UW's young lineup takes 2nd at Jim Drews
October 18, 2008 | Men's Cross Country
In a race featuring 25 colleges and 395 runners, Wisconsin placed second overall at the annual Jim Drews Invitational. After winning the race in dramatic fashion the past two seasons, head coach Mick Byrne went with an inexperienced and young lineup at the Maple Grove golf course on Saturday morning.
Defending their own turf, UW-La Crosse won the invitational by 77 points over Wisconsin. Their top runner, Paul Moran, placed second overall individually in 24:54 and was one of four Eagles to finish in the top 25 spots. Placing behind UW was Iowa Central Community College, North Dakota State, and the Eagle Track Club.
The first Badger to cross the finish line was junior Tim Pierie with a time of 25:22, making him the only UW runner to place in the top ten. Only twelve seconds later, freshman Phil Thomas finished the race with a time of 25:34. The next three Badgers to score in the race were new-comer Brian Barker, junior Steve Ludwig, and first-time competitor Danny Buechel. For complete results of the Jim Drews Invitational, click here .
Byrne decided to run the young runners in order to focus on training the top runners for the Big Ten Championships coming up on November 2nd in Ann Arbor, Michigan. With seniors Matt Withrow and Stu Eagon healthy after rehabbing injuries all season, the Badgers are favorites to capture their tenth straight conference championship.
