MADISON, Wis. – The offseason is here. The No. 9 Wisconsin men’s cross country team travels south to the Big Ten Championships on Friday, November 1 at the Orange and Blue Golf Course in Savoy, Illinois. The men’s 8km race is scheduled to start at 11:35 a.m., with the women’s 6km race following at 10:35 a.m

The Badgers will compete for their 55th Big Ten Cross Country Championship and seventh straight conference title.

Fans can Follow the action live on BTN or follow @BadgerTrackXC on Twitter and Instagram. Live results will be available via PTTiming.

1. BIG TEN BOB: PhD student Bob likes it looks to win its fourth straight Big Ten individual championship on Friday. The St. Charles, Illinois, native won the crown last year after posting a time of 23 minutes, 57 seconds, nine seconds faster than runner-up and compatriot Badger Jackson Sharp. In 2022, Liking dominated the competition, completing the Thomas Zimmer Championship 8K course in Wisconsin in 23:48.9. With his victory in 2023, Liking became the seventh athlete to win three consecutive Big Ten titles and the ninth athlete to ever win three Big Ten championships.

2. STORY FOR BYRNE: Last year he served as UW director of track and field and cross country Mick Byrne captured his 13th Big Ten men’s cross country title, passing Badger legend Martin Smith for the most in conference history. Byrne will look to add to his record books and aims for his 14th title on Friday.

3. FAMILIAR TERRITORY: On Friday, UW will play the Orange and Blue Golf Course for the second time of the 2024 season. Christian de Vaal, Johnny Livingstone and Rowen Ellenberg went 1-2-3 as the No. 13 Wisconsin men’s cross country team took home the team title at the Big Ten Preview. Wisconsin won the team title with 24 points, while Indiana finished second with 55 points. Illinois finished third with 82 points, while No. 12 Butler was fourth with 91 points.

4. Tough Competition: The No. 9 Badgers face a competitive Big Ten field that includes No. 18 Washington and No. 25 Oregon in the USTFCCCA rankings. Washington placed fifth at the 2024 Nuttycombe Invitational presented by Under Armor with 246 points, while Michigan followed close behind in sixth place with 262 points.

5. Looking ahead: The postseason continues with the NCAA Great Lakes Regional taking place on November 15th in Norton, Ohio. The Badgers last won the region in 2022 and hold 31 regional titles.