Nov. 1, 2009
Men's Results 
MADISON, Wis. -- Winning never gets old.
For the 11th-consecutive season, the Wisconsin men's cross country took its rightful place atop the podium as Big Ten Champions. The Badgers extended their own conference record for consecutive championships in dominating fashion, placing five of their runners among the top eight finishers.
Wisconsin has now won 43 Big Ten team titles, an incredible 31 more than Michigan State, which owns the next-most championships with 14. The Badgers' recent domination of the Big Ten has resulted in 28 team championships in that last 33 years.
The UW posted a team score of 26, the lowest score since 2005 when the Badgers won the title with only 16 points. Ohio State finished in a distant second place with a team score of 91. They were followed by Minnesota with 97 points and Indiana with 106 points.
"There was a lot of pressure on our guys going into the Big Tens," head coach Mick Byrne said Sunday morning from University Park, Pa. "But they responded well and won the conference meet. We're really proud."
Sophomore Elliot Krause was the first to cross the finish line for the UW, finishing in second place in a time of 25:05, earning first team All-Big Ten honors in the process. This race marks the first time that Krause was the top finisher for the Badgers. Last season it was teammate Landon Peacock who took the runner-up spot at the Big Ten Championship race. For the second-straight year, Minnesota's Hassan Mead took the individual title.
Redshirt freshman Maverick Darling was the next Badger runner to cross the line Sunday, claiming a fourth-place finish in a time of 25:16, also earning first team All-Big Ten Honors. Darling has now finished among the top seven in all three races he has run in the 2009 season.
True freshman Mohammed Ahmed finished in fifth place in a time of 25:21, earning first team All-Big Ten honors. Ahmed was the first freshman to cross the finish line.
Wisconsin senior Craig Miller finished in 7th place with a time of 25:29, earning his first career first-team All-Big Ten honor. That gave UW four runners on the Big Ten's first team, the most since placing four on the first team in 2006. Last year, Miller finished in 14th place in a time of 25:01 and earned a second-team All-Big Ten bid.
A 2008 first-team all-Big Ten selection, Peacock rounded out the scoring for Wisconsin, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors with his eighth-place finish in a time of 25:34.
Senior Ryan Gasper finished in 12th place in a time of 25:41, earning his first second-team All-Big Ten bid. At the 2008 Big Ten Championships, Gasper just missed the podium by finishing in 16th place in a time of 25:06.
Junior Jack Bolas finished in 16th place in a time of 25:50, true freshman Reed Connor finished in 32nd place in a time of 26.16 and sophomore Phil Thomas finished in 33rd place in a time of 26:18.
"The guys were packed real well," explained Byrne. "It was a great team race. The guys fed off each other and it led to a great race."
The Badgers will now enjoy a weekend off before competing in the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championship hosted by Indiana on Nov. 14. The 8k race is set to start at 11 a.m. (central).
"This is the time of year we train for and love," Byrne added. "We're looking forward to Regionals and the NCAA championships."
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Justin Mozer
Athletic Communications
