Wisconsin cross country runner Landon Peacock thought that if the Badgers' Big Ten title streak was ever going to end while he was on the team, it would have happened this year. Since Wisconsin had its two top returners struggling with injuries early in the season, two good runners transferring out and a new head coach, it appeared Michigan had a decent shot at upsetting the Badger dynasty, especially at the Wolverines' home course.
We took the race very seriously, like they had a chance to beat us,"" Peacock, a sophomore, said. ""I was still confident we would pull it together, though. Me and a couple other guys on the team are running better than we ever have.""
After crossing the finish line in second place, Peacock looked back and instantly knew his teammates would finish high enough for Wisconsin to take home its 10th straight Big Ten title, a record for the sport.
""When I turned around there were a bunch of Wisconsin guys coming in, so I felt really good,"" Peacock said to a FloTrack interviewer after the race. ""Wisconsin [cross country] is an awesome tradition to be a part of.""
The Badgers put six runners in the top 20 with two others - junior Christian Wagner and sophomore Jack Bolas - in the top 10. Five runners and head coach Mick Byrne earned Big Ten honors.
After surging around the two mile mark - the race was roughly five miles - to gap the 86 other athletes competing in the Big Ten meet, Peacock put himself in contention for the individual title but had Minnesota sophomore Hassan Mead in the back of his mind. Peacock had enough of a gap on the field that he couldn't hear the fans cheering for anyone behind him for a while.
""I knew that if [Mead] came back it would be difficult to beat him,"" Peacock said about his tactic to take over the race early.
About 20 minutes into the race, near the four-mile mark, Peacock's fears unfolded as Mead tried to blow right past him. Peacock wouldn't go down without a fight though, as he picked up his stride for about a quarter mile in an attempt to hang on, but Mead, the favorite to win, pulled away on a series of hills and ultimately had a lot left in the tank.
Mead kicked it in hard over the last mile to finish the 8,000-meter course in 24 minutes, 26 seconds and gap Peacock, who clocked in at 24:35, by nine seconds. The continuous rolling hills put Peacock nearly a minute behind his personal best of 23:46, which he recorded at the Paul Short invitational earlier this season.
""Usually the slower the course is, the better I can do on it,"" Peacock said, adding who said the hilly course benefited him.
Peacock was fast a year ago, usually winding up around fourth or fifth on the team. But this season he emerged as the best runner on one of the best collegiate squads in the nation. With seniors Matt Withrow and Stuart Eagon, both former NCAA All-Americans, out of top shape after recovering from injuries earlier this fall, Peacock felt he had to step it up. Withrow, last year's Big Ten champ ended up 23rd, while Eagon managed to finish 13th after not running the five days preceding the meet due to an aggravated knee.
Peacock said higher mileage, faster workouts and a consistent offseason helped catapult him to the front of the pack. His freshman year, which he redshirted, was hindered by injuries, and he characterized last year as a recovery from his injury laden first year. Peacock ran a bit over 100 miles for his peak week of training this year.
""This year I finally got some consistent running under my belt,"" Peacock said. ""I think each year I'm just going to continue getting stronger.""
Peacock said he's shooting for at least an All-American finish at the NCAA championships, which typically requires placing in the top 25. Team-wise, he said winning looks tough at this point since Oregon racing very well, but everybody is hoping to at least improve on last year's fifth place finish.
The Badgers are in tapering phase, which involves easing up workouts and reducing mileage to peak for the final meets of the year. Wisconsin will race at the NCAA Midwest Regional championships hosted by Purdue Saturday. The top two teams will automatically qualify for the national championships nine days later.
