NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The UW-River Falls men's and women's cross country teams competed Saturday afternoon at the 2026 Running of the Cows Pre-Nationals, hosted by Carleton College in Northfield, Minn.
Both Falcon squads competed in the Navy Championship races, with both teams racing against deep fields from across the country.
The UWRF women placed 30th overall with 763 points, led by
Laina Viere, who was the first Falcon across the finish line. Viere finished 131st overall with a time of 23:11.8.
Adison Wilde followed closely behind, clocking a 23:17.9 to finish 141st overall and score 125 points. Emma Kamritz was UWRF's third finisher, crossing the line in 23:34.2, while
Lola Olsen finished in 23:45.5.
Claire Story rounded out the Falcons' scoring five with a time of 23:51.6. UWRF's top five were separated by just 39.8 seconds.
On the men's side,
Wyatt Johnson paced the Falcons in the 8K Navy Championship race. Johnson crossed the finish line in 25:47.4 to lead UWRF.
Ryan Pierson followed behind in 128
th place, finishing in 25:54.5.
Jack Richter was among the next Falcons across the line, finishing in 26:16.4.
Alex Pazdernik finished in 26:51.7, as River Falls competed against a large championship field featuring programs from throughout the region and across NCAA Division III.
The Running of the Cows served as a preview of the course that will host the 2026 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships later this season.
