Baggot: Big Ten Bob

BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider

There are several compelling trends involving the Wisconsin men’s cross country team as it prepares for another season of grand expectations.

No Big Ten Conference school has won more men’s league championships in a given sport than UW, which own 53.

The Badgers have claimed the last five team titles, the longest run by one program since they rattled off 14 in a row from 1999 to 2012.

UW is hosting the Big Ten meet for the seventh time since 1915 and is seeking its fifth team crown in meets staged in the 608 area code.

Perhaps the most interesting story line for the Badgers relates to a humble, lightly recruited kid whose idea of relaxation is hanging out at the Vilas Zoo.

“It’s free and it’s close to my house,’’ redshirt junior Bob Liking explained. “I like to study and watch the animals.’’

Liking is the reigning two-time Big Ten individual champion. One more will tie him with Tim Hacker (1981, ’84, ’85) and Simon Bairu (2003, ’04, ’05) for the most in program history. A third title would put Liking in position to join Craig Virgin of Illinois (1973, ’74, ’75, ’76), Bob Kennedy of Indiana (1988, ’89, ’90, ’92) and Kevin Sullivan of Michigan (1993, ’94, ’95, ’97) as the only four-time winners in Big Ten history.

Hacker, Kennedy and Bairu went on to win NCAA individual titles; Hacker in 1985, Kennedy in 1988 and ’92 and Bairu in 2004 and ’05.

Liking is the same kid whose marquee moment at East High School in St. Charles, Ill., was a sixth-place finish in the state cross country meet and running 24th showing in the Footlocker National Championships in 2019.

“If you’d have told me in high school that I’d be here,’’ he noted, “I don’t think I would have believed it.’’

Doors began to open for Liking when he spent two summers attending the UW Camp of Champions. Mick Byrne, who oversees the men’s and women’s track and cross country programs at Wisconsin, saw a shy prospect who was under-trained and under-developed – due in part to COVID – whose aerobic capacity was noteworthy.

“He’s got a great engine,’’ Byrne said. “His times coming out of high school were very modest. His progression over the last three years has just been phenomenal.

“He’s a different cat. There’s an innocence about him, a freshness about him that you don’t often see.

“He believes. He believes in himself. He believes in our process and our coaching. He’s just gotten better and better every season.’’

Liking offered a verbal shrug when asked how he wound up running for the Badgers.

“I guess Mick liked me or something,’’ he said. “I definitely went under the radar and I guess Mick just saw something in me.’’

Liking was lured in part by the legendary program Byrne has been a part of since 2008. In 2011, Byrne became one of four coaches to guide Wisconsin to an NCAA title, joining Dan McClimon, Martin Smith and Jerry Schumacher.

“If I wanted to maximize my running, this was the place to be,’’ Liking said. “I like to think I made a pretty good choice.

“The biggest thing I’ve learned thus far is just to trust Mick because he’s really smart. That’s the advantage of coming here is Mick has so much experience. He’s been around the block a few times. If I have a problem, it’s nice knowing he’s dealt with it before and he knows what to do.’’
 

Liking had two distinct experiences en route to his titles. One was in rainy, muddy conditions at Penn State in 2021 where he instinctively made a move three miles into the race and managed to keep his distance from the pack.

“Wow, hope this kid knows what he’s doing,’’ Byrne thought aloud when Liking made his move. “Do we slow him down or let him go?

“I looked in his eyes and he wasn’t hurting; he was in great shape.’’

The other race took place on a sunny autumn day at Michigan, a course known for its hilly, demanding terrain. Liking again made a move three miles into the run and was seemingly in control when he took his foot off the accelerator.

“He pulled the same stunt halfway through the race,’’ Byrne said of the move at the three-mile mark. “I did the opposite.’’

Byrne told Liking that he had a sizeable lead, “so just chill out.’’

With 800 meters left, the whole field was closing in on Liking, including teammate Jackson Sharp.

“Byrne, you idiot,’’ the coach deadpanned. “You almost blew it for the kid.’’

Liking said one lesson stood out from the two outings.

“Just believe in yourself, as cliché as that sounds,’’ he said.

“It all comes with confidence now,’’ Byrne said.

In addition to a three-peat, Liking said his to-do list this season includes producing better results in the NCAA met. He finished 66th in 2021 and 34th in ’22.

The Badgers have four dates circled on their calendar: The prestigious, star-studded Nuttycombe Invitational on Oct. 13, the Big Ten meet on Oct. 27, the NCAA Great Lakes Regional on Nov. 18 and the NCAA meet Nov. 18.

Liking said the Badgers are a tight-knit club with a great culture. They all have their eyes on the same prizes.

“It’s hard not to feel close to everybody,’’ he said. “There isn’t a guy that I wouldn’t go on a one-on-one run with. We run for each other. We have fun together.

“Being a part of this team is so cool. Pretty talented dudes.’’