On Nov. 23, the University of Wisconsin – Platteville
Cross Country team sent one qualified runner, senior
Zach Klokow, to the NCAA DIII National Cross-Country
Championships in Louisville, KY. Klokow ran a personal
best 8,000m race, finishing 13th overall with a time of
24:43.4.
At the NCAA DIII Midwest Regional Championships,
which took place the previous weekend on Nov. 16,
Klokow had finished in 5th place of the 252 total runners,
running a 24:49.1, a personal best at that time. He was the
sole qualifying Platteville runner for the Nationals race.
The national championships were run at the E.P. “Tom”
Sawyer State Park in Louisville. The men’s 8,000m race
began at 9:45 a.m. and, in true cross-country style, it was a
muddy mess. Klokow ran the best race of his life, running
5.7 seconds faster than he had at the regional championships,
and crossing the finish line in 24:43.4.
Klokow received All-American recognition for his race
as one of the top 40 runners to cross the finish line. He
is now a two-time All-American, having finished in 22nd
place with a 24:52.5 at the National Championships in
2018.