Men's Cross Country to Open Season Tonight
September 10, 2004 | Men's Cross Country
The Wisconsin men's cross country team kicks off the 2004 season today at the Hawkeye Invitational in Iowa City, Iowa. The race will begin at 6:45 p.m. UW looks to capture its second straight title after edging out Iowa last year 39-45.
Junior Bobby Lockhart leads the group of expected runners competing for the Badgers. Lockhart placed ninth at the Great Lakes regional in 2003. Joining him are, Ben Gregory, Colin Steele, and Codie See who finished sixth, seventh and eighth respectively at the Hawkeye Invite last year. Also expected to run are sophomore Teddy O 'Reilly and freshman Ben Porter.
Wisconsin returns its top seven runners from the 2003 season along with a healthy Matt Tegenkamp, who missed most of last season due to injury. The returnees are led by the 2003 Big Ten Athlete of the Year Simon Bairu and conference freshman of the year Chris Solinsky. Both runners earned All-America honors in 2003. Also retuning are senior Josh Spiker, junior Bobby Lockhart, who earned all-region honors in 2003, and senior Tim Keller, who was first team All-Big Ten last year.
UW welcomes five new runners to the team this season, four true freshmen and a transfer with one year of eligibility remaining. Antony Ford, a native of Blackpool, England, was a two-time All-American in cross country at the University of Montana, finishing 16th at the NCAA meet as a sophomore. The four freshmen are Brian Culver (Waukesha, Wis.), Stuart Eagon (Beaverton, Ore.), Christian Wagner (Columbus, Ind.) and Matt Winthrow (Tinley Park, Ill.). Winthrow was the 2003 Foot Locker Cross Country champion, with Wagner finishing seventh and Eagon placing eighth. Culver was the 2004 Wisconsin state champion in the 1600 and 3200 meters.
The 2003 season proved very rewarding for the Badgers as they claimed second at the NCAA Championship. It was the seventh time UW has finished second at the national meet and the 21st top-five finish for Wisconsin.
UW qualified for the NCAA Championship meet by winning the Great Lakes Regional. The win was the 19th regional title for the Badgers, most of any team in the region. Wisconsin also won its fifth consecutive and 37th total Big Ten Title in 2003.
Be sure to check uwbadgers.com for the latest updates.
