While many students at the University of Wisconsin spent their summers catching up with old friends, going on vacation or interning in their respective fields of study, Mohammed Ahmed – better known as “Mo” by teammates – managed to do all three.

He spent quality time with his friend Cam Levins, went overseas to London and dedicated himself to becoming a better student of long-distance running.

Oh, and there was one other thing: He also represented his home country, Canada, at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Ahmed, a senior member of the Wisconsin cross country team and the first Badger to qualify for the Summer Olympics while still in school since the Atlanta games in 1996, said it was like nothing he had ever experienced before.

“The noise of the crowd was constant from beginning to end,” Ahmed said. “It was as if bees were buzzing throughout the stadium.

“Aside from the noise, just watching other athletes and seeing the best of the best – people who I have looked up to for a long time – made the whole experience very memorable and it taught me a lot.”

His Badger teammates hope Ahmed can share some of the wisdom he gained with them while he was in London.

“He has taught me to eat less,” head coach Mick Byrne joked. “Look at him; he’s skinny. We can’t even find a uniform for him to fit into.”

“We get to see what one of the best guys in the world is doing,” said fellow senior Reed Connor, who joined Ahmed as an All-American last season. “I just finished a workout with him and the kid finished 18th in the world [at the Olympics]. So we get to see his passion, his commitment and his work ethic first-hand and use it to hope that one day we, ourselves, can get to the Olympics.”

But before any Badgers start thinking about the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, they must focus on the task at hand in the 2012 season.

And it’s not exactly a modest one – repeating as national champions. After grabbing their first national title in six years in 2011, the goal remains the same within the program. As a senior, it’s the St. Catharines, Ontario, native’s final chance at etching a deeper legacy in Wisconsin cross country history.

“All I want to do is help the team win another national title,” Ahmed said. “I also have my own goals – becoming national individual champion – so I am going to approach this season differently, simply because of the experiences that I’ve gained and where I want to be.”

Levins, Ahmed’s Canadian long-distance running teammate this summer, is one of the many factors motivating both the Badgers’ star and his teammates to do well.

“Mo being around Cam is very good; our guys being around Mo is very good,” Byrne said. “Our young guys learning from Mo and realizing that once upon a time he was in their shoes is good.”

Considering this year’s team doesn’t include a single athlete who had won a national championship before last season, the team expects some bumps along the road.

The leaders of this team will have to do their best at keeping this team motivated to get back to the top of the podium.

“We are still learning as we go because we haven’t been through this together,” Connor said. “We have a lot of new guys on this team that are just as hungry as we were last year.”

But one thing is for sure: The Olympian will not let any of his teammates dwell on last year’s success and is counting on a repeat visit to the top of the podium this November.

Though Ahmed recognizes it is a new team with new faces, he and his teammates agree this year’s team has the potential to be even better.

“There’s always pressure,” Connor said. “Especially when you have Mo on your roster – not many people can boast an Olympian on their squad. But it comes with an added element of pressure to win and to perform.”

That pressure is something Byrne is working to eliminate from the team.

“A big part of my philosophy is … not just thinking about the trophies or the titles, but thinking about what we need to do on a daily basis,” Byrne explained.

“I like to teach that you have to enjoy the pursuit of the goal, regardless of what that goal may be – as well as to enjoy getting after it every day. Once you can get into that spot, then everything else is fun, everything else is exciting and it makes the journey a lot easier.”

This year’s Wisconsin cross country team is poised to be a threat for the NCAA national championship again. UW’s team, which has won 13-consecutive Big Ten titles, proved their legitimacy by winning the Badger Opener Sept. 7.

Wisconsin hosts the Big Ten Cross Country Championships this year at the Zimmer Championship Course, and a 14th-straight victory there could mark the start of another national title march.

“Absolutely [a repeat is possible],” Ahmed said without hesitation. “University of Wisconsin, that’s all you need to say. There hasn’t been a year when we haven’t been to the national championships and we don’t plan on starting now.”