Five things to know: No. 3 Badgers to run at 2018 Big Ten Championships

Sunday, October 28

Lincoln, Neb.

10:45 a.m.

Wisconsin Badgers

Big Ten Championships

Photo by: Walt Middleton

Five things to know: No. 3 Badgers to run at 2018 Big Ten Championships

October 28, 2018 | Men's Cross Country

Wisconsin heads to Nebraska for conference meet

2018 Big Ten
Championships

Sunday, Oct. 28 | 10:45 a.m. — Lincoln, Neb.

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MADISON, Wis. – The No. 3 Wisconsin men's cross country team travels to Lincoln, Nebraska this weekend for the 2018 Big Ten Cross Country Championships with the hopes of winning their 49th team title. Hosted by the University of Nebraska, the conference meet will be held at the Mahoney Golf Course and is scheduled to begin with the women's 6K race at 10:45 a.m. (CT) with the men's 8K race to follow at 11:45 a.m.

The 2018 Big Ten Cross Country Championships will be streamed live on FloTrack. Fans can also watch the championships live on BTN2Go and on the FOX Sports app. In addition, the meet will be shown on the Big Ten Network on Monday, Oct. 29 at 7 p.m. (C.T.).

Fans can also follow along on Instagram and Twitter (@BadgerTrackXC) and catch a recap following the meet on UWBadgers.com.

1. LAST TIME OUT: Led by its underclassmen, Wisconsin put up a strong performance at the Wisconsin Pre-Nationals meet last weekend, finishing 13th overall in the "Cardinal" race with 396 total points. First to cross the line for the Badgers was true freshman Shuaib Aljabaly, who finished 46th overall with a personal best 8K time, while fellow freshman Derick Peters was next to score for UW, also earning a personal best. Aljabaly was also the first freshman from the Big Ten conference to cross the finish line in the "Cardinal" race.

Next to cross the line for the Badgers was redshirt freshman Seth Hirsch, who took 86th overall, while teammates junior Andrew Schilling and sophomore Tannor Wagner rounded out the scoring for Wisconsin.

2. LOOKING BACK TO LAST YEAR: Wisconsin took third overall at last year's championships as Olli Hoare and Joe Hardy went 1-2, earning first-team All-Big Ten accolades for their efforts, and helped the team notch 88 points. Michigan won the team title with 71 points while Michigan State was second with 82 points.

3. RETURN OF THE CHAMPS: Wisconsin will return two Big Ten Cross Country champions to the conference meet this year. Senior Morgan McDonald won the individual title in 2016 and helped the Badgers earn their 48th Big Ten championship team title. Junior Olli Hoare became the 25th Wisconsin runner to win a Big Ten individual title and claimed UW's fourth individual crown in the last five years at the 2017 Big Ten championships.

4. STRAIGHT FROM THE COACH: "We started on July 1st preparing for this, and we always talk about Big Tens and Beyond," Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Mick Byrne said. "That saying never gets old because that's the time when we need our mental energy high going into a high pressure meet like the Big Ten championships, as well as for the next two meets."

"In the men's race, it's going to be a head-to-head competition because each team has two or three really stud individuals, and it's going to be interesting to see how that plays out," said Byrne. "When you've got Olli Hoare the defending champion and Morgan McDonald, the 2016 champion, they're just experienced athletes who know how to control the pack, and I think a lot of teams will be watching to see what we're going to do."

5. ROAD TO REGIONALS: The Badgers will compete at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional meet in Terre Haute, Indiana on November 9. The race will take place at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course and is slated to begin with the women's 6K race at 11:15 a.m. (ET) with the men's 10K race to follow at 12:15 p.m. The top two teams from the regional meet will automatically qualify for the 2018 NCAA Cross Country Championships, which will take place on home turf at the Zimmer Championship Course on November 17.