MEN'S SOCCER
At first glance, the odds appear to be stacked against the 2005 Wisconsin men's soccer team. Gone are top scorers Jed Hohlbein and Nick Van Sicklen. So too are seasoned goalkeeper Eric Hanson and midfield lynchpin Noah Goerlitz. While last year's roster was senior heavy, the 2005 version is completely devoid of them.
But with all four starting defenders from last season - including team captain Aaron Hohlbein ??- returning this fall, chances are the afore-mentioned departures won't be nearly as critical. With a unproven midfield and forward group, it will be up to Hohlbein and the defense to keep games close, at least until the team's attacking-minded players get used to their more prominent roles.
Among the players competing for playing time up-front is redshirt freshman Victor Diaz. The former Real Madrid youth player torched opposing defenses during Wisconsin's spring season and could be just the right man to replace the departed All-Big Ten first teamer Van Sicklen.
WOMEN'S SOCCER
The Big Ten coaches recently picked No. 25 Wisconsin to finish fifth in the conference, but an experienced Badger squad could challenge front runners Penn State and Ohio State for the Big Ten title.
UW returns 18 letter winners and 10 starters from a year ago, when they finished with a 16-6-1 overall record and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament. Wisconsin's 10 returning starters comprise the most in the Big Ten. Perhaps most importantly, all of Wisconsin's top 5 scorers return including fifth-year senior Amy Vermeulen (35 points) and fellow senior Katy Lindenmuth, who tallied 22 points a season ago.
Wisconsin opened the season with road victories over Creighton and No. 23 Kansas. The home opener is set for 2:00 pm Friday afternoon at McClimon Soccer Complex, when the Badgers host Oklahoma.
MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
The 2005 season for the UW men's cross country squad will be one of new beginnings. Head coach Jerry Schumacher, five-time Big Ten Coach of the Year winner, has some holes to fill in his roster. Former Badger stand-out Matt Tegenkamp graduated, as did four other members of last year's squad.
The most notable returner is senior Simon Bairu. Bairu was the NCAA Men's Cross Country Champion last year and has seemed to improve each and every season. While Bairu may be the top dog on this year's team, the Badgers will also benefit greatly from the return of senior Bobby Lockhart and junior Teddy O'Reilly. Both are in their fourth year in the program and will provide valuable experience as the younger runners adjust to collegiate competition.
WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
The team returns only one senior on the roster in Linsey Blaisdell who redshirted during the 2004 campaign. Youth is a familiar theme with this squad as head coach Jim Stinzi is entering his sophomore year at the helm of the program. The women finished last season with an eighth place finish at the NCAA regional but did not earn a bid to the NCAA championship race as a team. Stinzi did have one runner however, Katrina Rundhuag, who earned an at large bid to the race. The Badgers will look to add more runners to the NCAA Championships this season and if all goes well, hopefully compete as a team.
MEN'S GOLF
The UW men's golf team will look to improve this season on their seventh-place finish in the Big Ten from last year. Largely in the middle of the Big Ten pack for most of the year, the Badgers may climb into the upper echelon as they return some of their better golfers.
The team's best scores last season were largely shot by a freshman (Jeff Kaiser) and a sophomore (Garrett Jones). Jones has had a busy offseason, making it to the semifinals of the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship and also finished second in the Wisconsin State Open with a score of three under par.
WOMEN'S GOLF
With an eighth-place finish in the snow-shortened Big Ten championship last spring, the Badger women's golf team has hopes for a better ending to this season. Returning all the players they brought to the Big Ten championship, they should be able to contend in more tournaments this year. Led by seniors Jackie Obermueller and Lindsay McMillan and sophomore Katie Elliott, UW will be a more experienced team. The Badgers will begin their season home at University Ridge for the Badger Invitational.
