The Wisconsin women’s cross country team travels to Valparaiso, Ind. to compete in the Crusader Invitational Friday, Sept. 10. Valparaiso University will host the event, which kicks off at 5 p.m.

The women’s squad from Notre Dame returns to the invitational after taking the win last year.

The Fighting Irish pose the toughest competition for the Badgers, entering their season ranked No. 4, according to a Finishlynx.com preseason poll. However, Notre Dame head coach Tim Connelly has opted not to send his top eight runners, instead looking to develop some of his younger talent.

With UW women’s track and cross-country icon Peter Tegen now gone, the event marks the beginning of the Jim Stintzi era as head coach.

Stintzi spent the last four years as the women’s cross country coach at Michigan State, where he was also the men’s cross country coach since 1984. He won two Big Ten Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year Awards and earned the honor on the women’s side in 2001, when he led the Spartans to the conference title.

The Badgers have just one senior on this year’s roster, Linsey Blaisdell. Blaisdell is one of just two returnees to have competed in all eight events last season and has run in the last three Big Ten championships. In track, she earned second-team All-Big Ten honors as a member of the distance medley relay team in 2002.

There are seven newcomers on Wisconsin’s roster this season, including two true freshmen.

-compiled by staff reports