Two cross country dynasties will be tested Saturday at the Big Ten championships in Columbus, Ohio. The UW men's team will be going for its ninth consecutive title and the Michigan women's team will aim for a sixth straight win.
Last year, the men's team dominated the Big Ten, scoring only 27 points, with Michigan second at 85. Stu Eagon placed second in 2006 and was edged out by Minnesota's Chris Rombough by one second for the individual title.
The No. 6 Badgers will face their toughest challenge in recent years in trying to fend off No. 10 Michigan with only three upperclassmen.
We need some of our young distance runners to run like juniors and seniors,"" head coach Jerry Schumacher said. ""They are a talented group and they're learning a lot as we go, but there's all this expectation.""
Schumacher has not lost a Big Ten championship since his first year coaching in 1998.
Juniors Stu Eagon and Matt Withrow are UW's top two contenders to stop Rombough from repeating his individual championship. Eagon missed early season competition after rolling his ankle in August, but Schumacher expects him to be near top form for his season debut.
""They [Eagon and Withrow] should provide the up-front power that we need on such a young team,"" Schumacher said.
The other upperclassman racing, junior Christian Wagner, was fifth overall last year.
Sophomore Andrew Lacy has been UW's three-man this season and will be looking to improve upon his 17th place finish from 2006.
Brandon Bethke and Craig Miller, who took 11th and 22nd for the Badgers last year as freshmen, have been in UW's top five all season.
Schumacher will run three Badgers in addition to the six returners. The top three non-returners from Pre-Nationals two weeks ago were freshmen Landon Peacock and Jack Bolas and sophomore Ryan Gasper.
""It's an inexperienced team, but we're making progress every week that goes by,"" Schumacher said. ""We really have to be near perfect this year to do the things we want to do.""
Women's Cross Country
The No. 21 women's team will need to be in the top shape to place high against six fellow ranked teams. Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota and Illinois are all ranked in the top- 10 in the NCAA.
Last year, the Badgers were the Big Ten runners-up, edging out Minnesota by one point. Michigan won handily, but the second through sixth place teams were separated by only 21 points.
""It could be a dogfight from one to seven, frankly,"" head coach Jim Stintzi said.
Sophomore Hanna Grinaker took third at the Big Tens last year and will likely be accompanied at the front of the pack by redshirt freshman Cassie Hintz. The two have been within three places of each other all season.
""We have two really solid frontrunners,"" said Stintzi. ""[Runners] three, four and five have all been very successful on the track, but they are inexperienced in cross country.""
Junior Gwen Jorgensen, UW's third runner this season, was a member of the Wisconsin swim team and went out for track the first time last spring and even qualified for NCAA Regionals in the 1500.
UW only returns three from their 2006 conference team. Junior Sarah Hurley and senior Ann Detmer, who placed 31st and 63rd last year, will be the only other veterans besides Grinaker.
Also competing in the nine-woman squad will be seniors Amanda Ganser and Kait Hurley, who were the sixth and seventh Badgers at Pre-Nationals, as well as freshman Leah Coyle and junior Maggie Collision.
""We're running a lot of milers,"" Stintzi said. ""Milers shouldn't be afraid of cross country, but they are. And the fact that [the course] is a little flatter might be more like a track to them.""
