Wisconsin Badgers
NCAA Championships
Five things to know: Wisconsin sets sight on Nationals
November 19, 2025 | Women's Cross Country
Badgers head to National Championships for 35th year
MADISON, Wis. – The No. 24 Wisconsin women's cross county team will travel to Colombia, Missouri for the National Championship race on Nov. 22 at Gans Creek Cross Country Course. The race is set to start at 9:20 a.m. CT, followed by the men's race at 10:10 a.m. CT.
Fans attending the NCAA Championships are encouraged to purchase spectator parking and tickets ahead of time. Admission to the event will be $20 per person (plus possible fees), and parking ranges from $6 to $18 per vehicle varying on the parking lot. Tickets include entry into the event and round-trip shuttle service. The shuttle services to the course will start at 6:30 a.m. CT. There will be no on site parking available. It is suggested that spectators arrive early, no later than 8:15 a.m. CT to ensure arrival to the course prior to the start of the race. Tickets and parking can be purchased HERE.
For fans watching at home, the meet will air live on ESPNU.
1. TRACKING THE PACK: The Wisconsin women currently are ranked No. 24 in the country. Wisconsin has faced several of the teams competing at the meet, including No. 1 NC State, who won the Nuttycombe Invite last month. Big Ten competition will be aggressive as well, as there are three teams ahead of the Badgers in the national polls that will be in attendance. Oregon is No. 6 nationally and first in the Big Ten, followed by No.11 Northwestern and No.13 Penn State. Wisconsin, Oregon and Northwestern were automatic qualifiers due to their performance at regionals, Penn State and Washington were at-large qualifiers.
2. FAMILIAR GROUND: The Badgers had home course advantage last year at nationals, but have seen the Missouri Gans Creek Course previously this year. The Mizzou Opener was hosted at the end of August with three teams competing aside from UW, Missouri, Arkansas and Saint Louis. This race was a 5K and all nine Badgers competing ran as a pack, finishing within 1.1 seconds of one another.
3. BADGERS AT FULL SPEED: Wisconsin is hitting its stride, as they had two Badgers put up their personal bests at the Great Lakes Regional race. Kylie Finger finished in second for the Badgers putting up a time of 20:29.23. Sara Mlodik bested her previous PR, shaving off over 25 seconds, covering the 6K in 20:31.20. Other Badgers are reaching their peak season performance as well, sophomore Nora Gremban and graduate student Mya Bunke achieved their fastest times of the season. Gremban finished in third for the Badgers, running the 6K course in 20:29.62. Bunke finished in sixth for Wisconsin, with a time of 20:41.83
4. FRESH OFF THE COURSE: The Badgers placed second at Great Lakes Regionals, earning them an automatic ticket to the National Championship. They finished with 95 points, trailing Notre Dame who finished with 22 points. Four Badgers earned all-region honors after finishing in the top-25. Leané Willemse finished first for Wisconsin and 11th overall, helping the Badgers secure the second-place finish.
5. LEGACY IN MOTION: This National Championship will mark the Badgers 35th NCAA appearance. Wisconsin has been to the last four national championship races, with four top-25 finishes. The Badgers finished in 22nd place last year when they hosted nationals, as two current runners for Wisconsin were in the top five finishers for the Badgers in Annika Cutforth and Bella Jacobsen. Cutforth finished second for UW, finishing in 142nd, putting up a time of 20:46.4. Jacobsen crossed the line fourth for Wisconsin and 146th overall, with a time of 20:48.0. Nora Gremban and Leane Willemse also ran at last year's nationals, finishing in 163rd and 188th.
Players Mentioned
