STEVENS POINT, Wis. — The UW-River Falls cross country program competed at the 2024 WIAC Cross Country Championships in Stevens Point, Wis. on Saturday, Nov. 2.

The Falcons placed seventh in the women's 6k team standings with 190 points, while the men's team came in eighth with 249 points. The team placement for the women's team is the best since 2021, and the point total is the program's best since 2018. The Falcons saw numerous individual times crack the top-20 record book, as well as team time averages that were the fastest since 2016 and 2017.

In the women's 6k, UWRF's combo of sophomore Laina Viere and freshman Adison Wilde took home the team's top two finishes. Viere placed 29th with a time of 22:34.3 and Wilde placed 30th with a time of 22:36.9. The marks for Viere and Wilde are both career bests, and stand at 10th and 12th all time in the program record book.

Emma Karnitz (52nd/23:31.9) and Peyton Opsahl (54th/23:34) placed in the top 60, both notching new personal bests. Jaidyn McAlpine rounded out UWRF's point scorers with a 65th-place finish at a time of 23:49. The time is a new personal best for McAlpine.

On the men's side, Logan Munson took home UWRF's top finish with a time of 25:17.1, placing 46th overall. The time is a new career best for Munson, and is tied for the sixth fastest time on the UWRF Top 20 times list for the 8k.

UWRF's next three runners in the men's 8k finished in consecutive order: Wyatt Johnson (80th/26:16.9), Jack Richter (81st/26:27.5), and Ryan Pierson (82nd/26:27.5). All three runners recorded career-best times. Levi Miest rounded out UWRF's point scorers, placing 89th with a time of 27:20.2.

The Falcons recorded their fastest team average in the women's 6k since the 2017 season. In the men's 8k, the team average was the fastest since 2016.

Up next, UWRF will travel to Northfield, Minn. on Nov. 16 to compete at the NCAA North Regionals, hosted by Carleton College.