The No.1 Wisconsin men's cross country team fell to No. 3 Oregon Saturday at the Ducks' home course, but UW junior Matt Withrow ran away with the individual title. The Badgers scored 73 points and Oregon had 54.
Withrow took the lead in the final 2K and covered the 8000-meter course in 23 minutes, 20 seconds. He stayed in the front pack the entire race and crossed the line with a 10-meter lead over
Oregon's Shadrack Kiptoo-Biwott. After a long recovery stemming from an injury during last year's track season, Withrow is in top form.
Strong competition, optimal weather and flat terrain allowed for fast times in Eugene, Ore. The 15-team field boasted eight ranked teams.
A trio of sophomores went 2-3-4 for the Badgers. Andrew Lacy and Brandon Bethke took 11th and 14th overall, finishing the course in 23:48 and 23:52, respectively. Craig Miller took 23rd overall in 23:59, and junior Christian Wagner was right on his heels, rounding out scoring in 24th with the same time.
Redshirt freshman Landon Peacock ran 24:04 for 32nd place overall. Sophomore Ryan Gasper was seventh for UW, and finished 43rd in 24:20.
The Badgers ran a young 12-man squad, which consisted of five redshirt freshmen, five sophomores and two juniors. Junior Stu Eagon, Wisconsin's top returner from last year, did not compete.
While the men raced on the West Coast, the women's cross country team headed East and took fourth place in a crowded 47-team field including four nationally ranked teams at the Paul Short Invitational in Bethlehem, Pa.
Redshirt freshman Cassie Hintz led UW with a fifth-place finish, running the 6000-meter course in 20:27. She averaged about 5:30 per mile. Also finishing in the top 10 was Hanna Grinaker, who took eighth overall in 20:50.
The next four Badger harriers all finished within six seconds of each other. Junior Gwen Jorgensen and senior Kait Hurley went 21:45 and 21:46 to capture 46th and 48th overall. Junior Sarah Hurley was the final scorer for UW and ran 21:49 for 50th place. Two seconds later, the sixth Badger, freshman Leah Coyle, crossed the line in 55th.
Also competing on the women's varsity team was senior Amanda Ganser, who ran the course in 22:31.
Princeton, West Virginia and Texas Tech topped the Badgers, who scored 157 points, with quicker 3-4-5 runners. Sally Kipyego of Texas Tech was the overall champion, finishing 17 seconds ahead of her second-place teammate in 19:59.
Wisconsin sent five additional Badgers to compete in the junior varsity race. Sophomore Alicia Pabich led the UW JV by running 21:52 for third place.
Similar to the men, the women were unable to live up to their No. 5 ranking. However, three returners from last year's nationals team did not compete.
Both teams will face low-key, in-state competition at their upcoming meets. The women will race at Ripon Oct. 6, and the men will compete at La Crosse Oct. 13.
- uwbadgers.com contributed to this report.
