2017 Nuttycombe Wisconsin XC InvitationalOct 11, 2016 by Meg Bellino
What Your Wisconsin/Pre-Nats Result Says About Your NCAA Finish
What Your Wisconsin/Pre-Nats Result Says About Your NCAA Finish
The biggest weekend of NCAA cross country is upon us, with nearly every team racing at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invite and adidas Pre-Nationals.
The biggest weekend of NCAA cross country is nearly upon us. With nearly every team racing at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invite and adidas Pre-Nationals, what exactly are we going to learn from the results?
The last four NCAA men's champions won Wisconsin or Pre-Nats, and two of the last three most recent women's champions (New Mexico and Michigan State) both earned victories in Wisconsin before winning in November. Whatever teams win in Madison and Terre Haute this weekend are almost certainly extremely good.
Your finish at Wisconsin or Pre-Nats doesn't necessarily guarantee a podium/top-four finish. The 2009-2012 Oklahoma State men avoided both meets altogether and won three titles and earned one runner-up finish in those four years. The Michigan women won Pre-Nats in 2015--over Colorado and Oregon!--and finished just sixth at the NCAA championships.
But since 2012, nearly every single men's and women's podium team at NCAAs has finished in the top six at either Wisconsin or Pre-Nats a month earlier. A few teams didn't run their A squads or go to those meets at all. But the 2013 NAU men, who finished 13th at Wisco and fourth at NCAAs, are the only men's or women's team to finish in the top four at nationals the last four years after having an A team finish outside the top six at Pre-Nats or Wisconsin. Take a look at the data yourself.
The Nuttycombe Wisconsin XC Invite will be LIVE on FloTrack Friday, October 13, and the adidas Pre-Nationals will be LIVE on FloTrack Saturday, October 14.
NCAA Champions 2009-2015
NCAA Runners-Up 2009-2015
NCAA Third-Place Teams 2009-2015
*Ran a B squad
NCAA Fourth-Place Teams 2009-2015
NCAA Champions 2009-2015
NCAA Runners-Up 2009-2015
NCAA Third-Place Teams 2009-2015
NCAA Fourth-Place Teams 2009-2015
The Nuttycombe Wisconsin XC Invite will be LIVE on FloTrack Friday, October 13, and the adidas Pre-Nationals will be LIVE on FloTrack Saturday, October 14.
The last four NCAA men's champions won Wisconsin or Pre-Nats, and two of the last three most recent women's champions (New Mexico and Michigan State) both earned victories in Wisconsin before winning in November. Whatever teams win in Madison and Terre Haute this weekend are almost certainly extremely good.
Your finish at Wisconsin or Pre-Nats doesn't necessarily guarantee a podium/top-four finish. The 2009-2012 Oklahoma State men avoided both meets altogether and won three titles and earned one runner-up finish in those four years. The Michigan women won Pre-Nats in 2015--over Colorado and Oregon!--and finished just sixth at the NCAA championships.
But since 2012, nearly every single men's and women's podium team at NCAAs has finished in the top six at either Wisconsin or Pre-Nats a month earlier. A few teams didn't run their A squads or go to those meets at all. But the 2013 NAU men, who finished 13th at Wisco and fourth at NCAAs, are the only men's or women's team to finish in the top four at nationals the last four years after having an A team finish outside the top six at Pre-Nats or Wisconsin. Take a look at the data yourself.
The Nuttycombe Wisconsin XC Invite will be LIVE on FloTrack Friday, October 13, and the adidas Pre-Nationals will be LIVE on FloTrack Saturday, October 14.
