In addition to the football team, a number of other Wisconsin teams have promising prospects heading into the 2013 fall season.
Cross-country eyes new success despite loss of key veterans
After 14 straight Big Ten titles and its third consecutive trip to the NCAA winner’s podium, the Wisconsin men’s cross-country team is the essence of Badger achievement.
But crucial holes exist in the team’s running field for the 2013-2014 season that need to be filled if the Badgers are to continue reaching unprecedented successes. And those leading roles are not going to be easy ones to fill.
Last season’s unstoppable senior trio – Mohammed Ahmed, Reed Connor and Maverick Darling – earned All-American honors in their final season as Badgers and all placed in the Top 15 in the NCAA tournament to earn the team a second place finish in the national competition.
Redshirt junior runner Alex Hatz will be one Badger likely taking on a leadership role as the team’s top returning runner. The New York native finished 113th overall in the NCAA tournament, fifth for Wisconsin, and set a personal best time of 24 minutes 14 seconds in the 8,000-meter run to place third on the team in the Wisconsin Adidas Invitational last October.
Yet Hatz will to improve on a personal level and his teammates will need to do the same if UW is to stay atop national rankings. Sophomore Michael Van Voorhis and senior Alex Brill will likely look to make a push to the top of the Badger lineup after finishing sixth and seventh for UW in the final race.
With head coach Mick Byrne returning for his sixth season at Wisconsin, this Badger team has the potential to continue finding success. After all, he hasn’t failed at bringing the Big Ten trophy back to Wisconsin yet.
Coming Up in Madison:
This fall Wisconsin will hold its season opener at the Zimmer Champion Course Sept. 6 and return Oct. 19 to host the Wisconsin Adidas Invitational.
Young women’s soccer squad has experience under its belt
After earning an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament last season with five freshmen in the final starting lineup, the Wisconsin women’s soccer team is poised for another winning season.
Now entering their second season, midfielders McKenna Meuer and Kinley McNicoll were leaders on the flanks for UW early on as freshman. The two recorded a total of 21 points in the Badger score book (12 McNicoll, 9 Meuer) and showed signs of gradual improvement all season long. With the first year of adjustment to the college game under their belts, McNicoll and Meuer will look to improve this season. Head coach Paula Wilkins should expect even more out of these young stars.
Up top, junior Cara Walls had a breakout freshman season in 2011 under the guidance of then-senior Laurie Nosbusch and found similar success last year, leading the team with 10 goals and 21 points. Now as an upperclassman, the natural leader is a model of excellence for the eight incoming freshman this season, and UW will need her lightening quick speed.
Of the new Badger recruits, several will have an immediate impact on the field, including midfielder Micaela Powers. The 2012 Ohio Player of the Year scored 82 goals in her final prep season and, with shoes needing to be filled in the midfield, Powers will likely see significant time on the field from the start.
Defensively, redshirt junior goaltender Genevieve Richard returns having won the confidence of Wilkins to serve as the Badger goaltender in postseason play last season. But the 5-foot-11-inch keeper will not be without competition for the starting spot this season. Incoming freshman Caitlyn Clem brings top-level experience to the net having competed for national championships at the club team level, and TopDrawerSoccer.com rates her as a four-star goalkeeper.
While experience and depth bode well for UW this season, a highly competitive Big Ten field awaits the young team.
National runner-up and 2012 Big Ten champion Penn State will maintain its top-tier status, returning four of its five top scorers. While Wisconsin will have both home-field advantage and time to prepare – facing the Nittany Lions midway through the season Oct. 4 – back-to-back away games against Michigan and Michigan State will be a tough early challenge for UW.
A top-four finish in the conference and second-straight bid to NCAA tournament are realistic goals for the team, and if they can sustain growth throughout the season, a deeper push into the Big Dance is attainable.
Coming up in Madison:
UW will host Vanderbilt Sept. 6, in-state rival Milwaukee Sept. 15 and Green Bay Sept. 18 before kicking off its Big Ten home season against Penn State Oct. 4.
Ladies of the Field House ready with new faces
In his opening season as the Badgers’ head coach, Kelly Sheffield has already shown signs he could be the man to bring a mediocre volleyball team to the next level. Wisconsin’s 2013 recruiting class ranks fourth in the nation with four top players ready to adorn the cardinal and white. Highlighting the freshman roster is the overall No. 1 best player in the class nationally, Lauren Carlini. Carlini is a more-than-likely starter for a Badger team that finished just over .500 last season with an overall 17-16 record. Also likely joining the Badger lineup early on is Taylor Fricano, who chose UW after previously signing with Dayton, where Sheffield coached in 2012.
UW also returns three top players with senior Annemarie Hickey, junior Ellen Chapman and junior Courtney Thomas. The threesome competed this summer wearing red, white and blue as part of a U.S. Women’s National Volleyball training program and will return this fall with experience playing alongside the best players in the nation.
Coming Up in Madison:
The team will begin its home season with the InnTowner Invitational at the UW Field House Sept. 13-14 before opening the Big Ten season Sept. 27 against Purdue.
