Five Things To Know: Badgers head south for Big Ten Preview

MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin men’s cross country team returns to action on Friday at the Fighting Illini Big Ten Preview in Savoy, Illinois. The men’s 8k race is set to being at 5:45 p.m.

Live results will be available here. Fans can follow the action @BadgerTrackXC on Twitter and Instagram. 

1. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: The Badgers are back in action for their second race of the season. UW finished first one week ago at its opener, the Badger Classic. Rowen Ellenberg took home his first collegiate cross-country title at the Zimmer Championship Course, finished the 6K course in 18 minutes, 13.5 seconds and was joined by three teammates in the top four in Nick Gilles, Johnny Livingstone and Matan Ivri. 

2. LOOKING FOR BIG THINGS: This wil be the first time UW has competed at Illinois since 2022. This race will provide the Badgers experience on the course before returning to Savoy, Ill. for the Big Ten Championship.

3. IN THE POLLS: UW remains ranked No. 13 in the USTFCCCA National Coaches Poll and are the highest ranked team in the Big Ten Conference. 

4. BADGER DEBUTS: In their debut race for the Badgers, Nick Gilles secured an impressive second place with a time of 18:13.5, while Matan ivri followed closely in fourth, finishing at 18:16.5. Zach Temple rounded out the trio with a 14th place finish, clocking in at 19:23.1.

5. NUTS FOR NUTTY: The highly-anticipated Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational is just over two weeks away. Action will being at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course at 11 a.m on Friday, Sept. 27. The Wisconsin men will face 15 of the top-30 teams in the USTFCCCA Poll.