B1G Time Impact

EDITOR'S NOTE: While we were not able to receive comments and quotes from each highlighted athlete, we would like to thank Olin Hacker, Rebecca Craddock & Morgan Beadlescomb for their time and willingness to offer commentary for this piece. Please note that this list of athletes is not exhaustive and not aimed to suggest that any unintentionally omitted athletes were not impactful.

The BIG 10 conference has long been a sturdy provider of stellar distance running performances. Whether it be teams tearing up the grass circuits or individuals duking it out for glory on the indoor and outdoor ovals, look to any NCAA Championship, past or present, and you’ll see a BIG 10 athlete in the mix for the win.

This year of competition, however, has arguably been one of the best in recent memory, coming from a very unique class of BIG 10 athletes: the super seniors.

These long-time conference veterans have helped shape the modern-day identities of their respective programs, providing a figurehead for up-and-coming groups in need of a leader and adding to the long legacy of already talented teams.

These established BIG 10 superstars redefined what it meant to be great at the BIG 10 Championship level. They brought schools back into the national conversation, ended podium droughts, acted as key transitional pieces between different eras of talent and even qualified for the Olympic Trials.

Athletes like Meghan and Bethany Hasz, Morgan Beadlescomb, Olin Hacker and a handful of others have realigned the BIG 10 on more than just the track.

Below, we look back at the impact of these seniors, how they shaped their programs and how they found success at the highest levels.

What originally motivated Olin Hacker to decide to return for an extra year of competition was his desire to perform. Not just passively, but at the highest possible level.

“I felt like when I finished my fifth year of competition, I still hadn't performed to the level that I believed I could.”

“Due to COVID eligibility and a medical redshirt, I was given the opportunity to achieve some of the goals I hadn't achieved yet and I wanted to pursue that.”

In the post-Morgan McDonald and Oliver Hoare-era, it was clear that Wisconsin needed a transitional piece. Someone to carry the already-high momentum of the Badgers' program and to give younger runners someone to look up to as an example of the program’s strength.

Hacker, who returned precisely in the absence of the former recognizable faces of the program, had a chip on his shoulder and unfinished business. And at the same time, he boasted the advantage of age, experience and raw, untapped talent that hadn’t fully given him the spotlight that he deserved.

In other words, his extra year of eligibility perfectly aligned with the state of Wisconsin's roster.

The 2021 NCAA XC Championships this past fall gave Hacker the first taste of what could be ahead as he improved 68 places from his performance in March to finally claim a 30th place finish and his first long-awaited All-American status on the grass.

Once the indoor season arrived, Hacker’s banner year continued in style, notching personal bests in nearly every single event that he contested on the track. On the indoor circuit, he ripped off top-tier times of 3:56 in the mile and 7:45 in the 3000 meters.

Hacker took home his first two individual titles in the BIG 10 on the indoor oval and then earned a 4th place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships in the 3000 meters, flexing his tactical acumen and raw fitness despite his relatively lower seed.

But to Hacker, his All-American achievement had been a long-time coming.

“I have achieved goals that I had coming into college that I had begun to think I would never achieve. Instead of leaving college feeling like I had unfinished business or feeling like I never performed to my best ability, I feel like I can leave knowing that I not only tried my best, but I performed my best.”

 For Hacker to explode into the very top of the NCAA's most competitive tier in such a critical year for the Badgers was vindication for an athlete who had all the aerobic pieces and talent, but could never quite catch a break, failing to string together a marquee, career-defining performance.

His unfortunate tumble in the 5000 meters at the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Championships seemed to epitomize his championship luck...up until this year.

Nowadays, he has a 13:19 personal best for 5000 meters is a heavy favorite to earn yet another All-American honor in what may be the deepest and most top-heavy 5k national field that the NCAA has ever seen.

But maybe more importantly, it's clear that Hacker had motivated his younger teammates even before his stunner of an indoor season. At the BIG 10 XC Championships this past fall, he celebrated raucously across the line to greet the individual winner, teammate Bob Liking who held freshman eligibility at the time.

“Racing in the BIG 10 has been a dream that I feel very lucky to have experienced for so long, but it ends eventually.”

Hacker's season isn't done yet -- he still as the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 5k next weekend -- but in a career that has culminated with long-sought accolades and an ability to step up at the moment he was most needed for his team, what an end it has been.

While it’s not a rare tale for a long-successful team like Michigan State to stay steadily afloat on top of the sea of nationally competitive programs in the BIG 10, it can’t be done without someone to steer the ship.

When that someone is a distance running sensation with nearly unrivaled consistency going by the name of Jenna Magness, it’s no wonder the Spartans have been able to steadfastly remain charting the course to success.

