Stepping up: Hardy leads Badgers into NCAAs
November 17, 2017 | Men's Cross Country
Senior captain looks to end cross country career on high note Saturday
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Senior Joe Hardy admits that he was surprised when at the start of the year he was named the captain of the Wisconsin men's cross country team.
"It was an honor, and I didn't expect it," Hardy said. "To be part of a long legacy and a tradition of really good runners was pretty cool."
After earning the honor, something clicked for Hardy as he has been one of UW's top finishers at every meet he has competed in. He finished second at the Big Ten championships, helping UW to a third-place finish, before placing sixth at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional.
"I think I've gained confidence as team captain and leader," Hardy said. "A lot of that has to do with the people I'm running with, and the coaches instilling that confidence over the last year. I've had some ups and downs, but I'm feeling good."
Now the senior looks to successfully cap his UW cross country career Saturday as he and sophomore Ollie Hoare will represent the Badgers at the 2017 NCAA Cross Country Championships in Louisville, Kentucky.
"In my mind, naming Joe team captain was a no-brainer," UW Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Mick Byrne said. "Joe has earned this title just by his demeanor in the locker room. He has a presence about him that the other guys look up to and admire. He's come a long way the last couple of years and I believe being captain has elevated his performances this season.
"Joe has embraced the role of captain and you can see it in the way he is racing this fall. At Big Tens, he passed two or three guys in the last 100 meters to finish second. I'm not sure that he would have done that a year ago."
One of the runners that has benefited from Hardy's guidance has been Hoare, the 2017 Big Ten Cross Country Champion. The Sydney, Australia, native improved 40 spots from his finish at last year's Big Ten meet and was also named the Big Ten Athlete of the Week after a top-10 showing at the Greater Louisville Classic.
"I think he's pretty much working me up to the lifestyle," Hoare said. "Joe's really told me that to help the team, you have to help yourself. To help yourself, you have to be yourself out there and put yourself in a position that won't just advance yourself, but also the team.
"Joe has been a mentor for me this season in training — in how I prepare and how I mentally assess races — and that's been a big benefit in my performance."
Hardy has enjoyed a stellar career for UW on the track and the cross country course, as he was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2015 after winning the conference title in the 1500 meters.
This past track season, Hardy qualified in both the 1500 and 5000 meters at the NCAA West Preliminary Round and advanced to the NCAA championships in the 5K despite being seeded 31st in the region in the event.
At the NCAA track championships, Hardy ran well, earning second-team All-America honors thanks to a 15th-place finish against many of the same runners he will run against at the NCAA cross country championships on Saturday.
"I think I had a good junior year and I knew where I wanted to be, whether or not that was indicative of my performance throughout that year," Hardy said. "This year, I had a goal of where I wanted to be on the team and how good I wanted to be, and I don't think becoming a captain changed that. I think the state that our team was left in due to injuries and Morgan McDonald redshirting, people had to step up, and I was just trying to step up for the team and lead by example."
With McDonald redshirting the 2017 cross country season, Hardy has been the lone senior on the men's cross country roster that consists of nine freshmen and sophomores, including Hoare, who have been looking Hardy's way for advice.
"As a leader, Joe is a little more hands-off," Hoare said. "He's definitely had a major impact on all the younger guy's routines — with their training, with their recovery, even their home-school life. Even if he doesn't realize it, Joe has a direct impact on them. With us having a team that's extremely young, especially this season, those guys definitely soak in a lot of what Joe said and a lot of what Joe did. As a captain, he really stepped up to the mark."
Both Hardy and Hoare look to step up one final time this cross country season as the duo will represent Wisconsin at the national championships on Saturday morning. Without a full team behind them, both runners will rely on each other to achieve their goals of earning All-America honors.
"Last year I was really disappointed in my performance, but I definitely learned from it and grew as an athlete," Hoare said. "Going into it, I'm pretty excited. I'm excited to run with Joe in his last race, and I guess for us we just want to represent the Badgers with pride and bring it to them."
