Sports

Men’s harriers open year at Indiana State Invite

The Wisconsin men's cross-country team kicks off its season tomorrow in Terre Haute, Ind.

The Badgers return with a lot of experience from last year's second-place national finish, but also look to add a few young runners to their crew.

Senior Simon Bairu, the returning NCAA national champion, and junior Chris Solinsky will lead the team into the new season.

The Badgers will also count on veterans Bobby Lockhart, Tim Nelson and Anthony Ford to assist this season. Both Lockhart and Nelson competed for the Badgers at nationals last season, while Ford used his redshirt and sat out as a transfer from Montana. Ford, an All-American at Montana, should be able to jump right in and help the Badgers.

Redshirt freshmen Matt Withrow, Stuart Eagon and Christian Wagner will try to break into the top eight this season in their first year of eligibility.

Challenging the freshmen for these spots will be senior Ben Gregory and sophomore Ben Porter.

The Badgers will be counting on Withrow, who won the 2003 Footlocker national championship as a high school senior, to help replace departed All-American Matt Tegenkamp.

This mix of experience and young talent could give the Badgers a shot at capturing the national title, which has narrowly eluded them for the past three years. Wisconsin has finished second in the nation in each of the last three seasons.

Tomorrow's race at the LaVern Gibson Cross Country Course gives the runners a chance to preview the course where the national championships will be held later this year.

The Badgers will look to use this race to build the team for its return to Terre Haute later this season and another shot at the elusive national title.