MEN'S SWIM
Last year, the Wisconsin Men's Swim Team finished the 2004-2005 season with a 5-6 record and 1-4 in the Big Ten. They scored 259 points at the Big Ten Championships, all of which were needed in order to earn the team a seventh-place finish. At the NCAA championship last year, they finished in 19th place with 45 points.
Head coach Eric Hansen will return this year after some talk about coaching at Stanford. He has had a lot of success as the coach at Wisconsin, producing a top 20 finish for the men's swim team at the NCAA championship for the fifth season in a row. What also may lead the Badgers to have a more successful season is the commitment of Michael Desautels, a 2003-04 NISCA All-American and Michigan state champion in both the 50 and 100 yard freestyle events.
WOMEN'S SWIM
The Wisconsin women's swim team enjoyed a very successful season last year. This included an undefeated Big Ten season and various upsets among last years top 20 ranked teams, including Hawaii, Texas A&M and Purdue. At last year's NCAA Championships, the team finished 11th overall by scoring 111 points. This score gave the team a tie with their fourth best score in terms of points and their finish gave them a tie for the second best finish in school history.
They are looking to finish this year with the same amount of success and even improve on their 10-1 season. One of the factors that adds to this possibility is the return of coach Eric Hansen, as with the men's team. There is going to be a lot of excitement around the pool as they push to the NCAA Championships in Athens, Georgia.
MEN'S TENNIS
The UW men's tennis team heads into the 2005-2006 season with a new man at the helm. Just over a month after the resignation of head coach Pat Klingelhoets, the UW athletic department announced the hiring of Greg Van Emburgh, previously an associate head coach at the University of Kentucky. In his four-year stint as associate head coach, the Wildcats never finished below 15th in the national rankings. Van Emburgh also tasted success as a player, as a four-time All-American in both singles and doubles at UK.
UW retains all but two of its players this season, including sophomore Jeremy Sonkin, who lead the Badgers in singles victories last season with 16. This year's team boasts much more experience than last year's, which included four freshmen in the regular lineup. The Badgers have added sophomore Nolan Polley, a transfer from the University of Kentucky, and freshman recruit Gian Hodgson. With the success of Van Emburgh, and the talent and experience of this team, look for the Badgers to improve on last season's 8-14 overall mark.
WOMEN'S TENNIS
The UW women's tennis team enters the 2005-2006 season coming off of an excellent 2004-2005 campaign. Last year's team recorded a 15-9 overall mark and captured an NCAA championship bid. They were defeated, however, in the first round by William & Mary. They ended the season ranked No. 34 in.
Head coach Patti Henderson returns for her 12th season with the Badgers. A two-time Big Ten coach of the year, Henderson's teams have always been very competitive. With seven NCAA championship tournament bids and the school's lone Big Ten Conference championship in 1996, Henderson's tutelage has always brought out the best in her players.
The Badgers will return four of their six regulars from last season, losing No. 1 singles player Katie McGaffigan and No. 3 singles player Lindsay Martin to graduation. This year's team will be guided by last season's No. 2 singles player, junior Caitlin Burke. She led last year's team with 23 singles victories, and is fresh off a singles title at the International Tennis Association national summer championships in Indiana.
MEN'S CREW
Returning for the Badgers, which finished 10th in last years IRA National Championships in Camden, N.J., is a bronze medal boat which will contribute four juniors and three seniors to next year's team. Also, the men's varsity eight is returning six seniors from a group that finished 16th in Camden.
Success this year will rely heavily on the highly touted senior class led by Lawrence Stuart and Ryan Larson who were paired together on last years second varsity eight. Current junior coxswain Chase Phillips recently qualified for the 2005 International Rowing Federation (FISA) World Championships. He spearheads a strong junior class that should help the Badgers regain their dominance in the water.
WOMEN'S CREW
The Wisconsin women set a program best with a fifth-place finish in the varsity four at the 2005 NCAA Division I Rowing Championships, while the team placed 12th overall. Seniors Katie Lawson and Kari Harmon should lead a young group that must replace 10 seniors from a year ago.