"I want to run well and represent the University of Wisconsin," Hardy said. "Hopefully I'll help Ollie get some experience in a big race, because he's going to need to be very sharp next year when we are competing for the win."
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"It was an honor, and I didn't expect it," Hardy said. "To be part of a long legacy and a tradition of really good runners was pretty cool."
After earning the honor, something clicked for Hardy as he has been one of UW's top finishers at every meet he has competed in. He finished second at the Big Ten championships, helping UW to a third-place finish, before placing sixth at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional.
"I think I've gained confidence as team captain and leader," Hardy said. "A lot of that has to do with the people I'm running with, and the coaches instilling that confidence over the last year. I've had some ups and downs, but I'm feeling good."
Now the senior looks to successfully cap his UW cross country career Saturday as he and sophomore Ollie Hoare will represent the Badgers at the 2017 NCAA Cross Country Championships in Louisville, Kentucky.
"In my mind, naming Joe team captain was a no-brainer," UW Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Mick Byrne said. "Joe has earned this title just by his demeanor in the locker room. He has a presence about him that the other guys look up to and admire. He's come a long way the last couple of years and I believe being captain has elevated his performances this season.
"Joe has embraced the role of captain and you can see it in the way he is racing this fall. At Big Tens, he passed two or three guys in the last 100 meters to finish second. I'm not sure that he would have done that a year ago."
One of the runners that has benefited from Hardy's guidance has been Hoare, the 2017 Big Ten Cross Country Champion. The Sydney, Australia, native improved 40 spots from his finish at last year's Big Ten meet and was also named the Big Ten Athlete of the Week after a top-10 showing at the Greater Louisville Classic.
"I think he's pretty much working me up to the lifestyle," Hoare said. "Joe's really told me that to help the team, you have to help yourself. To help yourself, you have to be yourself out there and put yourself in a position that won't just advance yourself, but also the team.
"Joe has been a mentor for me this season in training — in how I prepare and how I mentally assess races — and that's been a big benefit in my performance."
Hardy has enjoyed a stellar career for UW on the track and the cross country course, as he was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2015 after winning the conference title in the 1500 meters.
This past track season, Hardy qualified in both the 1500 and 5000 meters at the NCAA West Preliminary Round and advanced to the NCAA championships in the 5K despite being seeded 31st in the region in the event.
At the NCAA track championships, Hardy ran well, earning second-team All-America honors thanks to a 15th-place finish against many of the same runners he will run against at the NCAA cross country championships on Saturday.
"I think I had a good junior year and I knew where I wanted to be, whether or not that was indicative of my performance throughout that year," Hardy said. "This year, I had a goal of where I wanted to be on the team and how good I wanted to be, and I don't think becoming a captain changed that. I think the state that our team was left in due to injuries and Morgan McDonald redshirting, people had to step up, and I was just trying to step up for the team and lead by example."
With McDonald redshirting the 2017 cross country season, Hardy has been the lone senior on the men's cross country roster that consists of nine freshmen and sophomores, including Hoare, who have been looking Hardy's way for advice.
"As a leader, Joe is a little more hands-off," Hoare said. "He's definitely had a major impact on all the younger guy's routines — with their training, with their recovery, even their home-school life. Even if he doesn't realize it, Joe has a direct impact on them. With us having a team that's extremely young, especially this season, those guys definitely soak in a lot of what Joe said and a lot of what Joe did. As a captain, he really stepped up to the mark."
Both Hardy and Hoare look to step up one final time this cross country season as the duo will represent Wisconsin at the national championships on Saturday morning. Without a full team behind them, both runners will rely on each other to achieve their goals of earning All-America honors.
"Last year I was really disappointed in my performance, but I definitely learned from it and grew as an athlete," Hoare said. "Going into it, I'm pretty excited. I'm excited to run with Joe in his last race, and I guess for us we just want to represent the Badgers with pride and bring it to them."
"I want to run well and represent the University of Wisconsin," Hardy said. "Hopefully I'll help Ollie get some experience in a big race, because he's going to need to be very sharp next year when we are competing for the win."
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