The UW-River Falls men's and women's cross country teams will open the 2026 season on Friday, Sept. 4, hosting the River Town Invitational in Prescott, Wis. The meet will be held at Prescott High School, with the women's 6k race scheduled for 5 p.m., followed by the men's 8k race at 6 p.m. The top 10 finishers in each race will receive awards.
RIVER TOWN INVITATIONAL
Date: Friday, September 4
th
Time: 5 p.m. (Women's 6k) // 6 p.m. (Men's 8k)
Site: Prescott High School Cross Country Course // Prescott, Wis.
Coverage: Live Results //
Meet Information
FALCON NOTES
- Both Falcon squads enter the season ranked No. 8 in the North Region by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
- At the NCAA North Region Championships in recent history, the Falcon men placed 10th among 31 teams with 319 points, marking the program's best regional finish since 2009. The UWRF women finished 12th among 30 teams with 310 points, their best regional finish since 2018.
- Jack Richter headlines the returning Falcons after earning All-Region honors last season. Richter finished 32nd at the NCAA North Region Championships with an 8K time of 25:38.8, becoming the first UWRF men's runner to earn All-Region recognition since Daniel Borash in 2016.
- The Falcons also return several runners who contributed to last year's regional performance. Alex Pazdernik placed 65th in 26:14.8, followed closely by Wyatt Johnson in 66th at 26:15.4 and Ryan Pierson in 67th at 26:17.2.
- Laina Viere earned her second career All-Region honor with a 17th-place finish at the NCAA North Region Championships, finishing in 22:31.6. Her performance earned her a trip to the NCAA Championship in Spartanburg, S.C., where she finished 200th with a time of 23:30.1. She became UWRF's first women's NCAA Cross Country Championship qualifier since Linsey Tolkkinen in 2018.
- The Falcons return additional experience behind Viere. Adison Wilde finished 49th at last year's regional meet in 23:34.0, while Jalyssa Groskreutz placed 68th in 23:58.2. Emma Karnitz and Issabella Jeurissen rounded out the Falcons' scoring five at the regional championships.
