MADISON, Wis. – The No. 17 Wisconsin women's cross country team travels to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to compete in the Big Ten Championships. The Badgers are looking to bring back their 14th Big Ten Championship title in the women's 6,000-meter race. The women's race is set to take off at 9:45 a.m. on the U-M Golf Course.
1. LAST TIME AT BIG TENS: Last year, Wisconsin placed second at the Big Ten Championships scoring 78 points and only six points behind Minnesota.
Alissa Niggemann led the Badgers with her 10th-place finish in 21 minutes, 01.3 seconds. Also helping the Badgers to a top finish last season was
Samantha Stieve, who placed 11th in 21:01.9, and
Stella Gillman, finishing 16th in 21:08.5.
2. BADGERS TO WATCH: Junior Shea Rhuly will return this Friday alongside other 2021 Big Ten returners
Samantha Stieve, Victoria Heilgenthal, and
Lucinda Crouch This season, Ruhly led the Badgers to a sixth-place finish at the Roy Griak Invitational with her fifth-place showing in 20:59.1, she also helped the Badgers to a 14th-place team finish at the Nuttycombe Invitational covering the 6K course in 20:33.2. Senior Lexi Westly is also looking to make an impact this Friday, as the upcoming race will mark Westly's first competition of the 2022 season.
3. SCOUTING THE COMPETITION: Wisconsin is the highest ranked Big Ten school in the latest U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association National Coaches Poll, ahead of No. 22 Ohio State and No. 23 Michigan State. Ohio State has proven to be tough competition for the Badgers as they finished one point ahead of UW at the Roy Griak Invitational (Sept. 23). The following weekend, Wisconsin bested Ohio State winning the Loyola Lakefront Invitational (Sept 30).
4. FOLLOW ALONG: The 2022 Big Ten Cross Country Championships will be streamed live on B1G+, with live results available on PTTiming. Fans can also follow the action on Instagram and Twitter @BadgerTrackXC.
5. UP NEXT: Following the Big Ten Championships, the Badgers will continue postseason racing by traveling to Terre Haute, Indiana, for the NCAA Great Lakes Regional on Friday, Nov. 11 the women's race with begin at 11:00 a.m.
