The University of Wisconsin men’s and women’s cross country teams kicked off the 2023 regular season by hosting the Badger Classic at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course this past Saturday — concluding the day with multiple awards. 

The field consisted of multiple quality Power 5 opponents, including the likes of Ohio State University, Iowa University and the University of Minnesota to name a few. A successful day began with the running of the men’s 8000 meter race.

It was Joshua Truchon who stole the show, as the West Allis, Wisconsin native and former Gatorade Athlete of the Year turned in the winning time of 24:10, placing first amongst a pool of 62 competitors.

Truchon’s performance was ultimately the vision of the Director of Cross Country and Track and Field, Mick Byrne, who allowed some of his underclassmen to compete at the college level. 

“We’ll put some guys in there and give them an opportunity and see where they’re at,” Byrne said in a press conference last week. “Hopefully, they’ll be guys that’ll contribute later on in the season when it really matters.”

The men’s team placed fourth out of six squads, paced by Truchon. 

On the other hand, the women’s team finished first as a team to begin their season. Seven of the top eight runners return for the Badgers this season, according to Byrne. Some had the chance to run Saturday.

In the 5200 meter race, it was Victoria Heiligenthal, Isabella Jacobsen and Danielle Orie who turned in times of 18:18 to establish themselves within the top-10. 

Pack-running was the key to success for the women’s team on a warm day in the Madison area, as Samantha Stieve and Kylie Finger rounded out the scoring for UW, placing 11th and 14th respectively. Stieve clocked in at 18:23 and Finger followed at 18:33. The cardinal and white were able to fend off a strong Michigan team, who combined to score 49 points, finishing in second.

Both teams earn some time off to continue to develop and train before they travel to Chicago on Sept. 29 to compete in the Sean Earl Lakefront Invitational, hosted by Loyola University Chicago.

The Badger Classic was just one of four meets Wisconsin will host in the 2023 season, as the Zimmer Championship Course will be the home of the Nuttycombe Invitational Oct. 13, Big Ten Cross Country Championships Oct. 27 and the Great Lakes Regional Nov. 10.