The UW men's cross country team heads to Bloomington, Ind. Saturday attempting to defend last year's Great Lakes Regional competition. The Badger runners are clearly the favorites, regaining the No. 1 ranking in the country as of Tuesday.
UW is coming off its seventh consecutive Big Ten Championship, setting records in number of points scored (16) and margin of victory (85). The team placed eight runners in the top 10, including sweeping the top four spots. Senior runner Simon Bairu won his third straight individual title with a time of 23:31.73, and junior Chris Solinsky registered a time of 23:56.38, good for his second consecutive runner-up finish.
UW will have to fight off several legitimate challengers, including four opponents ranked in the top 25, to earn its 34th straight berth in the NCAA Tournament.
The UW women's cross country team joins the men's squad this weekend in Bloomington, Ind., for their Great Lakes Regional. The lady Badgers are coming off of a sixth-place finish at the Big Ten Championships, an improvement from last season's eighth-place showing, finishing 104 points behind No. 3 Michigan, and only one point behind fifth-place Michigan State. The top finisher for the Badgers came in the form of junior Katrina Rundhaug, a Dodgeville native who recorded a time of 21:39.74.
The Badgers, at one point in early October ranked No. 27 in the country, look to revive this season's small downslide and score well at the regional. They will face difficult competition, however, as they take on several ranked teams, including Big Ten foes No. 3 Michigan, No. 29 Indiana and No. 30 Michigan State, as well as No. 4 Notre Dame.