By 2022, Magness had recorded an eyebrow-raising array of personal bests, including marks of 9:05 (3k), 15:26 (5k) and a 33:37 (10k), firmly etching herself into the Spartan record books and transforming herself into a fairly realistic title threat whenever she toed the line.

However, what was even more impressive was how she did it.

Every single year, without fail, Magness would improve. Whether it be in places, or times recorded, she steadily marched ever upwards, quietly matching the rapid progression seen throughout the NCAA over the last few years.

While having a top runner for any team to lean on is always a hearty boost, it’s not necessarily a guarantee that a talented runner performs in dire moments.

Many quality teams have been left off the medal stand by a top scorer tying up on race day and crumbling under pressure, and many breakout stars have failed to capitalize on their abilities in crunch time.

But in all of her years, Magness was never the runner who faltered.

This Michigan State superstar moved from a 160th place finish in her first national cross country race in 2018 to 14th place in this year’s race in an enviable linear pattern of progression.

That level of assurance from such a dependable leader is what allowed this team to capitalize on the entirety of their talent, and it showed as the Spartans notched a top-three team finish in the BIG 10 four years in a row, along with two BIG 10 championship titles to boot.

Oh, and a 4th place podium team finish on the national stage isn't too shabby, either.

To put it simply, throughout her collegiate career, Magness' influence reached much farther than a record book entry.

She provided an unreal level of consistency for her team that is rare in the turmoil of collegiate title racing, and never once let them down, racing with a near unmatchable level of success all while improving each year that she toed the line.

And while she hasn't won a national title, maybe, just maybe, that could change next weekend at the NCAA Outdoor Championships...

Written by Garrett Zatlin

High school stars are never guaranteed to see the same level of success in the NCAA.

Unless their name in Ben Veatch.

Then don't worry, he'll be a star.

This Indiana veteran doesn't necessarily have an incredible comeback story. He wasn't the sole reason why the Hoosiers' cross country team had success. He's never really been in contention to be a national title winner.

And yet, no matter the race, he was always a factor. He was always competitive. He always thrived no matter the race scenario you put him in.

Simply put, Veatch was relentless. He was almost always a problem for his BIG 10 competitors and he refused to go away regardless of the setting.

Here's a fun fact: Since 2016, Veatch has contested the BIG 10 XC Championships five times. Up until this past fall, he had finished in the top-10 every time he had toed the line.

Here's another fun fact: Since 2016, Veatch has finished 17 different event finals at the BIG 10 Indoor and Outdoor Championships. Up until this spring, he had never fallen outside of the top-three. That includes DMR races.

In total, Veatch has secured five BIG 10 titles on the track and two All-American honors on the national stage. He has also posted incredible personal bests of 3:58 (mile), 7:45 (3k), 13:33 (5k) and 28:57 (10k).

When people think of Michigan State, they'll think of Morgan Beadlescomb.

When people think of Minnesota, they'll think of the Hasz twins.

But when people think of Indiana, despite the great success that the program as seen in all facets and in all stages, they'll almost certainly think of Ben Veatch. The Hoosier superstar was always in the mix and admittedly, the BIG 10 almost felt incomplete if Veatch wasn't toeing the line.

He may not be in the mix to win a national title, but no one in this article seems to epitomize the midwest and the BIG 10 better than Ben Veatch.

It’s a gem to any championship-contending team to have an athlete who can put up an array of points across events in a loaded conference, and then smoothly transition to the postseason and perform well on the national stage as well.

But to have two of them?

Well, that's a different story.

That kind of firepower is what allows a team to firmly establish itself themselves near the top of a major conference and the NCAA, and it is also what qualified the Hasz twins as legitimate scoring treasures for the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Throughout their individual careers, the Hasz twins became a nearly assured points-heavy duo for Minnesota in every conference meet they contested, all while putting up marks in the uppermost tier of the NCAA, creating one of the sturdiest scoring foundations for continued team success in the BIG 10.

Bethany Hasz, for example, had arguably one of the more impressive triples at the 2020 BIG 10 Indoor Championships just before the pandemic, where she earned a scoring finish in the 5000 meters and secured a top-three finish in both the 1500 meters and the 3000 meters.

By 2021, she had undeniably arrived as a top-ranked talent nationally, recording a top-10 finish at the NCAA XC Championships, a runner-up finish in the 5000 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships and a 3rd place finish in the 5000 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Since the winter of 2021, she has finished in the top-two of every event that she has completed for Minnesota at the BIG 10 Championships on the track.

When an athlete can demonstrate that level of dependability, especially in such a condensed year as 2021, that is an ace in the hole for a team needing a low-stick.

But that’s not all. Even though Bethany was often a sure-bet to perform in crunch time throughout most of her career, there were moments when she faltered just a tad, as is not uncommon in a exceptionally lengthy career.

The 2021 BIG 10 Championships in cross country was one example where she was slightly off the mark, although even that seems exaggerated given that she placed 9th overall.

