By UW Student Athletes on November 30, 2009 9:36 AM
By Whitney Owusu, Wisconsin women's soccer
"Cherish every moment, because these four years will go by so fast and before you know it, you'll be a senior playing in your last collegiate game." These were the words I heard countless times from coaches, upperclassmen and alums since the time I entered this program three years ago. And like most people, I didn't believe them until I found myself beginning my last preseason ever as a Badger.
By Jacqueline Boscacci on November 28, 2009 2:50 PM
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Please join Jacqueline Boscacci as
she chronicles all the action from Saturday's matchup between the
Wisconsin women's hockey team and Providence with the Gameday Blog.
By Jacqueline Boscacci on November 27, 2009 3:27 PM
Please join Jacqueline Boscacci as she chronicles all the action from
Friday's matchup between the Wisconsin women's hockey team and
Providence with the Gameday Blog.
Happy Thanksgiving Badger fans! The Wisconsin women's basketball team arrived safely in Eugene, Ore., on Thursday and is ready to get things started at the World Vision Invitational, which begins today. The team had a full day of travel on Thanksgiving, along with quite a few laughs and of course, some great food.
By Jacqueline Boscacci on November 26, 2009 2:26 PM
After an early 6 a.m. departure, the Badger women's hockey team landed in Providence a little before 9:30 a.m. ET. The team headed straight to Schneider Arena to unload the bus (props to Jim Lamboley for making the two-day drive to meet us here), and get ready for practice. As per usual, the team ended practice with the showdown (after Thursday practice the team participates in a shootout and the winner picks someone to sing in front of the team for pregame meal the next day). For the second week in a row, Stefanie McKeough won the shootout. See who McKeough chose to sing in the Badgers Thanksgiving video.
Nov. 25, 2009
Maui, Hawaii. -- Join Patrick Herb courtside as he chronicles all the action from today's Maui Invitational third-place game between the Badgers and Maryland with the Gameday Blog.
Four different wrestling publications released their updated rankings Tuesday, and the Wisconsin wrestling team is ranked in a different spot depending on which publication you look at. After going 0-2 last weekend in Oregon, the Badgers have dropped in all three team polls, but in some more than others.
By UW Student Athletes on November 24, 2009 1:36 PM
By Olivia Jakiel, Wisconsin women's hockey
Well, Badger fans, I don't really have much to say this week. We've fallen into a pattern with our weekend games and none of us are happy about it (and I'm sure you all aren't either). With the team chartering a flight at 7 a.m. (leaving the rink at 5:15 a.m....eek!) to fly out to Providence, we hope to bring everything we've got to the rink. I mean, how can we not? This pattern has to stop and hopefully we can put an end to the inconsistency of this season this weekend.
By UW Student Athletes on November 24, 2009 12:23 PM
By Michele Dalton, Wisconsin women's soccer
It was disappointing that we didn't get the result we had hoped for this weekend. We battled for 90 minutes, and unfortunately came out on the losing end. But, in the words of our coaches, "As soon as the whistle blew for the end of the game, the 2010 season began." This harsh realization was hard to swallow, but then I looked around.
I still get another shot, another opportunity to play the sport I love... the seniors don't. For them, the ride stopped at the sound of that whistle. A ride for many that began during youth, evolved into a love through adolescence, and resulted in a passion by adulthood. What's left is a lifetime of memories, of moments that define the women we've become today. The harsh realization became a little easier to accept once I thought about the seniors.
Nov. 24, 2009
MADISON, Wis. -- Join Patrick Herb courtside as he chronicles all the action from tonight's Maui Invitational semifinal game between the Badgers and Gonzaga with the Gameday Blog.
Nov. 24, 2009
Please join Diane Nordstrom of the Wisconsin Athletic Communications Office tonight as she chronicles all the action from the Wisconsin women's basketball game vs. Green Bay.
I keep telling myself that at some point in my life, I'll need to grow up and get a real job. Then again, why? Here we are in Maui for a basketball tournament. Next week we will be in Honolulu for the final football game of the regular season. For yours truly, it marks trips number seven and eight to Hawaii for "work," errrrrrr, I mean, to broadcast sporting events.
During last season's Paradise Jam Tournament in the U.S. Virgin Islands, the tournament experience included a boating and snorkeling trip for the players and staff. The Maui Invitational has several fun events included in the week, but a boat trip is not among them.
The team had such a fun time last season and in past years on the boat that Coach Ryan and his staff wanted to squeeze one into this itinerary. After a late arrival Friday, practice and evening events on both Saturday and Sunday and of course games Monday through Wednesday, the only window was Sunday morning.
Please join veteran women's basketball oberver Tam Flarup today as she chronicles all the action from the Wisconsin women's basketball game vs. Cleveland State.
Nov. 23, 2009 Maui, Hawaii -- Join Patrick Herb courtside as he chronicles all the action from tonight's Maui Invitational game between the Badgers and Arizona with the Gameday Blog.
