Cross Country Teams to Compete at NCAA Regional Championships
November 12, 2004 | Men's Cross Country
The Wisconsin men's and women's cross country teams head to Ypsilanti, Michigan on Nov. 13 for the NCAA Great Lakes Regional. The top-ranked UW men's team, which recently won its sixth consecutive Big Ten Championship, is the defending regional champion, winning in 2003 with a total of 72 team points.
Last year, four Wisconsin runners on the men's team placed within the top 25 to earn all-region honors. Bobby Lockhart was the first Badger to cross the finish line, placing ninth with a time of 30:49.7. Big Ten Athlete of the Year Simon Bairu finished 11th (30:50.5) while sophomore Chris Solinksy followed closely behind finishing 13th (30:51.5).
The UW women finished sixth with a score of 148. Junior Heidi Lane placed 19th (22:00.5), while teammate Linsey Blaisdell took 58th (22:46.6). Blaidell will be using her redshirt season this year and will not compete in this weekend's meet.
UW is one of seven teams from the region to be ranked in the latest Mondo Men's Cross Country poll. Notre Dame is fifth, followed by No. 10 Indiana and No. 13 Butler. Also ranked is Michigan, at No. 23, followed by No. 26 Central Michigan, and No. 29 Ohio State.
On the women's side, the 6,000-meter race will feature the top teams in Ohio, Michigan and Indiana, including No. 4 Michigan, No. 6 Notre Dame, No. 13 Michigan State, and No. 27 Indiana University.
The top two teams in the region automatically qualify for the NCAA championship, Nov. 22 in Terre Haute, Ind. In 2003, the Wisconsin men finished second behind Stanford at the national meet, while the women came in 26th with 528 points.
