Wisconsin Badgers
NCAA Great Lakes Regional
Five Things to Know: Badgers host NCAA Great Lakes Regional
November 07, 2023 | Women's Cross Country
Wisconsin looks to qualify for the NCAA Championships Friday morning in Madison
MADISON, Wis. – The No. 23 Wisconsin women's cross country team continues post-season racing as they are set to host the 2023 NCAA Great Lakes Regional. They will race against 29 teams on Friday, November 10, at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course. The Badgers, ranked third in the region, are looking to qualify for the NCAA championships on Nov. 18 in Charlottesville, Virginia.
The women's 6K race takes off at 11:30 a.m. CT, with the men's 10K to follow at 12:30 p.m. CT.
Admission is free for the meet, but there will be no fan parking on site. Parking is prohibited on County Highway PD or County Highway M near the course. Any vehicles violating this will be subject to ticket and tow at the owner's expense.
Specator parking for the NCAA Great Lakes Regional will be located at Blackhawk Church in Middleton, Wisconsin. Specator shuttles, which are free this year, are available to transport fans to the course. One accessible shuttle will be available. The shuttle service will start at 9:30 a.m. and will wrap up after the award ceremony.
Here are five things to know before Friday's race:
1. RACING TO QUALIFY: The top-two teams in each of the nine regionals receive an automatic bid to the NCAA championship. Regular-season performance and how teams perform within their regional will be the main factors of consideration for the remaining 13 teams to participate in the competition. Wisconsin ranks third in the region behind Notre Dame and Michigan State.
2. LAST TIME OUT: The UW women are coming off of a second-place finish at the Big Ten Championships, led by two Badgers capturing top-10 finishes. Junior Leane Willemse has shown dominance this season as she has led the Badgers through three races and is coming off a second-place finish at the Big Ten Championships. Graduate student Alexa Westly continues being a strong competitor for the Badgers as she finished ninth at Big Tens.
Last season, the women finished fifth at the Great Lakes Regional, scoring 129 points. Returning for the Badgers in this race is senior Samantha Stieve, who crossed in 20:15.1 for eighth place and Westley coming in 46th in 21:08.7.
3. SCOUTING THE COMPETITION: Wisconsin comes into this weekend ranked third in the region, behind Notre Dame and Michigan State. The Badgers last competed against the Spartans at the Big Ten Championships, as the two programs were the top two finishers at the conference championship. Michigan State scored 46 points, while UW finished with 81 points. At the top of the rankings is Notre Dame, who is ranked first in the region and took home second at the ACC Championships, coming in 43 points behind No. 1 NC State. Michigan and Ohio State round out the top five in the region, finishing third and fifth at the Big Ten Championships, respectively.
4. BIG HONOREES: Willemse earned first-team All-Big Ten, while Westley earned second-team honors at the Big Ten Championships. Graduate student Vivian Hacker also received the Big Ten Sportsmanship award for her contributions on and off the course.
5. FOLLOW ALONG: For fans unable to make it to Madison, the 2023 Great Lakes Regional live results will be available on pttiming.com. Fans can also follow the action on Instagram and Twitter @BadgerTrackXC.
Players Mentioned
