COLFAX, Wis. – The Yellowjacket men's cross country team, after a week off the course, returned to action Friday, competing at the Blugold Invitational, hosted by UW-Eau Claire at the Whitetail Golf Course in Colfax, Wis.
 
And why not go from a break into one of the toughest races of the year.
 
Friday's featured some of the strongest teams in the region, with 30 teams and 264 runners taking part at one of the best cross country courses in the area.
 
UW-Whitewater was the team champion on the day. The Warhawks accumulated a meet-low 27 points on the way to victory. St. Olaf College out of Northfield, Minn. placed second, finishing the day with 57 points. UW-La Crosse rounded out the top three, finishing the day with 141 points.
 
The Yellowjackets finished 21st in the 30-team field.
 
Leading the way for the Yellowjackets was junior Michael Butterfield (Bovey, Minn./Greenway), who completed the eight-kilometer course with a time of 26:50.90. Butterfield's time placed him 91st in the crowded field of runners.
 
Aidan Doherty (Wild Rose, Wis./Wild Rose) was the next Yellowjacket to cross the finish line. Doherty was just over a minute behind Butterfield, finishing with a time of 27:53.60.
 
The gap between the second and third Yellowjackets to finish was a small one. David Collins (Ironwood, Mich./Luther L. Wright) finished mere seconds behind Doherty, crossing the line with a time of 27:59.00. Next across the line for the Yellowjackets was Zach Reese (Zimmerman, Minn./Spectrum), who finished with a time of 28:26.10.
 
Newcomer Ben Plackner (Bovey, Minn./Greenway) finished the day with a time of 29:04.70, putting him just ahead of Kieran Johnson (South Range, Wis./Northwestern), whose time was 29:47.50.
 
Closing things out for the Yellowjackets was Tyler Smith (Ironwood, Mich./Ironwood), who finished with a time of 31:04.40, and Hendrick Hicks (Duluth, Minn./Proctor) with a time of 35:17.30.
 
Christian Patzka of UW-Whitewater was the individual champion Friday.
 
Next up for the Yellowjackets is the Augustana Interregional Invitational at the Saukie Golf Course in Rock Island, Ill. The race is set for start at 11:15 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 14.