 |
| Mohammed Ahmed |
Senior |
| Neal Berman |
Junior |
| Michael Brice |
Junior |
| Alex Brill |
Junior |
| Reed Connor |
Senior |
| Maverick Darling |
Senior |
| Jacob Erschen |
Sophomore |
| Rob Finnerty |
Senior |
| Sam Hacker |
RS Freshman |
| Alexander Hatz |
RS Sophomore |
| Jacob Naylor |
Junior |
| Russell Sandvold |
Freshman |
| Malachy Schrobilgen |
Freshman |
| Michael Van Voorhis |
Sophomore |
| Complete Roster |
|
|
November 12-18
After winning their 11th-straight regional crown, the Badgers look to defend their national title at the 2012 NCAA Championship.
2012 NCAA Championship
|
Date
|
Saturday, Nov. 17 | 12:15 p.m. (CT) |
| Location |
Louisville, Ky. | E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park |
| Meet Info |
NCAA Championship Information |
| Admission |
$10 |
| Meet Schedule |
Women (6K): 11:00 a.m. (CT)
Men (10K): 12:15 p.m. (CT) |
| Course Info |
Course Maps  |
Updates
|
@Badger_Track on Twitter |
About the Badgers
WISCONSIN LOOKS TO DEFEND NATIONAL TITLE
• No. 6-ranked Wisconsin looks to defend its national title Saturday in Lousiville, Ky., as the Badgers head to the 2012 NCAA Championship.
• The Badgers boast three returning All-Americans in seniors Mohammed Ahmed, Reed Connor and Maverick Darling.
• Ahmed led the Badgers with a fifth-place individual finish last season to earn his third-consecutive All-America laurel.
• UW won the program’s fifth national title last season by claiming the 2011 NCAA Championship in Terre Haute, Ind., with a team score of 97 points, defeating two-time defending champion Oklahoma State, which finished second with 139 points.
• The Badgers also won national championships in 1982, 1985, 1988 and 2005.
• Wisconsin has qualified for every championship meet since 1972, extending its NCAA-record streak of consecutive NCAA championship appearances to 41 straight.
• Colorado holds the second-longest active streak for consecutive championship meet appearences with 20. Arkansas made 37 consecutive NCAA appearances before not qualifying in 2011.
• UW owns the NCAA record with 30 top-five NCAA championship finishes. Arkansas is second with 24 and Oregon is third with 23.
• UW also has an NCAA-record 21 top-three NCAA championship finishes. Arkansas is second with 20 and Oregon is third with 18.
BADGERS WIN 11-STRAIGHT REGIONAL CROWN
• No. 6-ranked Wisconsin claimed its 11th-consecutive Great Lakes Regional title on its own Thomas Zimmer Championship Course last Friday and captured an automatic bid to the 2012 NCAA Championship.
• Wisconsin won the 10-kilometer event with a team score of 43 points. Senior Mohammed Ahmed won the individual title in a time of 30 minutes, 37 seconds.
• The Badgers had five runners finish in the top 16 overall, including three in the top six. Seniors Maverick Darling and Reed Connor finished fifth and sixth with times of 30:47 and 30:53, respectively. Junior Alex Brill and senior Rob Finnerty turned in strong performance of their own, finishing 15th and 16th with identical times of 31:29.
• UW’s run of 11 straight crowns is the longest championship streak in Great Lakes Regional history, which dates back to the NCAA’s adoption of the regional format in 1972.
• All-time, UW has claimed a record 28 NCAA Great Lakes Regional championships.
WISCONSIN CLAIMS 14TH-STRAIGHT BIG TEN TEAM TITLE
• The No. 20-ranked Badgers claimed their 14th-consecutive conference title at the 2012 Big Ten Championship at Forest Akers East Course in East Lansing, Mich. on Sunday, Oct. 28.
• Wisconsin’s run of 14 straight crowns is the longest in conference history, extending a streak that began in 1999. It is also the fourth-longest title streak in Big Ten history in any sport, trailing only Iowa wrestling (25 straight), Indiana men’s swimming and diving (20), and Michigan men’s tennis (16).
• The Badgers placed four runners in the top seven, winning with a team score of 33 points.
• Wisconsin was led by senior Maverick Darling, who finished second overall, crossing the finish line in a time of 23:35.
• Senior Mohammed Ahmed made his season debut, finishing third in a time of 23:36.
