Schrobilgen leads No. 12 UW to NCAAs

BY AJ HARRISON
UW Athletic Communications

MADISON, Wis. – When many people think about cross country, they think about the individualistic nature of the sport and not the team aspect.

Considering his future during high school, Malachy Schrobilgen picked Wisconsin due to the team culture and history.

"I always had that dream of running for Wisconsin," Schrobilgen said. "Being a part of such a legendary program, not just one where there were great names and great individuals, but always that tight-knit, powerful team atmosphere. I always wanted to be a part of that, and try and create something out of that, you know that I could say it was my stamp on it and just contribute to that legacy."

Schrobilgen looks to add to not only his legacy, but the Badgers' winning tradition on Saturday as he leads the No. 12 Badgers into Terre Haute, Indiana, for the 2016 NCAA Cross Country Championship.

A two-time Big Ten individual champion and two-time All-American, Schrobilgen looks to become only the 13th runner in school history to earn three or more All-America honors on the cross country course.

What is Schrobilgen's biggest UW career accomplishment? The Oak Park, Illinois, native will quickly tell you about helping the Badgers reclaim the Big Ten title this season.

"I think I'm still riding the high from that," Schrobilgen said. "Just the way our team dug in, it was incredible."

The senior captain for the No. 12 Badgers carried the success of the Big Ten meet into last Friday's NCAA Great Lakes Regional, as he won his final race at the Zimmer Championship Course to help the team punch its ticket to Saturday's NCAA cross country championship.

"It obviously felt really good," Schrobilgen said about helping UW win its 30th NCAA Great Lakes Regional crown. "It was pretty redeeming to see the way this meet played out, this year versus last year as it was night and day.

"You look back and realize a lot of the things that maybe we took for granted last year, we just haven't at all this year. We've just been very thorough and driven all year, and it's just been exciting to see this all pay off now, and give us a shot to compete for a national title."

Last year Schrobilgen suffered an injury days before the Big Ten meet in Chicago that ultimately derailed the Badgers cross country season. Schrobilgen toed the line at the conference championship and led the first part of the race before needing to drop out. Two weeks later, he finished 33rd for UW at the 2016 NCAA Great Lakes Regional as UW missed the NCAA meet for the first time since 1972.

"Even though we were having an off season, he wanted to get out there," UW Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Mick Byrne said. "He's the leader of the program and means everything to this program. He's the guy that's been the glue that has kept this together."

"Last year was hard," Schrobilgen said. "That's what has really motivated us this year, to kind of refocus on what we were doing well and not get discouraged by last year and not let last year become a pattern."

Wisconsin returned to its winning form this year, claiming the program's 48th Big Ten cross country title. Morgan McDonald won the Big Ten individual title and Schrobilgen finished fifth, but his finish was just as important as McDonald's victory.

"Malachy sacrificed a little bit of his own personal goals for the team," Byrne said. "He was the guy that kept that group together for the first 6K. He embraced that role, we asked him to do that and he embraced it. I'm sure he would've liked to have gone along for the ride with Morgan, but he didn't.

"It's that type of unselfishness that wins championships."

Two weeks later, Schrobilgen and McDonald went 1-2 while three other runners placed in the top-25 to lead UW to its 30th NCAA Great Lakes Regional crown.

"The team dynamic has been incredible," Schrobilgen said. "It's been really special to be a part of, to see it grow so organically. It's just a bunch of teammates, just a bunch of brothers digging deep for each other every race.

"It's inspiring. I think we've really found our identity as a team and I think we know what we are racing for now."

Wisconsin has finished in the nation's top 10 for 18 of the last 19 years. The Badgers will race for a shot at the 19th at 11 a.m. CT at the LaVern Gibson Cross Country Course, the site of UW's last NCAA title victory in 2011.

"Our goal is to continue on this upward turnaround," Schrobilgen said. "I don't really know if we have an exact goal, but we would have to have a really good day for us to realistically have a chance for the overall title.

"But I don't think that's putting any more pressure on us. We like where we're at. This is the most momentum we could ask for going into a national championship and I think we want to keep rolling with that."

University of Wisconsin Athletics

Schrobilgen leads No. 12 UW to NCAAs

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