UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Only six points came between the 22nd-ranked Wisconsin women's cross country team and the Big Ten Conference Championship. The Badgers finished second at the championship on Friday morning on the Penn State Golf Course. No. 6 Minnesota won the championship with 72 points while Wisconsin scored 78 points. No. 20 Michigan State finished third with 82 points while No. 9 Michigan took finished with 85 points.

Just over 14 seconds separated the Badgers top-five finishers as fifth-year senior Alissa Niggemann led UW with her 10th-place finish in 21 minutes, 1.3 seconds. Junior Samantha Stieve had her best Big Ten race, placing 11th in 21:01.9. Graduate transfer Stella Gillman finished 16th in 21:08.5 while junior Victoria Heiligenthal took 18th in 21:11.4. Senior Lucinda Crouch rounded out the Wisconsin scorers in 23rd place in 21:15.5

Other finishers were Alexa Westley, 24th in 21:16.8; Danielle Orie, 25th in 21:18.1; Shea Ruhly, 29th in 21:24.6; and Scarlet Dale, 49th in 21:52.0.

The Badgers got out strong with all nine runners among the top 32 runners, including five scorers in the top 18, at the one mile mark. Wisconsin led the team race with 49 points 1.6 miles into the race with all five scorers ranked in the top 14.

At the 2.5-mile mark, UW had dropped to third in the team race behind Michigan and Minnesota but over the last 1,000 meters, the Badgers made some big moves. Niggemann moved up two places while Stieve jumped up three spots. Gillman and Heiligenthal traded places in the standings while Crouch moved up three places for her crucial fifth-place team finish.

Notes to Know

• Wisconsin records its best team finish since taking second in 2019.
• The Badgers move up four places from their 2020 championship finish.
• Fifth-year senior Alissa Niggemann and junior Samantha Stieve earned second-team All-Big Ten honors.

Straight from the Course

Head coach Mackenzie Wartenberger

"We really wanted to fun a run that was focused on us, focused on our pack and what has been working for us all year long, which is running together. They executed on that perfectly.

"There are 21 women at home that are a huge part of this whole thing. Badger pack isn't just the women who are here and I'm incredibly proud of this group."   

On Alissa Niggemann
"Today for both the men's and women's squad was about being Badger tough and I don't think anyone embodies that better than Alissa Niggemann. For this to be her final Big Ten championship, leading the tone for all of these women with that incredible performance is such a credit to her. I couldn't be more proud of how she's evolved and what she's done for us as a leader.

On Samantha Stieve
"Samantha Stieve walked on to this team and is she is the ultimate Cinderella story of this meet. She wasn't afraid to put her nose in it early and was so tough over some muddy, wet hills at the ends. I'm beyond excited for her.

"Today we saw just how strong the Big Ten Conference is for women's cross country. The separation between (team places) one and four was just a frog's hair across. I couldn't be more thrilled with this group of women. It is kind of a Cinderella story. We've put running as a Badger pack and I couldn't have been more proud how they brought that into reality today.

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 women's 6K race starts at 10 a.m. CT at Angel Mounds State Park in Evansville, Indiana.
 

Team scores
1.	Minnesota	72
2.	Wisconsin	78
3.	Michigan State	82
4.	Michigan	85
5.	Indiana	152
6.	Illinois	172
7.	Northwestern	180
8.	Ohio State	187
9.	Purdue	235
10.	Penn State	269
11.	Nebraska	289
12.	Iowa	300
13.	Rutgers	357
14.	Maryland	421

 

Top 10 Finishers
1.	Megan Hasz	MINN	20:34.5
2.	Ericka VanderLende	MICH	20:35.3
3.	Jenna Magness	MSU	20:40.0
4.	Addie Engel	OSU	20:44.8
5.	Rachel McCardell	NU	20:45.1
6.	Kayla Windemuller	Mich	20:45.5
7.	Abby Kohut-Jackson	Minn	20:48.3
8.	Lynsie Gram	MSU	20:49.1
9.	Bethany Hasz	Minn	20:54.4
10.	Alissa Niggemann	Wis	21:01.3

 

Other Wisconsin Finishers
11.	Samantha Stieve	21:01.9
16.	Stella Gillman	21:08.5
18.	Victoria Heiligenthal	21:11.4
23.	Lucinda Crouch	21:15.5
24.	Alexa Westley	21:16.8
25.	Danielle Orie	21:18.1
29.	Shea Ruhly	21:24.6
49.	Scarlet Dale	21:52.0