Wisconsin won the school's and the Big Ten's first-ever national title when the Badgers defeated top-ranked Stanford by 26 points to claim the 1984 NCAA Cross Country Championship.  UW was led by Cathy Branta, who took home the individual crown in a record time of 16:15.6 on the 5,000-meter course and a seven-second advantage over second-place finisher Shelly Steeley of Florida.

The Badgers defeated the Cardinal, 63-89, in State College, Pa., with the strong finish of Branta and Katie Ishmael, who finished in sixth place.  Other UW finishers included Kelly McKillen (17th), Birgit Christiansen (28th), Stephanie Herbst (45th), Stephanie Bassett (58th) and Holly Herring (67th).  With their finishes, Branta, Ishmael and McKillen were honored as All-Americans.

Branta, who overcame an iron deficiency problem earlier in the fall, completed her career as the Badgers' second three-time Big Ten champion and helped lead Wisconsin to its seventh-straight individual conference title.

THEY SAID IT
Wisconsin Head Coach Peter Tegen
"We've had a great year with the Olympic trials and the Olympics themselves, and now this is really a fantastic finish for the fall.  There was a perfect blend of natural running ability and coaching that got this championship. The girls trained very hard all year, and really wanted this title.  As for Cathy (Branta), she ran just a perfect race. She did everything right, she had certain assignments to fulfill and she did it perfectly."

Badger senior and NCAA champion Cathy Branta
"The experience of the Olympic trials helped me out quite a bit.  I felt more in control of myself and the race with that experience behind me.  We've felt that we could be No. 1 all year long.  We just had to go out and prove it."

Big Ten 25 Years of Women's Championships

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