The Badgers cross country teams were back on the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course for the third time this season as they hosted Pre-Nationals on October 19th.
Both the women’s and men’s races were stacked, with 18 of the top 30 teams in the country present for the women and 17 teams for the men. Each race had over 200 runners and 30 teams in the respective A races.
Season-ideal weather conditions assured that fast times were in order for the meet. A clear blue sky with cool temperatures coupled with a lack of wind characterized the early A races. Teams that raced at Pre-Nationals can only hope that similar weather will return for Nationals hosted on the same course in November.
The women’s team dropped three places in the rankings after a lackluster performance last week, but they came back with a vengeance. Despite all top five ranked teams in the nation headlining the race, the then-No. 13 Badgers achieved a very strong eighth place finish. They beat two teams ranked above them, No. 8 Stanford and No. 11 Florida.
Wisconsin graduate student Shea Ruhly and senior Leané Willemse were the first to finish for the women. Ruhly placed 52nd with a time of 20:15.6, and Willemse placed 60th with a time of 20:18.6. Sophomore Annika Cutforth (20:25.2), senior Linsday Cunningham (20:28.5) and sophomore Bella Jacobsen (20:31.8) finished just behind the top two scorers for the Badgers, placing 72nd, 77th and 87th, respectively.
North Carolina State runner Pamela Kosgei broke the course record with a time of 18:59.1 previously set by six-time NCAA champion Parker Valby of the Florida Gators. No. 2 Brigham Young University earned the team victory in dominant fashion, as all of their scoring runners finished in the top 40.
The Badgers women may not have had any of the top 25 finishers, but their pack of five runners, split by just 16 seconds, earned a place in the top 10 against some of the best competition in the nation. In a meet that’s meant to be a preview for nationals in one month’s time, it’s safe to say the women will be ready.
The men’s team continued their strong performances, finishing sixth as a team and just one point ahead of Notre Dame. The No. 10 Badgers, who moved up eight spots in the coaches’ poll after the Lakefront Invitational, held off all the teams ranked lower than them. But they narrowly fell short of No. 6 Northern Arizona University and No. 8 University of New Mexico.
Wisconsin’s Bob Liking was one of nine runners to break the previous course record (23:04.0), placing sixth and dropping under the 23-minute mark for the second time this season (22:54.6). The pack runners behind Liking were freshman Liam Newhart (23:24.0), graduate student Rowan Ellenberg (23:26.8), freshman Matan Ivri (23:32.1) and sophomore Micah Wilson (23:33.1). They all placed between 39th and 56th.
Ivri stepped up big for the Badgers, dropping 11 seconds from last week and being the fourth runner to cross the finish line for the men’s team.
Though nine runners conquered the course record, New Mexico runner Habtom Samuel came away with a commanding victory (22:33.8). Samuel achieved the upset over last year’s NCAA champion Graham Blanks from No. 20 Harvard, who ran the 5000 meter for the United States in the Olympics this past summer. No. 3 Arkansas won as a team as three of its runners finished in the top ten of the race.
With Pre-Nationals now out of the way, the Badgers look forward to the Big Ten Championships on Nov. 1 in Illinois. The Badgers will look to win their next meet after placing sixth against some of the best teams in the nation.
