The Wisconsin men’s and women’s cross country teams competed in the 2025 Big Ten Cross Country Championships Friday in East Lansing, Mich.
Racing first on Friday was the women’s team, looking to build on a strong performance at the Nuttycombe Invitational a few weeks ago.
Redshirt freshman Mikaela Helling led the way for the Badgers as the first runner to cross the finish line in the 6,000-meter race. Helling ran a personal-best time of 20:33.2, placing 21st overall.
Shortly behind Helling was grad student Kylie Finger who placed 30th with a time of 20:46.4. Rounding out the scoring group for the Badgers were sophomore Nora Gremban, grad student Leané Willemse and Sara Mlodik, who earned Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors.
Behind Helling’s strong performance, Wisconsin placed sixth as a team behind Oregon, Penn State, Northwestern, Washington and Michigan State which placed first through fifth, respectively.
The men’s team, looking to add to their trophy case, which is second to none, took to the course second on Friday.
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First to the finish for the men’s team was redshirt sophomore Christian de Vaal who placed eighth overall, completing the 8,000-meter course in 23:36.2. Immediately behind him were fellow redshirt sophomores Matan Ivri and Liam Newhart who finished in nearly identical time at 23:41.5 and 23:41.6, respectively. They placed ninth and 10th overall.
Each of de Vaal, Ivri and Newhart earned First Team All-Big Ten honors with their strong performances. Joining the trio as scorers were redshirt sophomore Bryce Stachewicz and redshirt junior Micah Wilson.
As a team, the Badgers placed third overall with 90 points, behind Oregon which scored 36 and Michigan State which scored 68.
For both teams, the focus now shifts to the NCAA Great Lakes Regional where they will compete for a bid to the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships. The regional meet will take place Nov. 14 at the Angel Mounds Cross Country Course in Evansville, Indiana.