Sports

Tuning up for Big Ten Championship

The Wisconsin men's cross country team gets its final tune-up before the Big Ten Championship meet this Saturday as they travel to West Salem, Wis., to participate in the Jim Drews Invitational hosted by UW-Lacrosse.

The No. 2-ranked Badgers are coming off a 5th place finish at the Notre Dame Invitational Sept. 30.

Junior Chris Solinsky finished first in the race, capturing the first victory of his collegiate career.

Whether head coach Jerry Schumacher sends out his top runners will determine how UW performs this weekend at the Maple Grove Country Club.

Unlike many of his fellow coaches, Coach Schumacher does not run many of his top runners in all of the meets the team participates in. At Notre Dame, Schumacher did not run defending national champion Simon Bairu, who won his previous meet at the Roy Griak Invitational.

Regardless of whom Schumacher decides to send out Saturday, they will be getting one last chance to compete before the Big Ten Championship meet in two weeks.

This meet could be the final test for the Badgers, another chance to get runners experience, or an opportunity to rest top runners.

The only certainty is that, come Oct. 30, Schumacher will have his team ready to defend its Big Ten Conference title when they head back to Les Bolstad Golf Course in Minneapolis.

On the women's side, the Badgers will head to Terre Haute, Ind., Saturday to participate in the Brooks Pre-Nationals at the LaVern Gibson Cross Country Course.

Coach Jim Stinzi's crew hopes this weekend will be a preview for later in the season, as the LaVern Gibson course is where the national meet is held.

The No. 27-ranked Badgers entered the polls for the first time this season after finishing in eighth place at the Notre Dame Invitational.

Junior Katrina Rundhaug led the Badgers at the Notre Dame meet with a 16th-place finish and was followed by freshman Alicia Pabich, who finished in 34th place.

Rundhaug leads the Badgers into Terre Haute, where she competed at the national meet last year. This is the last chance for the women to get ready for the Big Ten Conference meet in Minnesota in two weeks.

The pre-national meet should give them another opportunity to prepare for the conference meet, where they will face No. 2 Michigan, No. 5 Illinois, No. 10 Minnesota and No. 17 Michigan State.