Photo by: David Stluka
Five things to know: Men’s field at Wisconsin Pre-Nationals
October 10, 2018 | Men's Cross Country
Wisconsin gears up to host Pre-National meet at Zimmer Championship Course
Wisconsin Pre-Nationals
Saturday, Oct. 13 | 10 am — Madison, Wis.
The Wisconsin Pre-Nationals meet will play host to more than 70 men's teams from across the country and will serve as a preview for the 2018 NCAA Cross Country Championships on November 17.
The meet is scheduled to begin with the women's "Cardinal" 6K race at 10:00 a.m. (CT) with the women's "White" 6K race to follow at 10:45 a.m. The men's "Cardinal" 8K race will begin at 11:30 p.m., followed by the men's "White" 8K race at 12:15 p.m. Rounding out the day will be the women's "Gray" 6K race at 1:00 p.m. with the men's "Gray" 8K race to occur at 1:45 p.m.
There is no spectator parking at the cross country course or University Ridge. Spectator parking will be located at EPIC Systems in Verona.
Spectator shuttles are available to transport spectators for $10 round trip. Accessible shuttles will be available. The shuttle service will begin at 8 a.m. and conclude one hour after the final race has finished.
Fans can follow the action on Twitter and Instagram (@BadgerTrackXC) and fans that are unable to attend can watch the meet live on FloTrack.
1. RANKED TEAMS: Of the 71 men's teams competing at the Wisconsin Pre-National meet, nineteen have been ranked within the top-30 programs by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association National Coaches' Poll, including eight of the top-10 teams in the nation.
2. BYU: Last year's Pre-National meet was won by a landslide by BYU with just 41 points, and had all five of its scorers finish within the top-15. Rory Linkletter led the way for the Cougars, winning the individual title with an 8K time of 23:08.4.
BYU went on to finish third overall at the 2017 NCAA Cross Country Championships at the E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Ky. So far this season, BYU has won all three of its meets, and has scored a perfect 15 points at two of these contests.
3. COLORADO: The Colorado Buffs were last year's runner-up finishers at the Pre-National meet in Louisville. Guiding the Buffs to their second-place finish was Joe Klecker, who is currently the No. 9 ranked individual by FloTrack's FloXC Rankings, who finished ninth overall in the 8K race. All of Colorado's scorers finished within the top-45, and the Buffs finished with 118 total points.
Colorado went on to finish eighth overall at the 2017 NCAA Cross Country Championships and so far this season, they have finished eighth or better at each cross country meet they've competed in.
4. NUTTYCOMBE RECAP: Fifteen teams who competed in the men's championship 8K race at the 2018 Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational, Presented by Under Armour, will make appearances at the Wisconsin Pre-National meet, including eight teams who finished in the top-10.
No. 1 Northern Arizona won the Nuttycombe team title for the third-straight year after recording just 46 points while No. 3 Wisconsin was the runner-up, with senior Morgan McDonald winning the men's individual title. No. 4 Portland finished third with 140 points, while No. 6 Iowa State and No. 7 Boise State took fourth and fifth overall. The Cyclones, led by runner-up Edwin Kurgat, recorded 152 points while the Broncos tallied 160 points.
5. IT'S CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON: Following the Wisconsin Pre-National meet, teams will officially enter championship season with the conference and regional cross country championships approaching. On November 17, teams will return back to Madison for the 2018 NCAA Cross Country Championships at the Zimmer Championship Course.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Cross Country
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