Ohio), a position he held from 2004-11. Stanley was the head women's and men's cross country and track & field coach at Bluffton University (Ohio) from 2001-03.  He also served as the head men's cross country and assistant men's track & field coach at Tiffin University (Ohio) from 1999-2001.

He earned his bachelor's degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing from Tiffin in 1999.  Later, in 2002, he obtained his master's of education from Bowling Green State University (Ohio).

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