The Badgers finished the three-day event with 121 points. Illinois was second with 109 and Nebraska was third with 106.

The victory gave UW, which won the Big Ten indoor title in March, its 12th sweep of the league titles and the first since 2007.

UW has won the past five Big Ten meets — indoor and outdoor — dating to the 2012 outdoor meet in Madison.

“I think over the years we have always been looked on as a cross country and distance program. We’re definitely coming on in the track and showed it by backing up our indoor title,” Byrne said.

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Ahmed said he entered the race with a plan to be patient, and that’s exactly how he ran.

“I just let the race develop,” he said. “I wanted to wait three or four laps to take the lead and dictate the pace from there. Every time a guy came on my shoulder, I wouldn’t make a surge and that was my strategy.

“I was excited when I looked back with 50 meters to go and just saw my teammates. I was ecstatic. I was screaming (at) the top of my lungs.”

Ahmed said the victory was especially sweet because it went against a UW stereotype.