September 15, 2007

WAUKESHA, Wis. - The men's and women's cross country teams continue to have early season success, this time at Saturday's Pioneer Invite in Waukesha, Wis. The men's team finished second in the meet, only behind
UW-Madison. The women's team didn't fare much worse, finishing fourth, just four points behind Illinois Tech.

The men scored 58 team points in their meet, which was 19 points more than the next closest competitor, Illinois Tech. The Red Hawks were led by Jim Hein, who finished in 10th place overall with a time of 26:51.1. Hein was the top runner from a Division-III college, as all nine runners in front of him were from UW-Madison. Stevens Point Area products Harrison Smith, Bryan Schneider, and Jason Smith all finished within one minute of each other in 13th, 14th, and 15th place, respectively. Michael Dussault was the only other Ripon runner to crack the top 20, finishing 20th with a time of 28:38.9.

The women's team finished with 95 points as a team. They were fueled by Jessica Davey, who finished in 17th place with a time of 20:22.9. Rebecca Duley wasn't far off the pace with a time of 21:09.7, for a 21st place finish. Erin Beggs, Erin Bavery, and Laura Reuling also finished in the top 40.

The Red Hawks will take to the course again next weekend, as they'll travel to Concordia (WI) for a meet in Mequon, Wis. That invitational is slated to begin at 11:00 a.m.