• Seniors Reed Connor and Rob Finnerty finished sixth and seventh, respectively, in times of 23:47 and 24:02. Finnerty shaved 3 seconds off his previous best time for an 8K race.
• Ahmed, Darling, Connor and Finnerty each earned first-team All-Big Ten honors.
• Ahmed and Darling became the seventh and eighth runners in Big Ten history to earn first-team All-Big Ten accolades in four consecutive seasons. The pair join Jason Casiano (1991-94) and Chris Solinsky (2003-06) as the only Badgers to accomplish the rare feat.
• Connor claimed his second-consecutive first-team All-Big Ten honor, while Finnerty notched his first.
• Alex Brill rounded out the scoring for UW, crossing the line 15th. He finished in a personal-best time of 24:13, shaving six seconds off his previous 8K mark.
• Sophomores Alex Hatz and Michael Van Voorhis finished 23rd and 36th, respectively, in times of 24:27 and 24:39.
• Head coach Mick Byrne was named Big Ten Coach of the Year for the fifth-straight season. Combined with the 17 consecutive Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference honors he compiled from 1991 to 2007 as the head coach at Iona, Byrne has earned a league coach of the year award in each of the last 22 seasons.
CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
• The 2012 Big Ten Championship was the 96th Big Ten men’s championship and Wisconsin won its 46th all-time team title. By winning 46 of the first 96 Big Ten meets, the Badgers have claimed a staggering 48 percent of the league’s championships.
• UW earned its 14th-straight Big Ten crown. Only one other program in the 96-year history of the Big Ten championship has claimed at least 14 championships TOTAL: Michigan State, with 14.
• Since the Big Ten moved to an 8-kilometer championship race in 1985, Wisconsin has claimed 25 of the league’s 28 team championships (89.2 percent).
• Since the late Dan McClimon won his first title as UW head coach in 1977, the Badgers have claimed 31 of the last 36 Big Ten championships (86.1 percent).
DARLING LEADS IN DEBUT
• The No. 20-ranked Badgers finished 17th overall, finishing with a team score of 489 points in the Wisconsin adidas Invitational at Zimmer Championship Course on Oct. 12.
• Wisconsin was led by senior Maverick Darling, who finished fifth overall, crossing the finish line in a time of 23:28 in his season debut.
• Darling was honored as the Big Ten Men’s Runner of the Week by the league for his fifth-place finish.
• Senior Reed Connor ran unattached for UW, finishing 18th overall in a time of 23:43 in his season debut.
• Senior Rob Finnerty was second to cross the line for the Badgers, finishing 62nd overall in a personal best time of 24:05. Sophomore Alex Hatz was third for UW, finishing 89th in a personal best 24:14.
• Junior Michael Brice finished fourth for UW and 157th overall in a time of 24:31, while sophomore Michael Van Voorhis rounded out the scoring for the Badgers in fifth and 176th overall in a personal best 24:36.
• Juniors Alex Brill and Neal Berman finished 6th and 7th for UW, finishing 210th and 286th overall in 24:49 and 25:55, respectively.
• The Badgers won the “B“ race, finishing with a team score of 60 points. Wisconsin was led by senior Danny Buechel’s fourth-place finish in 24:37, freshman Sam Hacker’s fifth-place finish in a personal best 24:41, and sophomore Jacob Naylor’s seventh-place finish in a personal best 24:42.
COACH OF THE QUARTER-CENTURY
• UW head coach Mick Byrne has put the Badgers on the podium at the NCAA championship three times in his four years as the Badgers’ head coach. He led UW to a fourth-place finish in his first season (2008) and returned to the podium with a third-place showing in 2010 and the national title in 2011.
• Byrne won his fourth Big Ten championship in as many seasons at the helm of the Badgers’ program in 2011, as well as his fourth-straight NCAA Great Lakes Regional crown.
• Including his time at Iona College prior to coming to UW, Byrne has won 21 consecutive conference championships. Under Byrne’s direction, Iona claimed 17 straight Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference crowns from 1991 to 2007. In fact, Byrne’s teams have claimed conference titles in 21 of his 23 years as a head coach.
• Byrne also has earned 21 consecutive league coach-of-the-year awards — 17 straight MAAC honors at Iona from 1991 to 2007 and four consecutive Big Ten awards at UW from 2008 to 2011.
BADGERS RETURN ALL-AMERICA DUO
• The Badgers are led by returning All-Americans Mohammed Ahmed and Reed Connor and senior Maverick Darling, a second-year team captain.
