Photo by: David Stluka
Badgers announce 2018 cross country schedule
August 13, 2018 | Men's Cross Country
UW set to host two major invitationals before hosting NCAAs this November
MADISON, Wis. –  This year's Wisconsin cross country schedule is one for the history books as the Badgers will host a pair of premier regular-season invites, before welcoming the nation's best to Madison for the 2018 NCAA Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Nov. 17. Â
UW will host four meets in total this year, including the prestigious Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational on Friday, Sept. 28 and the Wisconsin Pre-Nationals on Saturday, Oct. 13.
"Every major program in the nation will race in Madison at some point this fall as we prep for the 2018 NCAA Cross Country Championships," UW Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Mick Byrne said. "Cross country fans will be treated to some incredible racing as the line-up for both the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational Presented by Under Armour and the Wisconsin Pre-Nationals meet feature a slew of perennial top-30 teams. Â
"This is exciting for all fans of our sport."
UW opens the 2018 slate with the Badger Classic on Friday, Sept. 14 at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course before hosting the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational Presented by Under Armour on Friday, Sept. 28. It marks the 10th year of the invite, which features 38 men's teams and 43 women's teams.
Two weeks after the Nutty, the Badgers will host the Wisconsin Pre-Nationals, which will serve as a precursor for the national championships and will feature two seeded and one unseeded race for each gender. Racing is set to start at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 13.
"In the past, we have not participated at Pre-Nats as it has always conflicted with the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational," Byrne said. "This year, we've moved the Nutty meet forward into the last weekend of September. The field is set for this meet, and it is arguably the most competitive field to date with 18 men's and women's teams that competed at last year's NCAA meet. The Wisconsin Pre-Nats will be run as two evenly-seeded races per gender mid-October. Right now we have 80 men's teams and 87 women's teams signed up for this meet."
Following the Wisconsin Pre-Nationals, the Badgers will turn their attention to postseason races. The 2018 Big Ten Cross Country Championships will take place at the Mahoney Golf Course in Lincoln, Nebraska on Sunday, Oct. 28. Last year, the men and women both finished third at the conference meet while Ollie Hoare became the 25th Badger to win a Big Ten individual crown.
"The Cornhuskers of Nebraska will host the Big Ten meet for the first time since they joined the conference in 2011 and we are looking forward to competing there with the 2016 Big Ten Men's Individual Champion Morgan McDonald and last year's champion Ollie Hoare," said Byrne.
Next, the Badgers will head to Terre Haute, Indiana for the NCAA Great Lakes Regional meet. The meet will be held on Friday, Nov. 9 at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country. The top two teams from each regional will automatically advance to the 2018 NCAA Championship on Saturday Nov. 17 in Madison.
"We head back to Terre Haute for the NCAA Great Lakes Regional on Nov. 9 where we look to improve on our third-place finishes and qualify for the NCAA championships on our home course."
The season concludes with the 2018 NCAA Cross Country Championships at the Zimmer Championship Course. Wisconsin hasn't played host to the championships since 1978, back when the national meet was hosted at the Yahara Hills Golf Course.
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UW will host four meets in total this year, including the prestigious Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational on Friday, Sept. 28 and the Wisconsin Pre-Nationals on Saturday, Oct. 13.
"Every major program in the nation will race in Madison at some point this fall as we prep for the 2018 NCAA Cross Country Championships," UW Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Mick Byrne said. "Cross country fans will be treated to some incredible racing as the line-up for both the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational Presented by Under Armour and the Wisconsin Pre-Nationals meet feature a slew of perennial top-30 teams. Â
"This is exciting for all fans of our sport."
UW opens the 2018 slate with the Badger Classic on Friday, Sept. 14 at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course before hosting the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational Presented by Under Armour on Friday, Sept. 28. It marks the 10th year of the invite, which features 38 men's teams and 43 women's teams.
Two weeks after the Nutty, the Badgers will host the Wisconsin Pre-Nationals, which will serve as a precursor for the national championships and will feature two seeded and one unseeded race for each gender. Racing is set to start at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 13.
"In the past, we have not participated at Pre-Nats as it has always conflicted with the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational," Byrne said. "This year, we've moved the Nutty meet forward into the last weekend of September. The field is set for this meet, and it is arguably the most competitive field to date with 18 men's and women's teams that competed at last year's NCAA meet. The Wisconsin Pre-Nats will be run as two evenly-seeded races per gender mid-October. Right now we have 80 men's teams and 87 women's teams signed up for this meet."
Following the Wisconsin Pre-Nationals, the Badgers will turn their attention to postseason races. The 2018 Big Ten Cross Country Championships will take place at the Mahoney Golf Course in Lincoln, Nebraska on Sunday, Oct. 28. Last year, the men and women both finished third at the conference meet while Ollie Hoare became the 25th Badger to win a Big Ten individual crown.
"The Cornhuskers of Nebraska will host the Big Ten meet for the first time since they joined the conference in 2011 and we are looking forward to competing there with the 2016 Big Ten Men's Individual Champion Morgan McDonald and last year's champion Ollie Hoare," said Byrne.
Next, the Badgers will head to Terre Haute, Indiana for the NCAA Great Lakes Regional meet. The meet will be held on Friday, Nov. 9 at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country. The top two teams from each regional will automatically advance to the 2018 NCAA Championship on Saturday Nov. 17 in Madison.
"We head back to Terre Haute for the NCAA Great Lakes Regional on Nov. 9 where we look to improve on our third-place finishes and qualify for the NCAA championships on our home course."
The season concludes with the 2018 NCAA Cross Country Championships at the Zimmer Championship Course. Wisconsin hasn't played host to the championships since 1978, back when the national meet was hosted at the Yahara Hills Golf Course.
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Players Mentioned
/ Men's Cross Country
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