But then her sister Megan reached the pinnacle of her aerobic prowess at the perfect moment.

Megan Hasz had a career that was slightly out of the limelight compared to her sister. While she was certainly no slouch when it came to contesting doubles and triples at conference meets -- and still boasting a slightly more long-distance skillset with a 33:09 mark for 10,000 meters -- injuries often left Megan slightly off the consistent build of her sister.

But on a cold, rainy day in which only six points decided the champions of the conference title, Megan Hasz overtook Michigan’s Ericka VanderLende to capture her individual cross country title and lead the charge for the Golden Gophers to win their first conference title since 2008.

And it was in that moment where everyone in country, not just the BIG 10, likely came to this realization: There is no escape from Megan and Bethany Hasz. The Hasz twins are inevitable.

Together, the Hasz twins provided the low-stick capabilities that the Gophers most certainly needed to complement their growing and outstanding depth. Together, the twins heralded of a revival of sorts for a traditionally strong team that had receded from national caliber performances.

The duo ultimately led the Minnesota women to a cross country conference title, an indoor conference title and two top-10 team finishes at the NCAA XC Championships.

It would a hard-pressed issue to try and find two athletes in the BIG 10 who so efficiently provided critical points and spurred a successful team championship bid.

And you'd be even harder-pressed to find them from the same family.

Morgan Beadlescomb can leave the BIG 10 as the undeniable figurehead of the Michigan State men’s program.

Leaving behind a nearly-unmatchable legacy of personal bests and awards, including a 2021 Olympic Trials qualification, Beadlescomb did more than just rewrite the record books across the entire spectrum of distance events.

He also revitalized an entire program.

Beadlescomb’s initial arrival to the national stage was a quiet one, earning a 165th place finish at the 2016 NCAA Cross Championships. His team finished 20th overall which would remain their best finish for the next few years.

An ensuing string of non-qualifying cross country seasons had made it clear that the Spartans were a team in a lull and in need of a spark.

But Beadlescomb? Well, he wasn’t deterred at the long task ahead.

Instead, he understood the midwest mentality that would be needed to advance out of the always crazy-deep Great Lakes region.

“The midwest has a lot of competitive runners in high school and I think we take our school pride to college. The midwest climate breeds some tough people and we take that toughness to the track.”

With age comes experience and Beadlescomb has proven to be the peak example. Year after year, slowly but surely, he improved. Much in the manner of his fellow Spartan teammate Jenna Magness, his ascent into the upper-level of distance running was a steady collection of incredible momentum.

Among the first glimmers of excellence came in 2019 when he clocked a 13:47 mark for 5000 meters at the Raleigh Relays, a time which would earn him a ticket to the regional meet which he would advance out of and later culminate in a 13th place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

And the pandemic? That didn’t slow him down in the least. In fact, the Beadlescomb who returned to the NCAA following the pandemic was now strong enough to squarely shoulder the hopes and goals of his team, as well.

After the 2021 BIG 10 Indoor Championships where he took 2nd place overall in the 5000 meters, Beadlescomb threw down at the NCAA Indoor Championships to garner a 3rd place bronze medal finish.
 

Days later, he would finish 33rd at the NCAA XC Championships for an All-American result.

However, more importantly, the Spartans had qualified for the national meet as a team (initially without Beadlescomb) and ultimately finished 17th overall. And while that may not be an exceptionally high finish, that result still heralded a tangible shift within the Michigan State program.

They had found a rallying point, and while they were not at the top, they had still managed to start the ascent.

And it was that desire for the Spartans to improve that also played into Beadlescomb’s decision to return for an extra year of collegiate competition.

“We also had a very good, young class and I knew that I could help them develop by staying another year.”

But the team aspect was only a part of what made Beadlescomb so great.

In the year that followed, the Michigan State superstar would cement himself as one of the most wildly capable and elite athletes across multiple distance events.

After ending the 2021 season at the Olympic Trials, Beadlescomb eventually stormed to a 5th place finish at the next NCAA XC Championships. Then, he went on a head-turning track campaign that included a 3:52 mile mark, a time of 13:17 for 5000 meters and an incredible 7:43 result for 3000 meters at the Millrose Games.

For programs that need a figurehead, it’s often good enough for a leader to be able to be nationally competitive in a singular, specialized event.

But for Beadlescomb to lay down a wide array of personal bests and top-tier results on the grass and the track for the young, up-and-coming Spartans to set their sights on?

Well, that can be enough to keep a developing class hungry for the years ahead.

And if that wasn't enough, Beadlescomb's future has now significantly shifted as he has capitalized on his extra year of eligibility.

The chances of me running professionally have dramatically increased, as well as my abilities as an engineer. I have learned a lot about the sport of track and field that I would have never learned had I not continued.

