Photo by: David Stluka
McDonald named Big Ten Athlete of the Week
October 19, 2016 | Men's Cross Country
Junior earns his second weekly honor of the 2016 campaign
MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin junior Morgan McDonald was honored as the Big Ten Conference Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Week after racing to a spectacular third-place finish at the 2016 Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational, the league announced on Wednesday.
McDonald kept pace with the front of the pack for most of the meet this past Friday before using a late kick to power past a group of top-ranked challengers on the home stretch of the eight-kilometer race. The Australian crossed the finish line with a time of 23 minutes, 55.4 seconds at the highest-ranked meet of the season according to FloTrack.
His third-place finish marked the best finish ever by a Badger at the prestigious meet. Along with earning the Big Ten Athlete of the Week award, McDonald moved up to No. 5 in the Saucony Flo50 Individual Rankings following his stellar performance at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course.
This is the second time in the 2016 season in which McDonald had the honor of earning the Big Ten Athlete of the Week award. He was bestowed with the accomplishment on Sept. 14 following his victory at the Oz Memorial Invitational in Minnesota on Sept. 9 at the Les Bolstad Golf Course. Wisconsin will be returning to that same course for its next meet on Oct. 30 for the Big Ten Championship.
McDonald's second honor of the season puts the junior in rare company at Wisconsin. This is the first time that a UW men's cross country athlete has won two Big Ten Athlete of the Week honors since Matt Tegenkamp in 2001.
The Badgers compete at the 2016 Big Ten Championship in Falcon Heights, Minnesota, on Oct. 30 with the men's eight-kilometer race beginning at 11 a.m. The meet will be aired live on BTN, starting with the women's six-kilometer race at 10 a.m.
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McDonald kept pace with the front of the pack for most of the meet this past Friday before using a late kick to power past a group of top-ranked challengers on the home stretch of the eight-kilometer race. The Australian crossed the finish line with a time of 23 minutes, 55.4 seconds at the highest-ranked meet of the season according to FloTrack.
His third-place finish marked the best finish ever by a Badger at the prestigious meet. Along with earning the Big Ten Athlete of the Week award, McDonald moved up to No. 5 in the Saucony Flo50 Individual Rankings following his stellar performance at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course.
This is the second time in the 2016 season in which McDonald had the honor of earning the Big Ten Athlete of the Week award. He was bestowed with the accomplishment on Sept. 14 following his victory at the Oz Memorial Invitational in Minnesota on Sept. 9 at the Les Bolstad Golf Course. Wisconsin will be returning to that same course for its next meet on Oct. 30 for the Big Ten Championship.
McDonald's second honor of the season puts the junior in rare company at Wisconsin. This is the first time that a UW men's cross country athlete has won two Big Ten Athlete of the Week honors since Matt Tegenkamp in 2001.
The Badgers compete at the 2016 Big Ten Championship in Falcon Heights, Minnesota, on Oct. 30 with the men's eight-kilometer race beginning at 11 a.m. The meet will be aired live on BTN, starting with the women's six-kilometer race at 10 a.m.
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Players Mentioned
/ Men's Cross Country
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