The UW-River Falls men's and women's cross country teams travel to Northfield, Minn., on Saturday, Nov. 14, to compete in the 2026 NCAA Division III North Region Cross Country Championships, hosted by St. Olaf College at the St. Olaf Cross Country Course.

The women's 6K race is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m., followed by the men's 8K race at noon. The championship awards ceremony will take place at 1:15 p.m.

Both Falcon squads enter the regionals following fifth-place finishes at the WIAC Championships on Oct. 31, highlighted by the men's best conference finish in 41 years and a pair of All-WIAC Honorable Mention performances.

NCAA NORTH REGIONALS
Date: Saturday, Nov. 14^th
Time: 11 a.m. (Women's 6k) // 12 p.m. (Men's 8k)
Site: Northfield, Minn. // St. Olaf Cross Country Course
Coverage: Meet Information // Live Results

The UW-River Falls men enter Saturday's competition coming off their best WIAC Championship finish since 1985, placing fifth overall with 133 team points.

Wyatt Johnson led the Falcons at the conference championships, finishing 16th overall with a time of 25:28.7 to earn All-WIAC Honorable Mention recognition. Johnson became the first Falcon men's runner to receive All-Conference honors since 2016.

Jack Richter followed with a 24th-place finish in 25:48.9, while Ryan Pierson placed 32nd with a time of 25:58.6. Alex Pazdernik added a 41st-place finish in 26:17.5, while Cooper Smith rounded out the team's top five, finishing 63rd in 27:00.3.

The Falcons will send seven runners to Saturday's regional championship, including Johnson, Richter, Pierson, Pazdernik, Derek Kreier, Smith and Levi Miest. 

The Falcon women also enter the regional championships following a fifth-place finish at the WIAC Championships, totaling 135 team points.

Laina Viere led UW-River Falls with an 18th-place finish, completing the 6K course in 22:39.7 to earn All-WIAC Honorable Mention honors.

Emma Karnitz followed in 27th place with a time of 23:08.3, while Adison Wilde finished 35th in 23:26.9. Alyssa Hagen and Lola Olsen rounded out the Falcons' top five at the conference championships, finishing just over a second apart. 

UW-River Falls will be represented by seven runners in Saturday's women's race, including Viere, Karnitz, Wilde, Olsen, Claire Story, Issabella Jeurissen and Hagen.