Morgan Beadlescomb’s name is now etched in the class of Michigan State all-time greats (and likely the best ever). But the influence of his resume will no doubt have a hand in his team’s success in the coming years as new generations of Spartans aim to match, and perhaps even surpass, his legacy.

But with one last chance to earn an NCAA title next weekend, trying to replicate Beadlescomb's accolades will prove to be a wildly difficult challenge regardless of where they attend school.

Rebecca Craddock admittedly lacks some of the conference championships and national threat capabilities that some of the other BIG 10 seniors boast.

However, the contributions of this Illinois veteran have been undeniably huge. Over the course of her career, she was actively part of a program realignment that started from the ground up and ultimately saw rapid success.

When Craddock entered the ranks of the Illinois women in 2017, it was a program in limbo that had seemed to settle near the bottom ranks of the BIG 10, having not qualified for the NCAA XC Championships as a team since 2009, during the days of Illini great Angela Bizzarri.

But the introduction of Sarah Haveman as the team's new head coach in 2018 acted as a key turning point for Illinois. That new leadership, paired with Craddock's early signs of positive production, looked incredibly promising for a team that was aiming to rally into the top-half of the BIG 10.

And sure enough, Craddock acted as the catalyst who proved to the rest of the team that they if they wanted it, they belonged.

Ever so surely, the women of Illinois rallied behind Craddock’s trailblazing. From 2018 to 2019, the Fighting Illini' jumped six places in the team standing at the BIG 10 XC Championships.

For Craddock, the inklings that the Fighting Illini women could eventually make up a national-caliber team began that winter at the BIG 10 Indoor Championships.

“I was part of that DMR team where we had an amazing race and came in 3rd. The moment was surreal, and we were all so happy. We went into that race just wanting to give it our best and leave it all on the track and we walked away with BIG 10 medals."

After nearly a decade of dormancy, Craddock had re-awoken the Illini women. That fall, Craddock would put up a 1-2 punch of 12th and 14th place finishes with teammate Allison McGrath at the Midwest XC Regional Championships to secure Illinois’s first national bid in a decade.

“I remember the buzzing excitement as we sat and waited for the official results to come through. I remember how proud Coach Haveman was of us as she gave us a speech and explained what we had just accomplished. I still get chills thinking back to that moment.”

From then on, the Illini women would continue to build with Craddock at the helm, leaping up the national ranks at the 2021 NCAA Winter XC Championships to finish 21st overall after a 3rd place finish at the BIG 10 Winter XC Championships.

Craddock’s career has ended with a handful of All-BIG 10 marks to her name as well national meet experience in cross country.

But the most lasting part of her legacy is that she became the cornerstone of a massive program revitalization. She helped establish the foundation that future Illinois women’s programs will be built upon.

And that is an achievement that very few can ever boast.

Jonathan Davis, over his long career at Illinois, has accrued a list of accolades that would make many a young runners green with envy.

Between his BIG 10 titles, and All-American honors on both the track and the grass, it all came together to form a ready leader for a team searching for a foothold in their conference to rally around.

But while the accolades were deserved, that is not what defined Davis as a pillar for Illinois.

While having an extremely talented runner break onto the top-tier national scene for a school needing a competitive boost isn’t rare, doing it against multiple adversities and setbacks such as in the vein of Davis’s career makes his accomplishments all the more impressive.

Take the 2019 indoor track season, for example, where Davis broke four minutes in the mile with a 3:58.06 on a flat-track after being sidelined by a stress fracture followed by illness.

Or more recently, on the heels of a cross country season ended by a DNF at the NCAA XC Championships, a stunning 3:54 indoor mile in the 2022 Music City Challenge and a 4th place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships in the mile.

No matter the setback, where other highly talented athletes with a lesser drive may have crumbled at falling short of their goals, Davis doggedly returned to even greater competitive heights and improved on himself year after year.

That tenacity becomes ingrained in a team culture, showing that someone is willing to suffer for the sake of a program they throw all their faith into. The kind of will that creates the backbone of elite teams, as well as the ones climbing to the top.

With Davis at the helm, the Fighting Illini' men have improved to garner multiple All-conference members and BIG 10 title in the DMR, with the cross country team continuing an upward trend to place 6th at the BIG 10 XC Championships this past fall with a second-team All-BIG 10 honor going to teammate Tyler Cushing.

Jonathan Davis is far from just chalking up as a school record holder with national prominence. He was a definitive example of how to overcome the trials of collegiate competition and do it with a rare kind of success.

Now, as he approaches the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Davis has the chance to do something special. The long-time veteran will be viewed as an All-American favorite with his 3:36 PR for 1500 meters and could contend for the national title.

And if that were to happen, then the injuries, illnesses and setbacks will have only been contributing factors to one of the best redemption stories in the NCAA over the last few years.