MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin cross country team begins its 2025 campaign by heading south to the Mizzou Opener on Friday, Aug. 29, at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course. The women's 5-kilometer race is set to start at 8 a.m. and with the men's 6K race to follow at 8:30 a.m.

Live results will be available through PTTiming. Fans can follow the action @BadgerTrackXC on X and Instagram.

1. BACK IN ACTION: The Badgers begin their season at the Mizzou Opener and will face the Tigers at the season-opening meet. Friday's race is the first of four regular season meets for the Badgers this season, including the highly regarded Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational, the Badger Classic and the Sean Earle Lakefront Invitational. 

2. IN THE RANKS: The Wisconsin men's cross country team opens up their campaign ranked No. 1 in the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Great Lakes Regional rankings while the women's cross country team ranks No. 2. Wisconsin men also comes in at No. 5  in the nation and are the top-ranked Big Ten Conference team in the USTFCCCA National Coaches Poll while the Badger women are ranked No. 19. 

3. LOOKING BACK: In the 2024 season, the men's cross country team collected its seventh-straight Big Ten Championship. Wisconsin standout Bob Liking became the third man ever to win four consecutive individual Big Ten Championship titles and capped off his dominant season with a top-20 finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships to notch his fourth All-American honor. The team finished fourth overall and marked Wisconsin's 62nd appearance at the NCAA Championships, the most of any program all-time.

4. 'TIS THE SEASON: The Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational presented by Under Armour returns for its 16th season on Friday, Oct. 17. Last year, redshirt freshman Nick Gilles earned a top-15 finish in the "B" race, leading the men's cross country team with a time of 24:55.7. On the women's side, the Badgers tallied 182 points as a unit while No. 5 Washington, a new member of the Big Ten, won the team title with 110 points. 

5. LOOKING AHEAD: The Badgers return home to host the first of two home meets, the Badger Classic, at the Zimmer Championship Course on Friday, Sept. 19.