COLFAX, Wis. — The UW-River Falls men's and women's cross country teams competed at the Blugold Invitational this Friday at Whitetail Golf Course, hosted by UW-Eau Claire.
The Falcons competed against a deep field of WIAC and regional opponents. Highlighted by standout individual efforts, UWRF continues to build momentum heading into the latter half of the 2025 season.

Women's Varsity 6k
The women's team scored 364 points to finish 11th among 36 teams. UW-La Crosse led the field with 117 points.

Junior Laina Viere paced the Falcons, finishing 24^th out of 337 runners with a time of 23:08.5, Adison Wilde followed in 32^nd place at 23:24.7.

Issabella Jeurissen (24:07.6, 80^th), Jalyssa Groskreutz (24:36.9, 126^th), Peyton Opsahl (24:38.0, 129^th), Emma Karnitz (24:49.1, 150^th), and Jaidyn McApline (25:18.9, 181^st) rounded out the scoring seven. 

Men's Varsity 8k
The men's team tallied 389 points to place 13^th among 34 teams. UW-Platteville claimed the team title with 104 points.

Sophomore Jack Richter led UWRF with a time of 26:19.0, finishing 62^nd out of 322 runners. Ryan Pierson was close behind in 71^st at 26:24.6, both continuing their consistent performances.

Wyatt Johnson (26:53.2, 107^th), Alex Pazdernik (26:54.6, 110^th), Logan Munson (27:04.2, 122^nd), Cooper Smith (27:39.2, 153^rd), and Levi Miest (27:41.3, 155^th) completed the varsity scoring. 

Men's Open 8k
In the men's open race, UWRF had additional runners compete, gaining valuable competition experience. Derek Kreier led the group with a time of 28:39.6, placing 68^th out of 192 runners, good for a season-best time. Tyler Parker (30:25.3) and Luke Lenz (32:05.7) both posted personal record times. 

UWRF will compete at the Augustana Interregional on Oct. 18 at Saukie Golf Course, in Rock Island, Ill.