First of all, the four-hour time change is playing fits with our body clocks. I think most of the travel party sprung awake sometime between 3 and 5 a.m. Saturday morning. If you were fortunate enough to fall back asleep, you might get acclimated, but for those that were up, it's going to take a few days to feel adjusted.
After a morning laying around the pool or walking the beach, the team held its first practice in Hawaii, heading to Lahainaluna High School Saturday afternoon.
By Jacqueline Boscacci on November 21, 2009 3:30 PM
Please join Paul Capobianco
as he chronicles all the action from Saturday's matchup between the
Wisconsin women's hockey team and St. Cloud State with the Gameday Blog.
1: 24 p.m. (Pacific) - Much ado about nothing. After nearly a two-hour delay out of Chicago and much consternation over whether or not we would miss our connecting flight to Maui, things worked out perfectly.
Somewhere over Utah we were notified that out connecting flight would be utilizing the exact same plane that we were on for the first leg of our trip. So we would land in San Francisco and have just enough time to jump off the plane, grab something to eat and then climb aboard again for Maui.
By Jacqueline Boscacci on November 20, 2009 3:32 PM
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Please join Paul Capobianco
as he chronicles all the action from Friday's matchup between the
Wisconsin women's hockey team and St. Cloud State with the Gameday Blog.
By Jacqueline Boscacci on November 20, 2009 2:57 PM
Please join Jacqueline Boscacci as she chronicles all the action from Friday's NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 match between the Badgers and No. 7 Boston College with the Gameday Blog.
4:31 a.m. - Up with the owls this morning and driving away from the Kohl Center at 4:30 a.m. sharp. Bed head and glasses would have been an appropriate title to this morning's entry. I would describe the bus ride down, but about the only view I had was the back of my eyelids. No drama yet.
You'll have to excuse the guys if a few of them have trouble focusing at practice today... they have a little something to look forward to. As I type this, Coach Ryan and his staff just got finished showing the team instructional clips from last night's win over Oakland. Now they're on the court working on preparations for Arizona in the first round of the Maui Invitational. Shortly after practice finishes, it's bed time for the Badgers.
Why the early shut-eye? How does a 3:30 a.m. wake-up call sound?
By Jacqueline Boscacci on November 19, 2009 9:08 AM
While the Badgers continue their run in the NCAA tournament, I (Jacqueline Boscacci, Athletic Communications Assistant), will be documenting the journey. The Badgers landed in Boston last night, getting settled in the hotel for a good night's rest.
The team started its Sweet 16 journey over 24 hours ago, check it out here.
Please join Brian Mason as he chronicles all the action from tonight's game between the Badgers and Oakland with the Gameday Blog.
Remember, the blog is now interactive, so be sure to chime in with comments and questions and vote in the polls, or email me at bm3@athletics.wisc.edu.
By UW Student Athletes on November 17, 2009 5:01 PM
By Olivia Jakiel, Wisconsin women's hockey
It seems as if we have quite the pattern going with this whole "lose-a-game-win-a-game" thing. I'm sure you are all frustrated, Badger Fans, but I can guarantee you that we are all about 10 times as irritated. Why is this happening? Luck of the draw? Or un-luck, perhaps? I think we just need to seriously buckle down and play like we did against Minnesota.
Freshman Mike Bruesewitz not seeing the floor Sunday in the team's regular season opener vs. IPFW raised a few eyebrows. During the exhibition games, "Bruiser" was roughly the fifth player off the Wisconsin bench, implying that he might be on the fringe of being a regular in Ryan's rotation this season. Bruiser saw 13 minutes of action vs. Bemidji State (4 points, 2 rebounds) and played nine minutes vs. UW-Superior (3 ponts, 2 boards).
So what to make of him not playing against IPFW? Simple, he's still
trying to decide whether or not he'd like to redshirt this season.
I would like to believe Badger fans enjoyed this past weekend. Mike Eaves' hockey team had a series sweep, there were season-opening victories for the men's and women's basketball teams. The women's soccer team advanced to the round of 16 in the NCAA tournament, and of course the football team put a 21-point thumping on Michigan, giving the seniors a great send-off in their final home game.
By UW Student Athletes on November 16, 2009 5:18 PM
By Michele Dalton, women's soccer goalkeper
Let's just put something into perspective real quick:
T (Taryn Francel): Game-winning goal in OT to defeat UW Green Bay
Darcy (Riley): assist to T's goal
Flann (Meghan Flannery): Lost count of own corner kick goals/how many assists off of corners and crosses??
Whit-O (Whitney Owusu): Header goal vs. Santa Clara in last minute
"Hockey" (Alev Kelter): Two (Yes, two) consecutive header goals to come back and defeat DePaul with how many minutes left??
