For the first time since 2019, the University of Wisconsin cross country program hosted the NCAA Great Lakes Regional. With a second place finish or better amongst a tough pool of competition, UW would earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships in Charlottesville, Virginia.
They did so on Friday.
It started with the women’s team — led by upperclassmen Leané Willemse and Alexa Westley — who was projected to finish in third place behind Michigan State University and the University of Notre Dame.
In the 6K competition, Willemse separated from the middle of the pack and found herself finishing in fifth place with a time of 20:18.
Westley followed quickly behind as she’s done for the entirety of the season. She crossed the finish line with graduate student Danielle Orie. Seconds later, sophomore Kylie Finger clocked in at 20:52 — good for 16th place.
The difference-maker proved to be the performance of freshman Isabella Jacobsen. A strong finish in the back half of the race led to a 23rd place showing. Jacobsen completed the 6K in 21:01 and ultimately punched the Badgers’ ticket to Virginia.
“They brought a different passion on Friday,” UW Cross Country Director Mick Byrne said about Finger and Jacobsen in a press conference on Monday. “Different energy than what we had two weeks ago, even at home, at the Big Ten Championships.”
UW ended the race with 71 team points — placing second behind the champions in Notre Dame. The Badgers bested the Big Ten Champions in Michigan State by 11 points at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course.
Senior Olivia Markezich of the Fighting Irish took home first place with a time of 19:55.
Cross Country: Wisconsin men take home Big Ten Championship, women place second
An hour later, the men’s race began. UW entered as the favorites to win it and performed well in the process.
Senior Bob Liking remained undefeated on the season, placing first by running his 10K in 29:41. Graduate student Jackson Sharp was on his heels the entire race. He took second place tenths of a second behind Liking.
Down two runners, seniors Evan Bishop and Rowen Ellenberg, the Badgers needed others to step up. Sophomore Adam Spencer earned a top-10 finish, placing sixth. Then, junior Joshua Truchon was the fourth Badger to cross the finish line in 30:21.
Sophomore Micah Wilson was the fifth member of UW to complete the race, finishing strong in 33rd place.
Due to the quality performance of Butler University, the Badgers earned second place. They received their automatic bid to the NCAA Championships for next week as one of the top groups in the country.
Both the men’s and women’s team will compete for a national championship Saturday, Nov. 18 in Virginia. The races will be televised on ESPNU, with the women kicking it off at 9:20 a.m. CT.
