MADISON, Wis. - The No. 14 Wisconsin women's cross country program is set to compete and host the NCAA Championships at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course on Saturday, Nov. 23. The biggest event of the year marks the end of the 2024 cross country season, as the Badgers look to fight for a national championship on their home course.
The women's championship race is set to start at 9:20 a.m. CT, with the men's competition following at 10:10 a.m. CT. The event will be televised on ESPNU with coverage starting at 8:30 a.m. CT.
Fans attending the NCAA Championships are encouraged to purchase parking and their admission tickets ahead of time. An admission ticket is required for all spectators. An admission ticket is $20 and a parking permit is $5. One parking permit is required per vehicle and an admission ticket, which includes a shuttle ride, is $20. All transactions, including on-site sales, will be cashless. To purchase admission tickets and parking, click HERE. Parking lots open at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday morning. Spectators can also check out more of the meet info, HERE.
1. SCOUTING THE PACK: The women's field is loaded for the upcoming NCAA Championships, as Wisconsin ranks at No. 14. They will be prepared to battle some quality opponents, including the No. 1 ranked team in the nation: BYU. Oregon, NAU, West Virginia and Notre Dame round out the top-5 in that order—entering as the favorites to compete for the team championship this weekend. As for the Big Ten competitors, the women's field is highlighted by the Ducks, who recently won the Big Ten Championships and NCAA West Regional. No. 6 Washington is the final team in the conference who is ranked ahead of Wisconsin, placing second behind Oregon in both of those prior events. No. 19 Penn State, No. 23 Minnesota and No. 29 Michigan State round out the rest of the programs from the Big Ten who will make their way to Madison on Saturday.
2. HITTING OUR POSTSEASON STRIDE: Wisconsin snagged second place at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional this past week to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships, fresh off of placing third at a competitive Big Ten Championship two weeks prior. It was a team effort for the Badgers on Friday, as four runners went on to be All-Region honorees. Shea Ruhly led the pack for UW for the third time this season, completing her 6K in 19 minutes, 55.1 seconds, good for 12th place. Nora Gremban and Bella Jacobsen went back-to-back with sub-20 minute 6Ks to place 16th and 17th, respectively. Carolyn Shult wrapped up the final all-region award with a 22nd-place finish to allow the Badgers to finish as runner-ups. Leane Willemse and Lindsay Cunningham, who each didn't compete at the Great Lakes Regional, put together quality performances at the Big Ten Championships after standout regular seasons.
3. NCAA HISTORY: This Saturday will mark the fourth consecutive appearance for the Badgers' women's team in the NCAA Championships, as they're coming off of a 22nd-place finish at last year's NCAAs that were hosted in Charlottesville, Virginia. Last year, Leane Willemse paced the pack by placing 41st amongst the top competition in the nation. Kylie Finger and Jacobsen were the other two returners who earned the opportunity to compete on the big stage. The last time Wisconsin hosted the NCAAs was in 2018, as it was Alicia Monson who finished in the top-5 with a 6K time of 19:55.2.
4. IN OUR ELEMENT: The NCAA Championships will mark the fourth time that the Badgers will be running on the Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course this season, as they have found success on their home turf throughout the regular season. The women's team was led by Ruhly in both the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational and the Wisconsin Pre-Nationals this season, as she will look to maintain that momentum on Saturday. In the aforementioned meets, the women's program has placed in the top-10 in each of them against some of the best competition in the nation—fitting well for this upcoming weekend.
5. TWICE AS NICE: After the completion of Friday's meet, Wisconsin was one of 10 programs in the entire nation to earn automatic bids to the NCAA Championships for both their women's and men's teams. It is the fourth straight season that both programs have made it to the Big Dance. Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Mick Byrne has earned 14 Big Ten Coach of the Year awards in his 17 seasons at the helm—speaking to the consistent success of both of these programs in the 21st century.
