A Winning Athletic Program
T
he University of Wisconsin athletic department has firmly established itself as one of the nation's most
successful programs, and the 2011-12 season was no exception. The Badgers finished 26th in the NACDA Directors' Cup Rankings, its 16th top-30 finish in the last 19 years. In all, 16 of UW's 23 teams advanced to post-season play with the men's cross country team bringing home an NCAA championship.
Coach of the Year Bret Bielema - Football Bear Bryant Award national finalist
Mick Byrne - Men's Cross Country USTFCCCA National Coach of the Year USTFCCCA Great Lakes Regional Big Ten Coach of the Year
Megan Cooke-Carcagno - Women's Rowing CRCA Central Regional Asst. of the Year
Ed Nuttycombe - Men's Outdoor Track Big Ten Coach of the Year
Mark Johnson - Women's Hockey WCHA Coach of the Year
The women's hockey team used its fourth WCHA title in program history to cata- pult itself to the NCAA championship game.
"That's it, folks. The poll is closed, the voting is over and Madison, Wisconsin, home of the University of Wisconsin, is America's Best College Sports Town. Go nuts Badgers!"
— MTV.com
After leading Wisconsin to its second consecutive Big Ten championship, Bret Bielema was a National Coach of the Year award finalist.
It was a big year for the Wisconsin men's running programs as the cross country tea national championship (right) in the fall and the track captured the Big Ten outdoo
