INSIDE
MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
BY AJ HARRISON
@BADGER_TRACK
SCHEDULE
COMING UP
Sept. 6
Badger Opener 5 p.m.
Sept. 14
Sycamore
10 a.m.
Invitational
Sept. 14
Warhawk
11:45 a.m.
Invitational
Sept. 27
Coast-To-Coast
5 p.m.
Battle
A new beginning: UW
opens season at Zimmer
Badgers host Badger Opener Friday night
ross country teams
across the nation look
forward to the fresh
start a new season brings. This
year is no exception for the
UW men's cross country team,
which looks to continue an array of winning streaks with a
younge team after losing a trio
of All-Americans in Mohammed Ahmed, Reed Connor and
Maverick Darling.
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VARSITY September 5, 2013
"Every September is a new
season and beginning," UW
head coach Mick Byrne said.
"This is the case more so this
year than the previous five
years in terms of the composition of the team."
UW has won a lot the past
five years. A NCAA title in 2011,
four podium finishes, five Big
Ten titles and five Great Lakes
Regional crowns to be exact.
Now a group of younger runners will
compete for the Badgers this fall, who in
the eyes of Byrne have waited their turn.
"We have some young guys that have
been waiting for their turn to carry on the
tradition and to be a part of it and carry
on the winning ways," Byrne said. "That
is exciting for us and a lot of guys are
anxious to get out there on the course."
Wisconsin starts the campaign with
the Badger Opener, a low-key race that
won't feature many of the top returning
runners for the Badgers.
That being said, Byrne will learn about
his team's depth during the 6-kilometer
race against DePaul, Marquette, Loyola,
Green Bay and Edgewood.
"For the guys that compete, they are
competing for a reason," Byrne said.
"We want to see certain things. Everyone looks to learn something from the
competition. For some guys like the redshirt freshmen, Malachy (Schrobilgen)
and Russell (Sanvold), they have waited
a whole year for this chance. It is kind
of exciting for me as a coach to see how
they respond."
Also returning for the Badgers is sixthyear senior Rob Finnerty, who enjoyed a
breakout campaign last year, and Alex
Brill and Alex Hatz.
"Those guys know the importance
of putting on the uniform and working
hard everyday to continue the tradition,"
Byrne said.
