Five things to know: Badgers ready to dance

Saturday, November 20

Tallahassee, Fla.

10:10 a.m.

Wisconsin Badgers

NCAA Championships

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The Badgers compete at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional

Photo by: Carol Chen

Five things to know: Badgers ready to dance

November 18, 2021 | Men's Cross Country

Wisconsin competes at NCAA Championships

By: Miriam Jaber

Watch | Live Results | Championship Information

MADISON – The eighth-ranked Wisconsin men's cross country heads to Tallahassee, Florida to compete in the 2021 NCAA Championships on Saturday. The men's 10,000 meter race begins at 10:20 a.m. CT on the Florida State Cross Country Course at Apalachee Regional Park.

1. THE ROAD TO NCAAS: From Big Ten Championship No. 52 to a fourth-place finish at the Nuttycombe Invitational, the Badgers have had an incredible season to prepare them for the Big Dance. Last week, the Badgers locked in their fourth consecutive bid to the NCAA Championships by finishing second at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional in Evansville, Indiana. Wisconsin scored 87 points to finish behind Notre Dame, who won the race with 37 points, and ahead of Michigan, who finished third with 106 points.The top-ffive teams from the region earned berths at the national meet as Michigan State and Butler will also be representing the Great Lakes.

2. OLIN AND BOB AT THE HELM: Graduate student Olin Hacker and sophomore Bob Liking have led the Badgers through most of the season. Last Friday, Hacker led Wisconsin to silver at the Great Lakes Regional with his eighth-place finish in a personal best time of 30 minutes, 2.1 seconds. Big Ten champion Bob Liking raced his first 10k and crossed the line 15 seconds behind Hacker locking in 15th place in 30:08.2. Five Badgers earned all-region honors as Jackson Sharp, Evan Bishop, and Seth Hirsch finished among the top-25 individuals, aiding Wisconsin to its automatic bid to NCAAs.

3. WISCONSIN NCAA HISTORY: The Badgers have made an NCAA-best 58 appearances at the national championships, won five team titles, and crowned four individual champions.

4. MICK LEADS THE WAY: In his 33rd season as a head coach, Director of Cross Country and Track Field Mick Byrne has coached his teams to 22 NCAA appearances, 11 of which are during his time as a Badger. Byrne led Wisconsin to a national title in 2011 and coached Morgan McDonald to his NCAA individual title in 2018.

5. FOLLOW ALONG: The championship race will be streamed live on ESPNU and live results will be accessible through PTTiming. Fans can also follow @BadgertrackXC across all platforms in addition to reading recaps that will be posted on UWBadgers.com.