2025 Augustana Interregional Preview
If September was the warm-up month, October is the race, and interregional weekend is where the winning move happens. Of the several big matchups across the country this weekend, one of the biggest is happening centrally at the Augustana Interregional Invitational, where 15 ranked men’s teams and 13 ranked women’s teams will take the starting land for a chance at glory. D3GD will be live on site, so make sure to give us a “here’s to the glory days” if you see us, and don’t forget to check out our merch!
Women’s Race
Two weekends ago, Notre Dame saw a major upset when UW-La Crosse took down 2024 National Runner-up team UChicago. This weekend, we will see a nail-biting rematch between the No. 6 and No. 7 seeds.
One of the major differences this weekend is that the women will run the championship distance 6k race rather than the 5k. Will the extra 1,000 meters make a difference?
Joe Piane 5k results through first five scorers.
Though virtually the same through the first three scorers, UWL pulled away with the win with their fourth and fifth runners. With lethal depth, the Eagles packed seven finishers in front of UChicago’s fifth. Led by Lily Higgins, who has never qualified for a national meet but is running significantly faster in grass this year than she has ever run on the track, UWL brings valuable veteran status to the course with all upperclassmen.
UChicago has impressively relied on freshman Katja Dunayevich as their number one runner as well as several other first-year scorers and fringe scorers. However, two weeks ago appeared to be an off-day for veteran Emma Kelly, and typical scorer Nora Holmes opted to race at Brissman-Lundeen rather than Joe Piane, so don’t be surprised to see a much tighter pack from the Maroons this weekend. It could be anyone’s day in Rock Island!
Other teams we (I) are dying to see test the waters across regions are that of Great Lakes rising star No. 10 Trine and Midwest force No. 8 WashU, both of whom have strung together what appear to be several impressive performances against several large division schools but have yet to face any significantly high-ranked D3 teams. Look for each team’s respective frontrunner, Trine’s Sydney Swick and WashU’s Lucinda Laughlin to mix it up out front to bring their team a low-stick finish.
In total, 13 ranked women’s teams will compete at Augie this weekend. Other ranked teams that will pack into a starting box and try to mix up the rankings across regions include No. 13 Calvin, No. 21 Wartburg, No. 22 UC Santa Cruz, No. 23 Colorado College, No. 24 UW-Eau Claire, No. 27 Hope, No. 29 RPI, No. 30 Pomona-Pitzer, and No. 31 Trinity (Tex.). This meet is loaded, y’all.
The individual race is headlined by title contender RPI’s Jules Bleskoski, who just posted a massive victory at Paul Short, winning the white race in a speedy 20:20, the fastest time of any D3 athlete in the 6k all day. However, keep an eye on steeplechase national champion and 2024 outdoor breakout star Sophie Bull of Calvin, who is silently having an incredible season. Bull was fourth overall at Joe Piane in a quick 17:23 over 5k amidst several D1 runners boasting mid-16 5k PRs. Bull could be Bleskoski’s largest threat to the Augie crown.
Other frontracers to watch out for include Illinois Wesleyan’s Adriana Crabtree, who won D3 Pre-Nats in September; Colorado College’s Alison Mueller-Hickler, who was 12th in the white race at Paul Short; 2024 All-American Kenzie Seymour of UC-Santa Cruz; Dan Huston champion Molly Liston of Gustavus Adolphus; and Stevens Point freshman standout Faith Wehrman, who was Blugold runner-up.
Men’s Race
The men’s race might as well be a national preview with headlining face-off between No. 1 UW-La Crosse and No. 2 Wartburg, who will get a first look at the other before their inevitable battle for gold in November. Two weeks ago on different courses, both teams were victorious among D3 competition.
UWL at Joe Piane:
Grant Matthai - 23:17
Jayden Zywicki - 23:34
Aidan Matthai - 23:39
Joey Sullivan - 23:51
Chuck Vater - 24:07
Wartburg at Dan Huston:
Isaiah Hammerand - 24:16
Eli Larson 24:49
Ander Julian - 24:56
Seth Bailey - 25:01
Tyler Schermerhorn - 25:02
Though hard to compare between different courses, both teams posted similar spreads: 50 seconds for the Eagles and 46 seconds for the Knights. The key to a victory will be how close to the front these tight packs can be. UWL has the upperhand with double-trouble low sticks Grant and Aidan Matthai, who were third and fifth at nationals last year ahead of Hammerand’s ninth place finish. The Knights were without XC and steeple All-American Lance Sobaski at Dan Huston, who will greatly assist in strengthening Wartburg’s already-tight pack time. Both programs know the weight of a win this weekend, so look for a slurry of orange and maroon battling for points up front.
Another 2024 podium team that will look to show their strength this weekend is that of the No. 5 Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens. Though in a bit of a rebuilding year, the Sagehens bring forth a young roster of talent led by low stick and contender for the Augie win Jack Stein. At UCR, Stein posted an impressive 23:45 sixth place finish, 13 seconds faster than Cameron Hatler’s 2024 UCR performance which eventually led to an eighth place finish at nationals. Accompanied by national qualifiers Jefferson Wright and Peter Neid, the Sagehens will line up in their first race away from the west coast this weekend for a first look at how they stack up in 2025.
Fifteen ranked men’s teams will line up at Augie this weekend, including several teams who impressed two weekends ago and will now show how they stack up across regions for some valuable nationals selection committee brownie points. Watch out for No. 9 RPI, No. 10 North Central, No. 13 WashU, No. 14 UW-Platteville, No. 16 UW-Stevens Point, No. 17 Hope, No. 22 UChicago, No. 24 Loras, No. 25 UC-Santa Cruz, No. 27 UW-Oshkosh, No. 28 UW-Whitewater, and No. 31 UW-Eau Claire.
The individual race on the men’s side could also be a sneak peak at November in the battle-of-the-low-sticks between UWL frontrunner Grant Matthai and Wartburg’s Hammerand. Matthai is the favorite heading into the weekend following his impressive 17th-place and D3-best finish at Joe Piane, but Hammerand’s Dan Huston runner-up two weeks ago suggests he is ready for a fight. To give an idea of how stacked both teams are, Matthai and Hammerand could even face their steepest competition from teammates, as UWL’s Aidan Matthai and Zywicki and Wartburg’s Schermerhorn and Sobaski are also strong contenders for the win.
Look for others to come in and snipe the win, such as Cornell College’s Isaac vanWestrienen, who was third at Dan Huston; Colorado College’s Will Shuflit, who was the Paul Short white race champion; Loras’s Isaac Bourne, who was third at Paul Short; UW-Stevens Point’s Logan Murphy, who was fifth at Blugold; and Pre-Nats champion BJ Sorg of North Central. Look for all of these athletes to be vying for a position in a top-10 that could reflect the nation’s top 10 in just one month’s time.
Don’t miss the Midwest’s best battle at Augustana this weekend, made better by D3GD on site. After the rankings received a major makeover two weeks ago, teams are itching for redemption and reassertion, and we will see our fair share of both in just two 20-minute-long, action-packed clashes through the greens, tee boxes, and fairways of the Saukie Golf Course.
