By Angela Kelm
Asst. Athletic Director for Sports Information
Northfield, Minn. — The UW-Whitewater women’s cross country team finished sixth at the 2024 NCAA North Regional held in Northfield, Minnesota Saturday morning.
The top teams from each of the ten regional sites automatically qualify for the 2024 NCAA Division III Championship with 22 more teams receiving at-large bids. Additionally, the top seven individuals from each regional, 70 total, who did not qualify with their team will earn a bid to the national championship. The complete championship field will be announced Sunday, November 17 on ncaa.com.
Ari De La Cerda (Pewaukee, Wis./) paced the Warhawks with a time of 22:25.4 to finish 13th in a field of over 200 runners. A four-time regional participant, De La Cerda’s 2024 time is her best mark and top career finish at the meet. Payton Scoggin (Kenosha, Wis./Indian Trails) was clocked in 22:39.7 to finish 19th at the meet. Her mark is also a personal best at the regional. In her second regional appearance, sophomore Renee Forystek (Waukesha, Wis./North) crossed the line in 22:54.9 to claim 29th. As top 35 finishers, De La Cerda, Scoggin and Forystek all earn USTFCCCA All-Region honors.
Katie Erb (Winnebago, Ill./) added a time of 23:18.0 to finish 43rd while Ella Hansen’s (Pewaukee, Wis./) time of 23:33.4 was good for 54th. Abbey Wedwick (Westby, Wis./) registered a time of 24:23.5 with teammate Carleen Snow (Rio, Wis./DeForest) crossing the line just .02 later – both rank among the top 100.
The 2024 NCAA Division III Championship will be held at LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terra Haute, Indiana on Saturday, November 23.
