The University of Wisconsin men’s and women’s cross country teams each qualified for the 2025 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships after competing in the Great Lakes Region Cross Country Championships on Friday.
After a solid race for both groups, the two teams qualified for the National Championships in different ways, but earned the opportunity to compete for a title nonetheless.
In order to automatically qualify for the National Championships, a team must place in the top two at its regional meet, and that is exactly what the women’s team did.
With a score of 95 points, the women found themselves behind only Notre Dame in the standings, placing second and punching their ticket to the National Championships in a few weeks. Graduate student Leané Willemse led the Badgers as the 11th individual finisher, completing the 6,000-meter course in 20:18.3.
Kylie Finger, Nora Gremban, Sara Mlodik and Mya Bunke were the other four scorers for Wisconsin in a strong team effort to extend its season.
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On the men’s side, the Badgers placed third as a team, just missing an automatic-qualification to the national championships.
They did, however, earn an at-large selection, so they will join the women’s team at the 2025 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships.
In the race, Christian de Vaal and Liam Newhart led the way with top-10 finishes, placing seventh and eighth, respectively. Johnny Livingstone, Micah Wilson and Bryce Stachewicz also scored for Wisconsin.
For the men, it may not have been the result on the course they had hoped, but their successful season earned them a chance to compete for a national title.
Both teams will now have the week to prepare for the 2025 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships which will take place Nov. 22 in Columbia, Mo., hosted by the University of Missouri.
Back in August, both the men’s and women’s teams competed in the Mizzou Opener. Though it was only a 5,000-meter race that day, the experience gives both teams some familiarity with the championship course.
While they got there in different ways, both the men’s and women’s teams earned the right to compete for a national championship, extending their seasons as long as possible.