Badger Men Win 5th NCAA Cross Country Crown

(BigTen.org) Wisconsin won its fifth NCAA Men?s Cross Country Championship on Monday, as four of the five Badger scorers earned All-America status en route to the national crown. All five competing Big Ten teams placed in the top 25 at the national meet as Wisconsin took first, Indiana finished seventh, Minnesota placed 16^th, Michigan took 20^th and Ohio State landed in 23^rd.

Big Ten Athlete of the Year Mohammed Ahmed led the way for the Badgers, taking fifth place individually. Elliot Krause placed 17^th, while Ryan Collins took 23^rd, Reed Connor finished 36^th and Maverick Darling closed the race in 46^th to pace Wisconsin to the title. Ahmed, Krause, Collins and Connor each collected All-America honors after placing in the top 40.

The Badgers compiled 97 team points, giving them a 42-point cushion ahead of the rest of the field. The national championship is the first for Wisconsin since 2005 and the 13^th title won by a Big Ten team.

All-American Andy Bayer finished 39^th to lead Indiana to its second top-10 finish in as many years. Joining the group of Big Ten All-Americans was Minnesota?s Hassan Mead, who took 34^th to help the Gophers to a top-20 finish.

Three Big Ten women's teams finish in top 20

Michigan, Michigan State and Penn State earned top-20 finishes at the NCAA Women?s Cross Country Championships on Monday, bringing the 2011 season to a close. The Nittany Lions placed 13^th at the national meet, while the Wolverines took 15^th and the Spartans finished 16^th. Wisconsin placed 24^th and Minnesota took 27^th to round out the group of competing Big Ten squads.

Penn State?s Caitlin Lane, the Big Ten Athlete of the Year, earned the top finish of the group of Big Ten runners, taking 16^th place en route to All-America honors. Lane finished the 6,000-meter course in 20:04 to help the Nittany Lions to their best team finish since 1996. Lane is Penn State?s 19^th All-American and the first since 2009.

Danielle Tauro took 45^th individually to lead the Wolverines, while Sara Kroll placed 51^st to pace the Spartans.