The Wisconsin men’s and women’s cross country teams are preparing to host the Nuttycombe Invitational Friday, Oct. 17 at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course in Madison.
Each season, the nation’s top teams make the trip to Madison for the meet, and a strong finish at the Nuttycombe Invitational is often a good indicator of what is to come in the postseason. A total of 10 teams have won the meet and gone on to win the national championship in the same season – six on the men’s side, most recently BYU in 2024, and four on the women’s side, most recently North Carolina State in 2022.
Despite being two of the university’s most successful athletic programs, neither team receives regular attention from the Wisconsin fanbase. A home meet with the top teams in the nation, however, is a chance for head coach Mick Byrne’s teams to be in the spotlight.
Wisconsin’s women’s team finished fifth at the Nuttycombe Invitational in 2024, but the men’s team elected not to race in the meet due to it falling too early in the season for their preparations.
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At the most recent major meet hosted by Wisconsin, the 2024 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, the Badgers showed out on their home course. The women placed 22nd, and the men found themselves on the podium with a fourth place finish.
Both teams are looking to build on the success of that meet, but the women’s team is especially motivated by its 22nd-place finish.
“Nationals went well last year, but obviously, with the home crowd, we had a little bit more that we wanted to prove,” redshirt sophomore Mikaela Helling said. “We’re using that momentum, because there will be so many nationally-ranked teams, to make our mark and show other teams that this is our home course and we know how to utilize it.”
Helling and her team are not losing sight of their long-term goals for the season, but are certainly motivated to have a strong performance at home.
The men’s team, coming off a podium finish at last year’s national championships, may not have the extra motivation of the women’s team, but is certainly looking forward to the race.
“We’re really hyped for it, and it’s definitely the biggest meet we’ve run this season,” redshirt junior Micah Wilson said. “But one of the things coach [Mick Byrne] really stresses is keeping it in perspective. It is the biggest regular-season meet, but it’s still the regular season, so we have to stay primed and ready for regionals, nationals and Big Ten [Championships].”
While the chance to compete in a meet as prestigious as the Nuttycombe Invitational is available at many schools, Badger runners do not take for granted the opportunity to represent the host school at an event of its stature.
“It’s something we all take pride in,” Wilson said. “We have one of the best cross country courses in the world and we’re really excited to put on a show for our home fans and home city.”
“Being able to put on that ‘W’, you know that there’s so much history, and I think that means a lot to us,” Helling said. “We run with such great pride for Wisconsin, knowing that we’re representing such a rich history and doing it at such a huge event adds on to the program’s history.”
In a sport that receives little widespread recognition, the meet serves as a unique opportunity for Wisconsin’s seniors to run their final collegiate regular-season meet in front of a home crowd.
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As soon as the meet is over, the teams begin the most important stretch of their seasons. The 2025 Big Ten Cross Country Championships will take place Oct. 31 in East Lansing, Michigan. A few weeks later, Nov. 14, both teams will compete at the NCAA Division I Great Lakes Regional Championships in Evansville, Indiana, looking to punch their tickets to the 2025 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships in Columbia, Missouri, Nov. 22.
The men’s team will look to continue its Big Ten dominance and match last season’s effort in the national championships.
“Our program has a tradition of greatness in the Big Ten and on the national stage,” Wilson said. “The goal is definitely to win the Big Ten because we’ve won seven in a row now, and 55 total, and we want to get back on that podium at nationals.”
Looking to start a streak of its own, the women’s team is ready for round two in the new-look Big Ten, and will attempt to build on last season’s experience at the National Championships.
“Last year was a learning curve in the new Big Ten, but now we know what it takes to not only compete, but try to win the conference,” Helling said. “In regionals, anything can happen, so being able to feel confident going into that meet is really important.”
Wisconsin cross country, both men’s and women’s have upheld the program standard of success this year, but the real season is just getting underway, starting with the Nuttycombe Invitational Friday.