Men
NCAA Champions 2009-2015
| SEX | YR | NCAA | SCHOOL | MEET | PLACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ​MEN | ​2016 | ​1 | ​NAU | ​WISCO | 1​ |
| MEN | 2015 | 1 | Syracuse | WISCO | 1 |
| MEN | 2014 | 1 | Colorado | PRE-NATS | 1 |
| MEN | 2013 | 1 | Colorado | PRE-NATS | 1 |
| MEN | 2012 | 1 | OK State | - | - |
| MEN | 2011 | 1 | Wisconsin | WISCO | 1 |
| MEN | 2010 | 1 | OK State | - | - |
| MEN | 2009 | 1 | OK State | - | - |
NCAA Runners-Up 2009-2015
| SEX | YR | NCAA | SCHOOL | MEET | PLACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ​MEN | ​2016 | ​2 | ​Stanford | ​WISCO | ​2 |
| MEN | 2015 | 2 | Colorado | PRE-NATS | 1 |
| MEN | 2014 | 2 | Stanford | WISCO | 5 |
| MEN | 2013 | 2 | NAU | WISCO | 1 |
| MEN | 2012 | 2 | Wisconsin | WISCO | 17* |
| MEN | 2011 | 2 | OK State | - | - |
| MEN | 2010 | 2 | FSU | PRE-NATS | 3 |
| MEN | 2009 | 2 | Oregon | PRE-NATS | 1 |
NCAA Third-Place Teams 2009-2015
| SEX | YR | NCAA | SCHOOL | MEET | PLACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ​MEN | ​2016 | ​3 | ​Syracuse | WISCO​ | ​4 |
| MEN | 2015 | 3 | Stanford | WISCO | 21* |
| MEN | 2014 | 3 | Portland | WISCO | 4 |
| MEN | 2013 | 3 | OK State | PRE-NATS | 7* |
| MEN | 2012 | 3 | Colorado | PRE-NATS | 1 |
| MEN | 2011 | 3 | Colorado | PRE-NATS | 1 |
| MEN | 2010 | 3 | Wisconsin | WISCO | 2 |
| MEN | 2009 | 3 | Alabama | PRE-NATS | 2 |
NCAA Fourth-Place Teams 2009-2015
| SEX | YR | NCAA | SCHOOL | MEET | PLACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ​MEN | ​2016 | ​4 | ​Mississippi | ​- | ​- |
| MEN | 2015 | 4 | Oregon | PRE-NATS | 2 |
| MEN | 2014 | 4 | NAU | WISCO | 6 |
| MEN | 2013 | 4 | BYU | WISCO | 2 |
| MEN | 2012 | 4 | NAU | WISCO | 13 |
| MEN | 2011 | 4 | BYU | WISCO | 2 |
| MEN | 2010 | 4 | Stanford | PRE-NATS | 1 |
| MEN | 2009 | 4 | NAU | PRE-NATS | 3 |
Women
NCAA Champions 2009-2015
| SEX | YR | NCAA | SCHOOL | MEET | PLACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ​WOMEN | ​2016 | ​1 | ​Oregon | ​PRE-NATS | ​2 |
| WOMEN | 2015 | 1 | New Mexico | WISCO | 1 |
| WOMEN | 2014 | 1 | MSU | WISCO | 1 |
| WOMEN | 2013 | 1 | Providence | WISCO | 3 |
| WOMEN | 2012 | 1 | Oregon | PRE-NATS | 2 |
| WOMEN | 2011 | 1 | Georgetown | PRE-NATS | 2 |
| WOMEN | 2010 | 1 | Villanova | - | - |
| WOMEN | 2009 | 1 | Villanova | - | - |
NCAA Runners-Up 2009-2015
| SEX | YR | NCAA | SCHOOL | MEET | PLACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ​WOMEN | ​2016 | ​2 | ​Michigan | ​PRE-NATS | ​3 |
| WOMEN | 2015 | 2 | Colorado | PRE-NATS | 2 |
| WOMEN | 2014 | 2 | Iowa State | WISCO | 3 |
| WOMEN | 2013 | 2 | Arizona | WISCO | 1 |
| WOMEN | 2012 | 2 | Providence | WISCO | 6 |
| WOMEN | 2011 | 2 | Washington | WISCO | 1 |
| WOMEN | 2010 | 2 | Florida State | PRE-NATS A | 1 |
| WOMEN | 2009 | 2 | Florida State | PRE-NATS B | 2 |
NCAA Third-Place Teams 2009-2015
| SEX | YR | NCAA | SCHOOL | MEET | PLACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ​WOMEN | ​2016 | ​3 | ​Colorado | ​PRE-NATS | ​1 |
| WOMEN | 2015 | 3 | Oregon | PRE-NATS | 3 |
| WOMEN | 2014 | 3 | New Mexico | WISCO | 6 |
| WOMEN | 2013 | 3 | Butler | PRE-NATS | 3 |
| WOMEN | 2012 | 3 | Stanford | WISCO | 2 |
| WOMEN | 2011 | 3 | Villanova | WISCO | 4 |
| WOMEN | 2010 | 3 | Texas Tech | - | - |
| WOMEN | 2009 | 3 | Washington | PRE-NATS A | 1 |
NCAA Fourth-Place Teams 2009-2015
| SEX | YR | NCAA | SCHOOL | MEET | PLACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ​WOMEN | ​2016 | ​4 | ​NC State | ​WISCO | ​2 |
| WOMEN | 2015 | 4 | Providence | WISCO | 5 |
| WOMEN | 2014 | 4 | Georgetown | PRE-NATS | 1 |
| WOMEN | 2013 | 4 | Michigan | PRE-NATS | 6 |
| WOMEN | 2012 | 4 | Florida State | PRE-NATS | 1 |
| WOMEN | 2011 | 4 | Florida State | PRE-NATS | 1 |
| WOMEN | 2010 | 4 | Georgetown | PRE-NATS B | 1 |
| WOMEN | 2009 | 4 | Texas Tech | - | - |
The Nuttycombe Wisconsin XC Invite will be LIVE on FloTrack Friday, October 13, and the adidas Pre-Nationals will be LIVE on FloTrack Saturday, October 14.