UW-Milwaukee Shut Out of NCAA Cross Country Championships Despite Home State Location

The NCAA Cross Country Championships returned to Verona, Wis. for the first time in six years. While the University of Wisconsin Madison’s men’s and women’s teams competed, the races occurred without representation from Wisconsin’s second-biggest D1 school, the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee.

For the men’s side of UWM’s season, things soured with their disappointing finish at the Horizon League Championships in Green Bay, Wis. According to On Your Marks Timing, a cross-country results website, they finished ninth out of ten teams with no runners placing in the top 25. The team’s high-scorer that day was Carter Eckhoff, finishing 28th with a 10K time of 25:44.

“The season’s low point was our team finish at the Horizon League Championships,” said head coach Andrew Basler in an interview with Media Milwaukee. “We have an expectation as a program to be in a position to win every year, and I feel we had the opportunity to do that this year.”

Things were more positive on the women’s side, with the Panthers finishing fifth. The team’s top scorer and UWM’s top cross-country athlete Anelise Egge managed to win the race with a 6K time of 21:07. This was Egge’s first individual cross-country championship victory.

“My most memorable moment this season was crossing the finish line as the conference champion,” said Egge in an interview with Media Milwaukee. “In that moment, I felt that all of the hard days and work put in behind the scenes had paid off. The moment was even more memorable by my teammates, coaches, family, and friends who showed me so much support.”

Both teams had difficult races the following week when they competed at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships in Norton, Ohio on Nov. 15. According to Finish Timing, the men’s team finished 29 out of 31 teams while the women placed 25 out of 32, both being shut out of competing at the national championships.

When asked about hopes for next year’s season, Basler said he wants his teams to reflect on their seasons and strive for excellence next year.

“My hope for next cross-country season is for both programs to put in the necessary work during the summer to come back in the fall ready to compete for championships,” said Basler. “Our men’s team is returning most of our roster, so another hope is that they take their disappointing Horizon League finish and use it as motivation.”

NCAA Championship meet

Despite Milwaukee’s absence from the championship meet, Wisconsin was still represented by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Badgers, the state’s largest D1 cross-country program. While the women’s team struggled and finished at 22 out of 31, the men’s team posted a fourth-place finish, according to PTTiming.

Both teams had a home-field advantage, racing on the Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course, where the Badgers train at least twice a week according to head coach Mick Byrne.

“On the very micro level it’s where we train twice a week, sometimes three times,” said Byrne. “We know every blade of grass out there… but racing on it is different than training on it.”

Wisconsin was supported along the course by a strong showing of cross-country fans from across the country who cheered and ran with runners throughout every minute of the two races. During an NCAA press conference, Byrne predicted that Wisconsin’s passion for cross-country would result in strong spectating numbers, potentially exceeding the attendance of the 2018 Verona-hosted race.

“If you know the Wisconsin Spirit, they’re going to find a way to get in here,” said Byrne. “Last time I said it was 8,000… The number on the shuttle buses differently reflects that but it’s going to be 8, 9,000 for sure.”

At the time of writing, an official number of spectators has yet to be released.

Outside of Wisconsin’s performances, Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah accomplished a clean sweep, winning both the men’s and women’s races, according to PTTiming, who complied all race data from the championship meet.

The men’s top five were rounded out by Iowa State in second, Arkansas in third, and Northern Arizona in fifth. For the women’s race, the top five included West Virginia in second, Providence in third, Northern Arizona in fourth, and Oregon in fifth.

Graham Blanks from Harvard University won the men’s race with a 10K time of 28:37 while Doris Lemngole from Alabama won the women’s race with a 6K time of 19:21.

NCAA recently revealed future destinations for the cross-country national and regional championship meets, announcing a return to Thomas Zimmer in 2027 for the Great Lakes Regional Championship