BELOIT, Wis. - Under sunny skies and temperatures in the high 40s and low 50s, Beloit College hosted the Wisconsin Private College Championships at Leeson Park. Wisconsin Lutheran won both the men's and women's team titles, while Beloit's runners turned in some of the day's most notable individual efforts on their home course.
The Beloit women finished seventh of eight scoring teams with 133 points. Sophomore Addie Bogda (Collierville, TN) led the team with an 8th-place finish overall in 24:50.1 (6:40 pace) over the 6,000-meter course. She finished just 1.6 seconds behind 7th-place AJ Murphy of Viterbo (24:48.5) and 0.7 seconds ahead of St. Norbert's Luisa Arcuri (24:50.8, 9th) in a tightly packed front pack.
Senior Cole Miller (Salem, Ore.) was Beloit's second scorer, placing 22nd overall in 25:32.5. Sophomores Sofia Jackson (Newton, Mass.) and Allie Roberts came next, finishing 30th (26:13.4) and 32nd (26:18.2). Senior Meghan Koning (Mt. Prospect, Ill.) rounded out the scoring five in 60th place with a time of 28:53.5. Sophomore Ellie Nelson ran as the team's sixth runner, placing 76th overall in 30:36.2.
The Beloit scorers averaged 26:21.6, with a combined time of 131:47.7 and a 4:03.4 spread between the first and fifth runners. Beloit finished ahead of Alverno (245 points) and trailed MSOE (123) by ten points in the team standings.
The Beloit men also placed seventh in the team standings, scoring 211 points over the 8,000-meter course. Their scoring five was tightly grouped, with a 2:42.0 spread between the first and fifth finishers, and included three freshmen.
Freshman Samuel Neubauer (Rockford, Ill.) led the Buccaneers, finishing 49th overall in 32:31.1 (6:33 pace). Junior Conall Witherite (Round Lake, IL) followed in 52nd (34:20.9), and senior Sawyer Wall (Chicago, Ill.) was 54th (34:35.8). Freshmen Mathais Shoemaker (Clinton, Wis.)and Abraham Benson completed the scoring five, placing 56th (34:53.0) and 58th (35:13.1). The group averaged 34:18.8, with a combined time of 171:33.9. With Neubauer, Shoemaker and Benson all among the scorers, the team has room to grow in the seasons ahead.
Women's team results:
- Wisconsin Lutheran – 55
- St. Norbert – 68
- Lake Forest – 85
- Viterbo – 96
- Concordia (Wis.) – 103
- MSOE – 123
- Beloit – 133
- Alverno – 245
Men's team results:
- Wisconsin Lutheran – 34
- St. Norbert – 62
- Concordia (Wis.) – 71
- Lake Forest – 75
- Maranatha Baptist – 137
- Illinois Tech – 142
- Beloit – 211
The Buccaneers are back in action in two weeks at the Midwest Conference Championships. This year's championships will be hosted by Beloit College and will be held at the Beloit Club. Action kicks off with the women's 6k at 11 am. The men's 8k follows at 12 pm.
