EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- Hoping to automatically qualify for the 2021 NCAA hampionships, the Wisconsin women's cross country team did just that on Friday morning. The Badgers earned an automatic qualifying spot by finishing second in the NCAA Great Lakes Regional.

No. 25 Notre Dame was the surprise team champion, scoring 56 points for the win. No. 13 Wisconsin finished second with 69 points while No. 12 Michigan took third with 81 points and No. 16 Michigan State was fourth with 87 points.

Fifth-year senior Alissa Niggemann continues her outstanding season, leading the Badgers with her seventh-place finish. The Amery, Wisconsin, native covered the 6,000-meter course in 20 minutes, 10.2 seconds.

All seven Badgers ran personal best times as just 10 seconds separated Wisconsin's scorers as junior Samantha Stieve crossed in 20:13.9 for 12th place. Graduate student Stella Gillman placed 15th in 20:16.3 while senior Lucinda Crouch took 17th in 20:19.6. Junior Victoria Heiligenthal was just a second behind Crouch, placing 18th in 20:20.9. Graduate student Danielle Orie crossed in 20:25.9 to place 22nd while redshirt sophomore Shea Ruhly took 32nd in 20:38.9.

Niggeman ran among the top 15 runners all race, moving up nine spots over the last 2,000 meters for her top-10 finish. Stieve also moved up over the last 2K, jumping up 11 places. Crouch and Heiligenthal surged over the last 1,000 meters, moving up six and three spots, respectively. Orie made her move in the middle of the race, climbing eight places between the 3K and 5K marks.

Straight from the course

Head cross country coach Mackenzie Wartenberger
"We have been talking about the 'Power of the Pack' all season, and that could not have been more true for our women today. We had a 10-second spread from runners one through five, and six women received all-region honors.

"These women felt they had something to prove today, and they did that by focusing on each other, and putting our team goals ahead of anything else. I could not be more proud of this group, and our entire men's and women's program. It's a great day to be Badger tough."

Notables

• Six Badgers earned all-region honors for their top-25 finishes.
• Wisconsin qualifies for its 31st NCAA championship and first since 2019
• All seven Badger finishers ran personal best times.

Up Next

Wisconsin competes in the NCAA Championships on Nov. 20 on the Florida State Cross Country Course in Tallahassee, Florida. The women's 6,000-meter race begins at 9:20 a.m. CT. The race will be streamed live on ESPNU.
 

Top 10 Teams
1. Notre Dame	56
2. Wisconsin	69
3. Michigan	81
4. Michigan State	87
5. Butler	119
6. Ohio State	181
7. Toledo	190
8. Indiana	222
9. Purdue	226
10. Miami (OH)	349

 

Top 10 Individuals
1. Maddy Denner	ND	19;55.8
2. Olivia Markezich	ND	19:57.7
3. Addie Engel	OSU	19:59.6
4. Jenna Magness	MSU	19:59.7
5. Lynsie Gram	MSU	20:07.4
6. Katelynne Hart	MICH	20:09.2
7. Alissa Niggemann	WIS	20:10.2
8. Ericka Vanderlende	MICH	20:10.3
9. Angelina Ellis	BUT	20:11.8
10. Erin Strzelecki	ND	20:12.1

 

Other Wisconsin Finishers
12. Samantha Stieve	20:13.9
15. Stella Gillman	20:16.3
17. Lucinda Crouch	20:19.6
18. Victoria Heiligenthal	20:20.9
22. Danielle Orie	20:25.9
32. Shea Ruhly	20:38.9