Wisconsin finishes as runner-up at Big Ten Championship

Friday, October 30

Madison, WI

10:35 AM

Wisconsin Badgers

Big Ten Championships

PDF Results

Wisconsin Men's Cross Country after Big Tens

October 30, 2026 | Men's Cross Country

Noakes finishes second to pace Badgers at home

By: Aimon Van Houten

MADISON, Wis. – Thanks to a runner-up showing by Archie Noakes, the No. 14 Wisconsin men's cross country team finished second at the 2026 Big Ten Cross Country Championships on Friday at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course.

Noakes led Wisconsin's strong team finish, taking second in 23 minutes, 6.2 seconds, just two seconds behind the winning time. Noakes' time was a 25-second improvement to his performance three weeks ago at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational, also hosted at Zimmer Championship Course.

B1G 2nd-place finish for Archie Noakes 🥈 #OnWisconsin https://t.co/227Kbn7NBN
— Wisconsin Track & Field and Cross Country (@BadgerTrackXC) October 30, 2026

Along with Noakes, Grady Lenn received first-team All-Big Ten honors, finishing 10th in 23:19.1. Lenn was the top freshman in the race, also earning All-Freshman Team honors. He is just the third Badger to earn Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors.

Johnny Livingstone (23:20.1) and Micah Wilson (23:33.5) earned Second-Team All-Big Ten honors, finishing 11th and 19th, respectively. Liam Newhart (23:33.5) was the Badgers' fifth runner, moving up 20 places in the final 3K to secure 21st.

Wisconsin's second place was enough to beat several top-ranked teams in the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association National Coaches' Poll. The Badgers defeated No. 21 Minnesota, No. 29 Washington and fellow Great Lakes Regional team, No. 22 Michigan State.

Straight From The Course
Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Chris Solinsky
"Overall, it was a great day to be a Badger. We came out on both sides and represented ourselves well. Having so many of our alums here supporting us—and being able to show out in front of the legacy that came before us—is always fun."

Up Next: Wisconsin will ride this momentum into the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, at the Forest Akers East Golf Course in East Lansing, Michigan at 10 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 13. The top-two teams from each region, along with 14 at-large teams, will automatically advance to the NCAA Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Nov. 21 in Terre Haute, Indiana.

2026 Big Ten Cross Country Championships
Friday, October 30, 2026
Zimmer Championship Course
Madison, Wisconsin
8K Race

Team Results
1. No. 6 Oregon - 23
2. No. 14 Wisconsin - 62
3. No. 22 Michigan State - 90
4. No. 21 Minnesota - 122
5. Michigan - 133

Individual Results
2. Archie Noakes - 23:06.2
10. Grady Lenn - 23:19.1
11. Johnny Livingstone - 23:20.1
19. Micah Wilson - 23:33.5
21. Liam Newhart - 23:35.1
46. Cillian Gleeson - 24:03.8
48. Manny Putz - 24:04.6
59. Nick Gilles - 24:17.7
109. Joe Bregenzer - 25:19.1