By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

The 13th edition of the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Cross Country Invitational is scheduled for Friday, October 14 at the Thomas Zimmer Championship course in Madison.

WATCH RUNNERSPACE LIVE WEBCAST OF NUTTYCOMBE WISCONSIN CROSS COUNTRY INVITATIONAL ON OCTOBER 14

Here are 10 storylines to follow at the most prestigious regular-season college meet in the country:

Timing could be right for Wolfpack to demonstrate might

After capturing its first NCAA Division 1 women’s cross country title last year, North Carolina State has the potential to produce two more memorable achievements at 12:20 p.m. CDT in the women’s 6-kilometer championship race.

North Carolina State is still seeking its first Nuttycombe title in program history, in addition to the Wolfpack looking to become the first women’s program at the meet to secure victory the year after winning a national championship.

Four schools have won Nuttycombe and a Division 1 women’s national title in the same year, with New Mexico achieving the feat twice in 2015 and 2017, joining Arkansas in 2019, Colorado in 2018 and Michigan State in 2014.

But no defending NCAA women’s champion has ever triumphed at Nuttycombe the following season, which North Carolina State has the potential to accomplish at the Thomas Zimmer Championship course.

Katelyn Tuohy, the reigning Division 1 outdoor 5,000-meter champion, led the Wolfpack placing four athletes in the top 12 on Sept. 30 at the Joe Piane Invitational at Notre Dame’s Burke Golf Course to produce a 55-68 victory over New Mexico.

New Mexico is the reigning women’s champion at Nuttycombe, earning its third all-time victory last season, in addition to wins in 2015 and 2017.

North Carolina State, which also had Samantha Bush, Marlee Starliper and Tennessee transfer Sydney Seymour finish in the top 12 at Joe Piane, placed second in 2016 and again last year, finished third in 2017 and 2019, along with fourth in 2015 at Nuttycombe.

The Wolfpack entered last year’s meet as the top-ranked team after prevailing against New Mexico at Joe Piane, but didn’t compete with their top lineup and placed runner-up against the Lobos by a 93-102 margin.

Kelsey Chmiel, who secured second overall last year, hasn’t raced this fall for North Carolina State. Although she is listed among the entries for the Wolfpack, it is uncertain if coach Laurie Henes will have Chmiel compete, much like she decided to rest All-American Hannah Steelman during last year’s meet.

North Carolina State still possesses the depth to overcome Chmiel’s absence with a roster that also includes Gionna Quarzo, Mariah Howlett, Nevada Mareno, Brooke Rauber and Savannah Shaw, but with a field featuring the top nine teams from last year’s Division 1 final and 24 ranked programs overall, securing a first Nuttycombe title without her would definitely be a challenge.

Northern Arizona looking to avoid third-degree burns

The most decorated men’s team in meet history arrives in Madison for the 8-kilometer championship race at 1 p.m. CDT in the unique role of underdog, as Northern Arizona has not won its past two meets, producing third-place finishes without showcasing its top lineup at both the Coaching Tree Invitational and Cowboy Jamboree.

Northern Arizona, which won four in a row at Nuttycombe from 2016-19 after capturing its first championship in Madison in 2013, has not endured three consecutive meets without a victory since 2015.

Lumberjacks coach Mike Smith had Theo Quax, Santiago Prosser and Kang Nyoak compete Sept. 16 at the Coaching Tree Invitational in Indiana, but despite the athletes sweeping the top three spots, Northern Arizona took third with 60 points, trailing North Carolina with 53 points and Georgetown with 58 points.

Smith then had Nico Young, Drew Bosley and Ryan Raff compete Sept. 24 at the Cowboy Jamboree at Oklahoma State, however, even with all three competitors placing in the top 20, Northern Arizona again took third with 110 points.

Brigham Young prevailed with 75 points and Stanford secured second with 101 points, and enter the meet as the top two teams in the country, ahead of the No. 3 Lumberjacks.

Northern Arizona has entered all of its top competitors for the 8-kilometer championship race, but the field again consists of BYU and Stanford, among 19 ranked programs. Seven of the top nine men’s teams from last year’s Division 1 final are scheduled to race.

Brodey Hasty, who finished in fourth in the Lumberjacks’ season opener Sept. 3 at the George Kyte Classic, could return to competition, with veteran George Kusche and freshman Colin Sahlman also potential additions to the Northern Arizona lineup.

In addition to its five Nuttycombe titles, Northern Arizona also won the Pre-Nationals meet along with capturing a national championship on the Thomas Zimmer Championship course in Madison in 2018.

With the Lumberjacks not attending last year’s competition, Northern Arizona has not lost a race in Madison since placing 30th at the 2015 Nuttycombe Invitational.

