The Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational, hosted Friday by the Wisconsin Badgers, was filled with the best cross country teams in the nation. The Badger women placed 16th and the men placed 22nd among a field of several highly ranked opponents.
Windy and rainy conditions did not stop the Badgers running on the Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course.
The women’s 6K championship race went first, containing 23 of the top 30 teams in the latest NCAA Division I coach’s poll. Among them were No. 1 NC State, No. 2 Northern Arizona, No. 4 Notre Dame and No. 5 Stanford.
Wisconsin came into the meet ranked 23rd after their first two races of the season. Junior Leane Willemse was the first runner for the women, placing 34th (20:36), followed by seniors Alexa Westly (20:53) and Danielle Orie (20:59).
The Nuttycombe Invitational has also established itself as a popular place for the men. In one of the biggest meets of the season, 21 of the top 30 men’s teams competed in the 8K championship.
The Badgers came into the meet ranked fourth and tried to assert themselves as one of the top teams in the nation. Continuing his success, fifth-year senior Jackson Sharp placed fifth (23:26) followed by senior Rowen Ellenburg, who placed 55th (24:08) and senior Evan Bishop at 81st (24:17).
Among a very competitive field, the Nuttycombe Invitational served as preparation for the upcoming Big Ten Championships on Oct. 27 and the NCAA championships in November.
