Stymiest runs his way to Ohio

The UW-Oshkosh men's cross-country team finished 11th out of 39 teams at the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III Midwest Regional held at Lake Breeze Golf Course Saturday in Winneconne.

Head coach John Zupanc said he had high hopes for his squad going into the regional.

"We wanted to put out a good effort for the race," he said. "Our expectations were to be a top-10 team, and if things went well, possibly a top-5 finish."

Sophomore Nate Stymiest led the way for the Titans with an 11th-place finish with a time of 24 minutes, 46.9 seconds, which qualifies him for the NCAA Division III National Championship.

"There was a runner from Stevens Point (Joel Heroux) I wanted to pace myself with," Stymiest said. "I knew if I stayed with him past the 6K mark, I would execute my race plan."

Stymiest said his 11th-place finish gives him confidence for the national meet on Saturday.

"It's the first race of the year I've felt satisfied with," he said. "I'm going into nationals hoping to take top-35 with All-American honors."

Zupanc said he was also impressed with the effort of Stymiest.

"I'm proud of the way that Nate came back from a disappointing conference meet," Zupanc said. "I'm not surprised at all that Nate came away with an 11th-place finish, and I wouldn't be surprised if he placed top-35 at nationals."

Besides Stymiest, Oshkosh had six other finishers in the top-150 runners.

Senior Josh Hoff finished the race in 25:38, which was good for 48th place, and freshman Mark Allen crossed the line 20 seconds later.

Another senior, Ben Wizner, placed 106th with a time of 26:42. Freshman John Dewitt was just two seconds behind Wizner in 110th place.

Dusty Dorshorst, the third senior finisher from Oshkosh, ran the regional in 26:54, placing 121st.

Sophomore Mike Jarchow finished in 141st place with a time of 27:13.

Freshman Jon Wylie didn't run because he was sick, according to Zupanc.

Zupanc said he was pleased with how far the Titans' younger runners had come since the start of the season.

"I'm really happy with the progress our guys made, especially with our younger group," Zupanc said. "It's a long season for freshman, and our sophomores did a great job stepping up into leadership roles."

Stymiest and Zupanc will now travel to Beachwood, Ohio for the NCAA Division III Championship on Saturday.