Northern Arizona also boasts the No. 4 women’s team in the country, led by Elise Stearns, Annika Reiss and Taryn O’Neill, who all finished in the top 25 to contribute to a runner-up finish Sept. 24 by a 69-88 margin behind host Oklahoma State at the Cowboy Jamboree.

New Mexico pursuing another memorable moment in Madison

The only three-time winner of the women’s championship race in meet history, New Mexico arrives in Madison as the No. 2 program in the country, but highly motivated to become the first lineup of female athletes to capture back-to-back titles.

The men’s programs from Syracuse and Northern Arizona have achieved consecutive titles at Nuttycombe, but no women’s team has defended its championship in meet history, with New Mexico only winning in odd years, including last season.

The Lobos had seven athletes in the top 30, including five scorers in the top 20 with a spread of 13 seconds, in its runner-up performance by a 55-68 margin behind North Carolina State on Sept. 30 at the Joe Piane Invitational at Notre Dame’s Burke Golf Course.

Gracelyn Larkin, Amelia Mazza-Downie, Samree Dishon, Emma Heckel, Elise Thorner, Abbe Goldstein and Ali Upshaw all have experience competing on the Thomas Zimmer Championship course for New Mexico, which favors the 6-kilometer layout in Madison more than the 5-kilometer course at Notre Dame.

Danielle Verster, a freshman who finished 21st overall as New Mexico’s No. 6 runner at Joe Piane, is expected to make her debut in Madison for the Lobos.

New Mexico won last year’s event as the No. 3 team in the country and relishes the underdog role once more in a rematch with North Carolina State.

The Lobos still boast the lowest women’s winning score in meet history, placing five athletes in the top 10 in 2015 to prevail with 32 points.

Schumacher returns to his roots

Before Jerry Schumacher helped develop several Olympians and World Championship medalists as coach of the Nike Bowerman Track Club, and well before he returned to the collegiate ranks this year as head of the Oregon cross country and track and field programs, he was an NCAA champion as both a student-athlete and coach at Wisconsin.

Schumacher returns with the Ducks to Madison, with the No. 21 women’s team and No. 24 men’s lineup looking to gain valuable experience competing on the Thomas Zimmer Championship course ahead of the Pac-12 final Oct. 28 in Riverside, Calif.

After contributing to a Division 1 men’s national championship cross country team at Wisconsin in 1988 with a 105-160 triumph against Northern Arizona, Schumacher returned to coach the Badgers from 1998-2008.

He guided Wisconsin to a national team title in 2005, along with five runner-up finishes, including three in a row from 2002-04 before producing a 37-105 victory against Arkansas for the Badgers’ fourth Division 1 championship.

Mick Byrne guided Wisconsin to a fifth NCAA crown in 2011.

Oregon is also coached by former North Carolina standout Shalane Flanagan, who captured 2002-03 cross country national titles for the Tar Heels.

Flanagan will have an opportunity to coach against her alma mater for the first time representing the Ducks, with North Carolina showcasing the No. 10 men’s team and No. 11 women’s lineup.

Oregon swept both the men’s and women’s competitions Sept. 23 at the Bill Dellinger Invitational at the Pine Ridge Golf Club in Springfield.

BYU looking for Nuttycombe breakthroughs

For all the success and impressive achievements demonstrated by the Brigham Young men’s and women’s teams during the past 12 years at the Thomas Zimmer Championship course, the Cougars have yet to secure a Nuttycombe title in either gender.

BYU did prevail in Madison at the NCAA Division 1 Pre-Nationals meet in 2018, but Northern Arizona not only triumphed in the other race that day, as well as at Nuttycombe that season. The Lumberjacks then captured the national title in Wisconsin by an 83-116 margin against the Cougars.

BYU has placed second in the men’s championship race at Nuttycombe in 2011, 2013 and 2015, along with taking third in 2016.

Following a victory Sept. 24 at the Cowboy Jamboree at Oklahoma State, BYU arrives at the Thomas Zimmer Championship course as the No. 1 team in the country under the guidance of veteran coach Ed Eyestone.

The Cougars had five scorers in the top 30 in Stillwater, highlighted by Casey Clinger securing seventh, Joey Nokes placing 10th and Weber State transfer Christian Allen finishing 11th.

Twin brothers Davin Thompson and Creed Thompson have both developed into significant contributors for BYU, along with Justin Hartshorn and Kenneth Rooks. The Cougars could also bolster their lineup with the return of Aidan Troutner and Brandon Garnica, two members of their seventh-place squad at last year’s Division 1 final.

The Cougars were third in the women’s championship race last year, the fourth time BYU has placed in the top 10 at Nuttycombe, including fourth in 2009, ninth in 2015 and 10th in 2016.

BYU was also fourth at Pre-Nationals in 2018, before placing seventh at the Division 1 final in Madison.

Aubrey Frentheway, Lexy Halladay-Lowry and McKenna Lee-Hansen all return for the Cougars after finishing in the top 25 last year at Nuttycombe, as BYU took third with 152 points.

The Cougars will also have an opportunity to showcase one of the deepest freshman classes in the country, including Addi Bruening, Riley Chamberlain and Taylor Rohatinsky.

Stanford seeks anniversary celebration

Although Maxim Korolev won the men’s individual crown in 2014 for Stanford, the Cardinal haven’t captured a men’s team title in Madison since 2012, producing five scorers in the top 45 to secure a 135-145 victory against Iona.

Stanford has a terrific trio that could carry the Cardinal to victory on the Thomas Zimmer Championship course, especially after the performances of Charles Hicks and Cole Sprout on Sept. 24 at the Cowboy Jamboree at Oklahoma State.

Hicks was second and Sprout finished fourth in Stillwater, but Stanford coach Ricardo Santos decided not to race Ky Robinson, who was 14th at last year’s Division 1 championship in Tallahassee, Fla.

The presence of Robinson would have given Stanford the potential to surpass Brigham Young, but the Cardinal will have an opportunity to showcase their strengths in a rematch with the Cougars, as well as reigning Division 1 champion Northern Arizona.

Stanford had Thomas Boyden place 16th and Robert DiDonato take 21st at Cowboy Jamboree, demonstrating the necessary depth to end its decade-long Nuttycombe drought.

Stanford has been in contention several times in Madison, placing second in 2016, 2019 and again last year, in addition to finishing runner-up in its race at Pre-Nationals on the Thomas Zimmer Championship course in 2018.

The Cardinal have also placed fifth in 2014 and fourth in 2017 at Nuttycombe, but have the capabilities to join Northern Arizona and Syracuse as winners of multiple men’s titles in Madison.

Building on a Badger legacy

Wisconsin is searching for its first men’s team title at Nuttycombe since 2011, but the Badgers have celebrated several impressive achievements during the past decade, looking to build upon that individual consistency in the 8-kilometer championship race.

Highlighted by Morgan McDonald capturing the individual crown in 2018, Wisconsin has placed at least one athlete in the top 20 every year of the meet aside from 2017, when Joe Hardy finished 25th.

The Badgers had three athletes in the top 10 in 2010, with Elliot Krause finishing fourth, Landon Peacock placing fifth and Moh Ahmed securing sixth.

Eight times in the past dozen events Wisconsin has had an athlete finish in the top 10, including Bob Liking taking fifth last year, Ollie Hoare securing second in 2019 and McDonald supporting his championship in 2018 with a third-place performance in 2016.

Malachy Schrobilgen finished fifth in 2015, the same feat achieved in 2012 by Maverick Darling, who also grabbed sixth in 2009.

The Badgers placed five scorers in the top 20 in 2011 to produce a 66-120 victory against BYU.

Jack Meijer was fifth, Liking secured sixth and Jackson Sharp finished seventh Sept. 23 in the men’s 8-kilometer gold race at the Roy Griak Invitational in Minnesota, helping Wisconsin capture the team title for the first time since 2004 and the 12th occasion in meet history, giving the Badgers the potential to achieve another top 10 individual competitor on their home course at Nuttycombe. 

Star-studded showcases

Led by fourth-place finisher Charles Hicks of Stanford, there are 17 returning NCAA Division 1 men’s cross country All-Americans entered in the 8-kilometer championship race in Madison.

Brigham Young’s Casey Clinger earned eighth at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Fla., followed by Villanova’s Haftu Strintzos in ninth.

Northern Arizona’s Nico Young was 11th and teammate Drew Bosley took 13th, with Stanford’s Ky Robinson finishing 14th.

Christian Allen, who secured 16th for Weber State, is now competing for BYU, with Oregon’s Aaron Bienenfeld looking to follow up his victory Sept. 23 at the Bill Dellinger Invitational in his first cross country race since placing 18th at last year’s Division 1 final.

Harvard’s Graham Blanks was 23rd, Air Force’s Sam Gilman grabbed 26th and North Carolina’s Parker Wolfe placed 28th in Tallahassee.

New Mexico’s Abdirizak Ibrahim took 33rd and Tulsa’s Cormac Dalton finished 34th, with Northern Arizona teammates George Kusche and Brodey Hasty achieving 37th and 39th, Washington’s Brian Fay earning 38th and Harvard’s Acer Iverson securing the last All-America accolade in 40th place.

There are also 12 returning women’s All-Americans potentially competing in the 6-kilometer championship race, with North Carolina State’s Kelsey Chmiel securing sixth and teammate Katelyn Tuohy finishing 15th in Tallahassee.

Notre Dame’s Maddy Denner took ninth and teammate Olivia Markezich secured 11th, with the New Mexico pair of Emma Heckel and Gracelyn Larkin finishing 18th and 21st, respectively.

Georgetown’s Maggie Donahue achieved 30th, Colorado’s Emily Covert placed 31st and North Carolina State’s Samantha Bush was 32nd at Apalachee Regional Park.

Arkansas’ Isabel Van Camp, who triumphed Sept. 30 at the Chile Pepper XC Festival in Fayetteville, earned 37th last year, followed by BYU’s Aubrey Frentheway finishing 38th and Furman’s Bethany Graham grabbing the 40th and final All-America spot.

Significant strides

There will be a pair of first-time individual winners in the championship races at Nuttycombe, with Wesley Kiptoo of Iowa State now competing as a professional athlete for HOKA Northern Arizona Elite and West Virginia deciding not to return this season after Ceili McCabe captured the title last season.

But the memory of McCabe’s victory remains one of the most inspiring stories in meet history, improving from her 153rd-place finish in 2019 to capture the individual crown last year by covering the 6-kilometer course in 19:57.4.

Whether any competitor in either championship race can match the impressive feat of McCabe remains to be seen, but there are several athletes with the potential to improve more than 100 places from last year, and a couple with the capabilities to ascend more than 200 positions.

Oregon’s Harper McClain was 122nd last year, Washington’s Anna Gibson took 140th and Stanford’s Audrey Suarez secured 154th, with the Pac-12 trio all motivated to move into the top 50 this season, along with Michigan State’s Katie Osika looking to elevate from 157th and Furman’s Megan Marvin inspired to climb from 171st place.

The female athlete with the most room for improvement could be Utah State’s Analee Weaver, who was 229th in the championship last year for Brigham Young, but has flourished under the guidance of coach Artie Gulden since joining the Aggies’ program.

Evan Bishop could produce a profound turnaround for host Wisconsin after achieving 138th last season, with Portland’s Matt Strangio trying to improve from 140th, Michigan State’s John Petruno seeking a strong rebound after finishing 147th, North Carolina’s Ethan Strand attempting to ascend following his 154th-place performance and North Carolina State’s Ian Harrison looking to move past a 178th-place effort last year.

North Carolina’s Patrick Anderson could be the biggest mover in the men’s race after placing 219th last season for the Tar Heels.

Anderson finished right behind teammate Parker Wolfe in their 8-kilometer race Sept. 30 at the Lehigh Paul Short Run in Pennsylvania, with the Tar Heels taking the top two spots to secure the team victory.

Fresh faces hoping to deliver big races

Whether it’s a group of talented true freshmen or a collection of Division 1 newcomers who are looking to make an impact after earning All-America honors at the NCAA Division 2 or 3 levels, several athletes are seeking memorable debuts on the Thomas Zimmer Championship course.

Iowa State, the reigning men’s team champion at Nuttycombe, has seen its roster bolstered by the arrival of Southern Indiana transfers and siblings Silas Winders and Titus Winders.

Michigan State has gained valuable experience with the presence of former Saginaw Valley State star CarLee Stimpfel, with Portland gaining more depth with the arrival of Trinidad State standout Ahmed Sado.

Michigan has benefited significantly from the additions of Cassie Kearney from Middlebury and Danielle Page from Tufts, Arkansas has another veteran with sixth-year athlete Katie McCune from Drury, with North Carolina solidifying its lineup following the arrival of Fatima Alanis from Queens University in Charlotte and Colorado elevating its national presence with former Johns Hopkins standout, NCAA Division 3 champion and record holder Ella Baran.

Potential impact freshmen in the women’s competition include Riley Chamberlain from BYU, Arkansas’ Mia Cochran, Duke’s Dalia Frias, North Carolina’s Eva Klingbeil, Notre Dame’s Caroline Lehman, Furman’s Jenna Mulhern, Stanford’s Riley Stewart and Minnesota’s Ali Weimer.

The possibility of Northern Arizona’s Colin Sahlman, the reigning Gatorade Male Athlete of the Year from Newbury Park High, making his collegiate debut adds an extra layer of intrigue to the men’s championship race.

Georgetown’s Mateo Althouse and Lucas Guerra, Notre Dame’s Izaiah Steury, Michigan State’s Riley Hough, Harvard’s Vivien Henz, Villanova’s Marco Langon and Stanford’s Zane Bergen are also freshmen looking to build momentum toward their first conference championship experiences in the final week of October.