Complete Results

Coming into the 2004 Big Ten Cross Country Championships, the Conference boasted five of the top 30 teams in the country, including five-time defending champion and top-ranked Wisconsin Badgers. The 8K meet started in beautiful conditions on the University of Iowa's Ashton Cross Country Course which was dedicated in a ceremony earlier in the morning.

The Badgers, looking for their sixth consecutive Big Ten Championship were paced by defending champion, junior Simon Bairu, who had watched his high school teammate Danette Doetzel win the women's race just minutes before he was called to the starting line.  As the race began to take shape, four Badgers emerged as the early leaders:  Bairu, sophomore Chris Solinsky, senior Matt Tegenkamp, and senior Josh Spiker. Coming into the 1,000-meter mark, Penn State sophomore Dan Mazzocco began to run his way into the Wisconsin pack, but no individual or team had begun to distance themselves from the rest of the field. As the lead pack approached the one-mile mark, the Badgers began to position themselves for the stretch run with six of the top 10 runners. Wisconsin had the team lead at the one-mile mark, followed by Ohio State and Iowa.  At 2,500 meters, Minnesota senior Andrew Carlson moved in on the leaders. Almost halfway into the race All-American Nate Brannen from Michigan began to close in on the top four runners, sitting 20 meters behind. With just two kilometers remaining Wisconsin held onto the top three spots and began to pull ahead by a 30-meter distance. As 20 minutes approached, Bairu opened up a 15-meter advantage on teammates Tegenkamp, Solinsky and Spiker, who were followed closely by Ohio State junior Brian Olinger and Brannen. As the leaders came down the home stretch Bairu won his second straight Big Ten Championship with a time of 23:45. He was followed by Solinsky with a time of 23:55 and Tegenkamp who finished at 23:57. The first non-Badger finisher was Carlson who came in at 24 minutes flat and the top -five was rounded out by Brannen's 24:18 showing.

The Badgers finished the race with only 23 points, the fourth lowest score in Big Ten history.  After the top-three finishers, Spiker placed sixth with a time of 24:18 and junior Bobby Lockhart rounded out Wisconsin's scoring with an 11th place 24:34. The 2004 titel was Wisconsin's 12th since 1990.

Indiana came in second place, up a spot from last year, with 104 points. The Hoosiers were paced by twin brothers Sean and John Jefferson who came across the finish line one second apart in eighth and ninth places respectively.

The meet hosts, the Iowa Hawkeyes, came in third with 110 points, an increase of two positions from 2003. Sophomore Micah VanDenend was the top Hawkeye finisher in 14th position, followed closely by 16th place freshman Eric MacTaggart.

The Golden Gophers finished next with 124 points, led by Carlson and junior Ryan Malmin whose 24:33 time was good enough for 10th place. Their fourth place finish was up two spots from last year's championship.

Led by Brannen, the Michigan Wolverines came in fifth with 125 points. After Brannen, freshman Michael Woods placed next in 23rd and seniors Michael Bialick and Jonathon Kieliszak finished 30th and 31st respectively.

The Ohio State Buckeyes finished in the sixth place position with 127 points. The Buckeyes were paced by Olinger who rounded out the All-Big Ten first team in seventh place. Freshman John Ealy was the next Ohio State runner to cross the finish line in 15th position. Senior Jacob MaCauley finished in 25th position.

Michigan State finished in seventh, the same spot it tied with Penn State for in 2003. Their 158 point performance was led by a 12th place finish for senior Steve Sherer, who had a time of 24:34. Next for the Spartans was freshman Dustin Voss in 28th.

Illinois finished with 162 points, in eighth place. Sophomore Trent Hoerr led the Fighting Illini with a 17th place finished and junior Jason Bill came across the finish line 22nd.

In ninth place were the Penn State Nittany Lions with 206 points. Sophomore Dan Mazzocco's 20th place finish led the squad with Christopher Foster coming in 26th with a time of 25:01.

The Purdue Boilermakers finished the race in tenth place with 312 points. Purdue's top finisher, sophomore Justin Stadt, came across the finish line in 25:56, good for 61st place.