The University of Wisconsin men's cross country team earns the No. 1 spot in the first U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association poll, released on Tuesday. The Badgers, who finished second at the 2006 NCAA Championship, received five first-place votes to total 379 points.
Defending NCAA champion Colorado picked up four first-place votes to be ranked second with 369 points.
The Badgers return five of their top-seven runners from the 2006 season, including junior All-americans Stu Eagon and Matt Withrow. Other returning members of the UW's second-place NCAA team are junior Christian Wagner and sophomores Brandon Bethke and Craig Miller.
Wisconsin, which has won a record-tying eight straight Big Ten Conference championships, is the only league team in the top 15.
Wisconsin opens its season this weekend at the Carroll College Pioneer Invitational at Minooka Park in Waukesha.