How Sweep it is: Monson wins Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational

No. 7 Badgers earn their best finish ever at the Nutty Invite

Women's Cross Country September 28, 2018

How Sweep it is: Monson wins Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational

No. 7 Badgers earn their best finish ever at the Nutty Invite

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin women's cross country standout Alicia Monson made a statement at home on Friday as the Amery native won the 2018 Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational Presented by Under Armour at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course.

Monson took the lead at around the 5K mark and outkicked the New Mexico duo of All-American Weini Kelati and defending NCAA champion Ednah Kurgat to become the first Badger to win the individual tile at the premier home meet thanks to a time of 19 minutes 33.3 seconds.

"I wasn't quite expecting it but I knew to just stay patient and stick with some of the best girls out there," Monson said. "It feels pretty great to be out on the home course and seeing everyone from my team do so well. It was just an amazing day."

"She made a nice leap forward over the summer and just in watching her training you can see that there is a leap in her overall strength," UW women's cross country head coach Jill Miller said. "Alicia has great foot speed and it's deceiving that's for sure. I think people now know it. After coaching Sarah Disanza four years ago, who was second at the NCAA Championships, we started seeing similarities in their training. I had a gut feeling that she was on that level, but you never know until you are tested and you put the mind and body together. She did a good job of staying relaxed and moving with that pack. What you saw early was that she didn't waste any energy.

"I was really proud of how she ran this race and waited and trusted her footspeed down the home stretch."

It marks Monson's second win of the year as she also won the Badger Classic earlier this season and her third career victory at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course. An All-American in track in 2018, Monson has enjoyed a great 2018 calendar year, as she ran a PR of 15:38.32 in the 5000 meters at the NCAA West Prelims to qualify for the national outdoor meet and was the Big Ten runner-up in the outdoor 5000 meters.

UPSET IN WISCONSIN ‼️ Alicia Monson wins on her home course!! #NuttyInvite @BadgerTrackXC pic.twitter.com/lyMd70d9CR
— FloTrack (@FloTrack) September 28, 2018

The junior helped UW to a sixth-place finish, the program's best finish at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational in the meet's 10-year history.

"I think we are making some leeway and this race can be seen as a stepping stone towards the end of the season," Monson said. "We can definitely take what we learned and continue improving."

The Badgers had two other runners finish in the top 30 in race. Amy Davis, a Madison native, took 25th place with a time of 20:16.9. Following shortly behind Davis was senior Shaelyn Sorensen, who took 27th with a time of 20:20.7.

Two other Badgers finished in the top 75 of the meet. Sophomore, Alissa Niggemann finished in 69th place with a time of 20:56.9.

Lucinda Crouch, a freshman for the Badgers, was impressive again in her second race with the team. She placed directly behind Niggemann in 70th place with a time of 20:57.7.

Rachel Werking and Emma Langer also competed for the Badgers and had times of 21:49.0 and 22:45.4, respectively.

Colorado won the team title with 80 points as they had four runners in the top-20. Boise State took second with 91 points while New Mexico, last year's Nuttycombe and NCAA champion, was third with 130 points.

Up Next:
The Badgers will host the Wisconsin Pre-Nationals on Saturday, Oct. 13 at the Zimmer Championship Course. The first race gets underway at 10 a.m. and the meet will feature more than 80 teams from across the country.

2018 Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational Presented by Under Armour Results:
Team Scores: