Wisconsin Badgers
Illinois State Invitational
5 things to know: Badgers at Illinois State Invite
September 07, 2017 | Men's Cross Country
No. 7 Wisconsin heads to Illinois State for Friday competition
Wisconsin
Illinois State Invitational
Game Coverage
Friday, Sept. 8 | 5 p.m. CT — Bloomington, Ill.
MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin men's cross country team heads to Bloomington, Illinois on Friday for the 2017 Illinois State Invite. The meet, which will take place at the Weibring Golf Course, starts at 5 p.m. with a women's 5K and wraps up with a men's 8K at 5:45 p.m. A recap will be available following the meet on UWBadgers.com.
"September is about training for what's ahead," UW Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Mick Byrne said. "That's our main focus. But Friday's meet gives some of our student-athletes the chance to show us where they are at and compete in a collegiate meet. We hope that these runners take advantage out of their opportunity and we also hope to see some things out of the meet that will help the program moving forward."
1. New day, new course: Friday's meet marks the first time that the Badgers will compete at the Illinois State Invitational, which began in 2014. UW will run at the Weibring Golf Course, which hosted the 2012 Missouri Valley Conference Cross Country Championship.Â
2. Wagner's strong debut: Freshman Tannor Wagner started out his UW men's cross country career last weekend at the IU Open. The 2017 WIAA Division I state champion in the 1600 meters, Wagner placed 33rd overall at the meet and placed second for the Badgers with an 8K time of 26:26.8. Wagner is one of four true freshmen that checked in at No. 6 in FloTrack's distance class rankings along with Finn Gessner, Seth Hirsch and Noah Jacobs.
3. Gone camping: Prior to racing last Saturday, Wisconsin spent a week in Door County for the team's annual preseason camp. The Badgers ran the trails at Peninsula State Park, spent time on the beaches in Door County and also found time to go go-karting and play mini golf. Check out some photos from the exciting week.
4. More praise for the Badgers: Wisconsin checked in at No. 9 in the team rankings compiled by DyeStat, while senior Morgan McDonald was the No. 3 individual ranked by the organization. The rankings come a week after UW was ranked No. 7 in the first U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association National Coaches' Poll.
5. Coming home (soon): Following Friday's meet, Wisconsin returns home for the Wisconsin Mayflower Day Open on Sept. 16 at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course, the site of the 2018 NCAA Cross Country Championships. The Mayflower Day Open is one of two home meets on the schedule for UW as the Badgers will host the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational presented by Under Armour on Oct. 13.
Players Mentioned
