Wisconsin's Mick Byrne retires after accolade-filled 18 years with Badgers
Wisconsin's much-accomplished leader of its cross country and track and field programs is retiring after the 2026 season.
MADISON – Wisconsin's much-accomplished leader of its cross country and track and field programs is moving on. Mick Byrne will retire following the 2026 outdoor track and field season, he announced via an April 14 press release, concluding an 18-year tenure with the Badgers . Byrne is the winningest coach in Big Ten men's cross country history with 14 conference titles since arriving in 2008.
The Badgers also won an NCAA national championship in 2011 under his tutelage. First as the head men's cross country coach and assistant track and field coach and then as director of cross country and track and field since 2013 – with oversight over both men's and women's programs – his teams have won 14 NCAA individual titles , 18 Big Ten team titles and 95 Big Ten individual titles while earning 121 first-team All-Americans. "Here at Wisconsin, I have been surrounded by an amazing staff who helped us win many championships," Byrne said in the release.
"Their hard work and dedication made Wisconsin a special place to work. We had fun together. The student-athletes I had the privilege to coach here and at Iona made a huge impact on me throughout the years and I am a better person today because of them.
" Interim athletic director Marcus Sedberry said that Byrne made a "profound" impact on Wisconsin. "Mick has not only developed champions in sport on the course and track, but and also in life," Sedberry said. "His influence will be felt for generations through the student-athletes he mentored and the foundation he built.