Viterbo to Host Conference Cross Country Meet

LA CROSSE, Wis. – The first North Star Athletic Association postseason championships of the 2023-24 academic year is set for Friday morning. Viterbo will be the host site for the 2023 NSAA Women's & Men's Cross-Country Championships.

The Women's team will look to protect their 2022 conference title, and earn their third championship in four years, led by returning All-Conference performers Anya Hirsch and Vanessa Thomas.

The Men's team best finish at the conference meet came in 2019 when they took second place. Viterbo will look to beat that, led by two-time NSAA Runner of the Week Connor Birdsong.

The conference championship meets will be held at Maple Grove Venues in West Salem, Wis.  The women's 6K race kicks off at 10:30 a.m., with the men's 8K race to follow at 11:30 a.m.

Maple Grove Venue (W4142 CTH B) in West Salem is comprised of primarily flat terrain with some modest elevation changes.  The course will be single lined, flagged, and each 1K and mile will be marked.

The awards ceremony will be held at the R.W. Beggs Gymnasium on the campus of Viterbo (900 Viterbo Drive, La Crosse, Wis.) at approximately 2 p.m.  The top 10 runners in each race will receive NSAA All-Conference recognition.  The post-race awards will also be announced at the awards ceremony.

The winner of the conference meet in each race will represent the North Star Athletic Association at the 2023 NAIA Cross Country National Championships on Friday, Nov. 17, at Fort Vancouver Historic Site in Vancouver, Wis.

There are also four individual national qualifiers for the NAIA national meet.  Runners from the non-winning team and placed in the top 15 will earn a spot to run in the national meet.

For full coverage of the event, click here.