• As a junior, Mohammed Ahmed finished 5th at the 2011 Cross Country Championships to earn All-America honors. He is also a two-time first-team All-Region and All-Big Ten selection.
• Also as a junior, Reed Connor finished 36th at the 2011 Cross Country Championships to earn All-America honors. He is a two-time first-team All-Region selection and was a 2011 first-team All-Big Ten selection.
UW IN MIDST OF DEFENDING PROGRAM’S FIFTH NATIONAL TITLE
• UW won the program’s fifth national title last season by claiming the 2011 NCAA Championship in Terre Haute, Ind., with a team score of 97 points, defeating two-time defending champion Oklahoma State, which finished second with 139 points.
• Then-junior Mohammed Ahmed finished fifth overall and first for UW with a time of 29 minutes and 6 seconds in the 10-kilometer race. Seniors Elliot Krause and Ryan Collins finished 17th and 23rd overall and second and third for UW with times of 29:41 and 29:52, respectfully.
• Then-juniors Reed Connor and Maverick Darling finished 36th and 46th overall and fourth and fifth for UW in 30:08 and 30:20, respectfully.
• The Badgers also won national championships in 1982, 1985, 1988 and 2005.
BRILL, BADGERS, WIN NINTH-CONSECUTIVE MEET TITLE
• The Badgers won its ninth-consecutive team title with a victory at the 40th-annual Sean Earl Lakefront Invitational on Sept. 29 in Chicago.
• UW scored 51 points to win the 8-kilometer race, claiming three of the top five spots.
• Junior Alex Brill led UW, finishing third overall with a time of 24:40, his third fastest career 8K time.
• Sophomores Jake Erschen and Michael Van Voorhis placed fourth and fifth overall, crossing the finish line at 24:46 and 24:48, respectively. Both times are 8k personal bests.
• Junior Jacob Naylor finished 20th overall and fourth for UW at 25:25. Freshman Sam Hacker rounded out the scoring for UW in 23rd place at 25:33.
• Freshman Jack Stapleton finished 25th at 25:38 and senior Danny Buechel finished 31st at 25:47.
GROUP EFFORT LEADS UW TO WOLFIE INVITATIONAL WIN
• The Badgers won the team title at the Wolfie Invitational on Sept. 15 in Stony Brook, N.Y. UW scored 20 points to earn the victory, as the Badgers swept places 2-6.
• Senior Rob Finnerty, junior Neal Berman, sophomore Alex Hatz and junior Michael Brice crossed the finish line together in a time of 25:35.
• Sophomore Jake Erschen finished just behind in sixth to round out the scoring for UW with a time of 25:42.
• Freshmen Sam Hacker and Jack Stapleton claimed 12th and 13th place, respectively, in 26:04.
• In his Badgers debut, sophomore Jacob Naylor finished 15th overall in 26:12.
BADGERS WIN FOURTH-ANNUAL BADGER OPENER
• Wisconsin won its first meet of the 2012 season by claiming five of the top six spots to earn a team score of 19 points at the 6.3-kilometer Badger Opener at the Zimmer Championship Course on Sept. 7.
• Junior Alex Brill led the Badgers, claiming the individual title with a time of 18 minutes and 50 seconds.
• Junior Neal Berman finished third with a time of 18:53.
• Freshman Sam Hacker finished fourth at 19:00 and senior Rob Finnerty claimed 5th a second later in 19:01. Sophomore Mike VanVoorhis rounded
out the scoring for UW in sixth at 19:05.
A LOOK BACK AT THE 2011 CAMPAIGN
• The Badgers claimed the program’s fifth NCAA championship with a team score of 97 points Nov. 21 in Terre Haute, Ind.
• Junior Mohammed Ahmed, senior Ryan Collins, junior Reed Connor and senior Elliot Krause had All-America finishes to help earn the title.
• UW won its 10th-straight Great Lakes Regional title in Toledo, Ohio on Nov. 12 with a winning score of 50 points.
• The Wisconsin men’s cross country team won its 13th-straight Big Ten championship in Urbana, Ill. The Badgers’ team score of 17 points was one point shy of the team record of 16 set in 2005 at the same meet.
• Junior Mohammed Ahmed earned Big Ten Athlete of the Year, finishing the 8-kilometer race in a meet-record time of 23:18 to win the individual title at the Big Ten championship.
