No. 6 Wisconsin hosts the 2014 NCAA Great Lakes Regional
November 12, 2014 | Men's Cross Country
Nov. 12, 2014
MADISON, Wis. --The No. 6 Wisconsin men’s cross country team host the 2014 NCAA Great Lakes Regional on Friday, Nov. 14 at the Zimmer Championship Course. The Badgers look to regain the NCAA Great Lakes Regional title after falling short last year by three points to Michigan.
“We're looking forward to running at home this Friday and hopefully, we will get a big crowd out there if the weather cooperates, “ Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Mick Byrne said. “We're excited about competing at home again this weekend.”
| NCAA Great Lakes Regional | |
| Date | Friday, Nov. 14, 1 p.m. |
| Location | Madison, Wis. | Zimmer Championship Course |
| Course Info | Course Map  | Course Video  |
| Meet Info | 2014 NCAA Great Lakes Regional Info |
| Competitors | Entry List |
| Course Length | 10-kilometers |
| Results | Live Results |
| Performance List | Wisconsin |
The Badgers not only look regain the Great Lakes Regional title but they also look to secure their 43rd consecutive NCAA appearance. To put that into perspective, Wisconsin has qualified for every championship meet since 1972, when the regional format was introduced.
In addition, the Badgers have won an astounding 28 of the 42 NCAA Great Lakes Regional meets.
The biggest difference from the regional meet and the rest of the meets UW has competed at this year is the length - the NCAA regional meet and the NCAA championships are the only 10-kilometer races the team will run.
“We got four freshmen, two are true freshmen, who have never run 10K but these guys are tough guys and hopefully from their perspective, they won't be too afraid of it,” Byrne said. “Having big guns up front might give us an opportunity to be able to sit back and watch the race develop.”
Wisconsin is led by two-time Big Ten champion Malachy Schrobilgen, who played a huge role in the Badgers’ Big Ten title win earlier this month. Schrobilgen won his second-straight Big Ten crown, while Michael Van Voorhis placed second as the 1-2 punch helped UW win its 47th Big Ten championship.
“I think both Malachy and Michael have stepped up into that leadership role. They've both relished that role, but when Malachy speaks in the locker room to the younger guys, being a double Big Ten champion and an NCAA All American, the guys listen to him. When he talks about reading the race correctly, when he talks about having confidence in our training and in executing the race plan, those guys listen to him because of his experience.”
Schrobilgen and Van Voorhis played a big role in UW’s runner-up finish at the 2013 NCAA Great Lakes Regional, as Van Voorhis was seventh and Schrobilgen placed ninth, despite losing his shoe halfway through the race.
Friday’s regional marks the first regional meet for many of the UW harriers, including redshirt freshmen Carl Hirsch and Ryan Kromer along with true freshmen Morgan McDonald and Joe Hardy. McDonald led the underclassmen at the Big Ten meet, as the Sydney, Australia, native placed 12th and was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year for his efforts. McDonald and Hirsch also earned second-team All-Big ten accolades at their first conference meet.
Friday’s meet marks the third time in a row that the Badgers hosted the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, and UW will host the event again in 2015 and 2016.
Wisconsin welcomes Akron, Bowling Green, Butler, Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Dayton, Detroit, Eastern Michigan, Evansville, Indiana, Indiana State, IPFW, IUPUI, Kent State, Marquette, Miami (Ohio), Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Oakland, Ohio State, Ohio University, Purdue, Toledo, Valparaiso, Wisconsin-Green Bay, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Xavier and Youngstown State for the regional meet.
