UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Just two weeks ago, sophomore Bob Liking came out of nowhere to lead the Wisconsin men's cross country team to a fourth-place finish at the prestigious Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational.

On Friday morning, Liking continued his impressive second season, winning the 2021 Big Ten Conference individual title and leading the Badgers to the team championship on the Penn State Golf Course. Wisconsin scored 27 points, winning its fourth-straight and 52nd overall Big Ten title, more than 50 points ahead of second-place Michigan, which scored 79 points.

Liking covered the 5.2-mile course in a course record of 24 minutes, 38.7 seconds while redshirt senior Olin Hacker had an impressive finishing kick to take second in 24:42.3.

Only eight seconds separated the next four UW finishers as sophomore Evan Bishop placed seventh in 25:06.3, senior Shuaib Aljabaly finished eighth in 25:07.0, junior Jackson Sharp crossed in 25:08.8 for ninth place while sophomore Rowen Ellenberg finished 10th in 25:12.2. Senior Seth Hirsch took 13th in 25:14.3. Other finishers were sophomore David Vannucchi, 36th in 25:49.9, and senior Charlie Wheeler, 38th in 25:52.3.

At the one-mile mark, the Badgers had eight runners among the top-16 athletes, leading the team race with 32 points. Hirsch led at the two-mile mark while by the three-mile mark, Liking moved up into the team lead, jumping up 10 spots from his one-mile place. Hacker was also moving up, sitting in fifth place more than halfway through the race.

At approximately the 6K mark, Liking took on the toughest part of the course, leading a breakaway of five runners that also included Hacker. Liking continued his outstanding racing, taking a 30-meter lead over the breakaway. Hacker used a strong closing kick to finish second to his teammate.

Straight from the Course
Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Mick Byrne
"Our plan was to go out hard and take the race to the other teams. We did a good job with that. It was a pretty fast first mile (and) it was nice to see the guys settle in after that. We knew with the rain over the last couple of days that the course was pretty soggy and that is was going to be very soft and demanding. It was going to test everybody over the last kilometers, especially with those nasty hills thrown in there. It was just about being patient and not getting too excited. The guys did an incredible job with that once the race settled down after that first mile. For us, it was getting out there, trying to take command of the race early and bring it to everybody else and they did a good job of that."

On Bob Liking
"Last night we went through some of our past wins at this meet. One of the things we've talked about is that whenever we've one one of these, there has always been a hero or two. We're a bit banged up - it didn't look like it today. Olin Hacker and Bob Liking were both sick earlier this week. We talked about a couple other guys stepping up but at the end of the day, when we needed heroes, Bob was there, he took that to heart."

Notes to Know

• Wisconsin won its 52nd Big Ten championship - more than all other schools combined (39)
• The Badgers also claimed their fourth-straight conference title.
• Wisconsin picked up three first-team All-Big Ten honorees and four second-team All-Big Ten award winners, the second most in program history
• UW's winning score of 27 points is the lowest winning point total since 2011
• Mick Byrne wins his 11th Big Ten cross country championship, ranking second on the Big Ten and UW all-time list.

Up Next

The Badgers look to qualify for the 2021 NCAA Championships when they compete at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional on Nov. 12. The men's 10K race starts at 11 a.m. CT at Angel Mounds State Park in Evansville, Indiana.
 

Team Scores
1. Wisconsin	27
2. Michigan	79
3. Minnesota	83
4. Indiana	119
5. Michigan State	134
6. Illinois	170
7. Purdue	173
8. Penn State	191
9. Nebraska	274
10. Ohio State	275
11. Iowa	295
12. Rutgers	383
Top 10 Individuals
1. Bob Liking	WIS	24:38.7
2. Olin Hacker	WIS	24:42.3
3. Jonathan Davis	ILL	24:44.0
4. Morgan Beadlescomb	MSU	24:46.3
5. Alec Basten	MINN	24:49.2
6. Arjun Jha	IND	25:03.7
7. Evan Bishop	WIS	25:06.3
8. Shuaib Aljabaly	WIS	25:07.0
9. Jackson Sharp	WIS	25:08.8
10. Rowen Ellenberg	WIS	25:12.2
Other Wisconsin Finishers
13. Seth Hirsch	25:14.3
36. David Vannucchi	25:49.9
38. Charlie Wheeler	25:52.3