Men’s cross country head coach Mick Byrne has built his team into a national powerhouse that shows no sign of slowing down.
Byrne, over the course of his six-year tenure at Wisconsin, carried on the Badgers’ winning tradition while also strengthening the men’s cross country dynasty. Since Byrne took over in 2008, Wisconsin has won the Great Lakes Regional title every year. He led UW to five consecutive Big Ten Championships before the Badgers finished in third place in 2013.
Byrne coached Wisconsin to an NCAA Championship in 2011. It was the fifth national title UW has ever won and first since the 2005 season.
Wisconsin has earned 18 consecutive top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships. Its dominance is no new trend, however, as UW has raced its way into 42 straight NCAA Championship meets, a run dating back to 1972.
Though the Badgers finished third in the Big Ten Championship meet in 2013, snapping a streak of 14 consecutive conference titles, UW bounced back to finish second in the Great Lakes Regional meet to earn another NCAA Championship berth.
Wisconsin placed ninth in the 2013 NCAA Championship, largely due to the performance of then-redshirt freshman Malachy Schrobilgen. He crossed the finish line in 33rd place, which earned him All-America honors. The accolade capped off an impressive list of honors for Schrobilgen, which included Big Ten Cross Country Athlete of the Year, Big Ten Freshman of the Year and First-Team All-Big Ten.
Schrobilgen will return as the team’s leader next season as a redshirt sophomore. As Wisconsin’s strongest runner, he will look to add to his repertoire of individual achievements while spearheading UW’s efforts to again finish among the top 10 in the country.
Seniors Michael Van Voorhis and Alex Hatz will join Schrobilgen as Byrne’s top returners. Both runners earned All-Big Ten honors. The pair of seniors have plenty of experience and will provide invaluable leadership in the 2014 season.