EJ (Erin Jacobsen): UNREAL first time volley into upper 90 to defeat Northwestern with 52 seconds left
Roxy (Roxanne Carlson): Lone, game-winning goal to send Wisconsin into the Sweet 16!!
Nos (Laurie Nosbusch): Hat trick against Indiana, game-winning goal in double OT vs. Iowa
Paige (Adams): Crazy goal vs. Penn State AND lone goal vs. Michigan State
Gundy (Lauren Gunderson): Two shutouts
Moni (Monica Lam-Feist): With 18 seconds left ties Ohio State!!!
Leigh (Williams): SICK goal vs. ASU 1:39 into the game
LJ (Lindsey Johnson): BING! Enough said...
Krista (Liskevych): PK vs. North Dakota State
(Lauren) Cochlin: Second goal vs. Marquette
EVERY single individual has impacted the University of Wisconsin women's soccer teams' success this season!! If a name wasn't mentioned, it's probably due to my short-term memory loss... not to take away from any single person's accomplishment. The list above is nothing less than incredible. Look at the stats from any other team in the country and I seriously doubt you will see that many players have a substantial impact in a game, in a season, in a career.
Please join Brian Mason as he chronicles all the action from tonight's regular-season opener between the Badgers and IPFW with the Gameday Blog. Remember, the blog is now interactive, so be sure to chime in with comments and questions and vote in the polls, or email me at bm3@athletics.wisc.edu.
By Jacqueline Boscacci on November 15, 2009 3:05 PM
Please join Jacqueline Boscacci as she chronicles all the action from
Sunday's NCAA Tournament second round match between the Badgers and
Central Florida with the Gameday Blog.
By UW Student Athletes on November 14, 2009 3:02 PM
by Michele Dalton, women's soccer goalkeeper
There are very few words that can describe the emotion from the game last night. Everything, from the lights, the crowd, the bench, the entire game, is indescribable and only the people that were there will truly know what it felt like. For me, nothing to date in my life can compare to last night's victory.
Emotions and adrenaline were high through the entire 110 minutes of play. During the penalty kicks, they were raging! It could have gone either way. I knew as soon as I stepped left that I would make the final save... and that's just what happened. The rest is history.
By Jacqueline Boscacci on November 13, 2009 3:08 PM
Please join Jacqueline Boscacci as she chronicles all the action from
Friday's NCAA Tournament first round match between the Badgers and
Arizona State with the Gameday Blog.
Please join Brian Mason as he chronicles all the action from today's Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal match between the Badgers and Indiana with the Game Day Blog. Remember, the blog is now interactive, so be sure to chime in with comments and questions and vote in the polls or email me at bm3@athletics.wisc.edu.
By UW Student Athletes on November 12, 2009 11:42 AM
By Michele Dalton, women's soccer goalkeeper
Joyful. Elated. Ecstatic. Emotional. Nervous. Excited. Accomplished. Delighted. Thrilled. Relieved. Overwhelmed. The list of emotions I feel right now is exponential!
After learning that we have accomplished our goal of reaching the NCAA tourney this year, and after the tears of joy had subsided, I felt motivation, determination, and perhaps most important: pride. Never before had I been so proud to see the "W" appear on the screen. For three years, I've watched football games, basketball games, hockey, etc. and have seen the "W" before (obviously) and have been happy for my fellow athletes, but this time was different. This time they could think of us and smile at what we had accomplished. Representing the "W" is something I've always been proud of, but today I couldn't be MORE proud. The best part... I can help to bring a smile to every Badger out there for at least another week.
Please join Patrick Herb as he chronicles all the action from tonight's game between the Badgers and UW-Superior with the Gameday Blog. Remember, the blog is now interactive, so be sure to chime in with comments and questions and vote in the polls, or email me at pah@athletics.wisc.edu.
When the final weekend of conference play shook out last Saturday and the matchups were finalized for this week's Big Ten Conference Tournament, it was rather fitting that the fifth-seeded Badgers drew No. 4 seed Indiana for Thursday's quarterfinals.
Thursday's match in Bloomington will mark the 39th renewal of Wisconsin's series with Indiana, the Badgers' most-played rivalry. Add in the Indiana ties of UW head coach Todd Yeagley and assistants Ernie Yarborough and Chris Munroe, and there are plenty of storylines in the Badgers' matchup with Hoosiers.
The Badgers close out their exhibition schedule Wednesday night against WIAC member, UW-Superior. Please excuse all parties involved if they aren't familiar with each other. It has been over 100 years since the two teams squared off in men's basketball (or should I say "basket ball boys"). The scouting reports from that game may not work for this season's tilt.
In the only other meeting between Wisconsin and UW-Superior, the Badgers squeezed out a 28-7 road win on March 7, 1903 in what was described as a game that "called forth bursts of enthusiasm from the most disinterested."
Thanks to David Kroll, head athletic trainer at UW-Superior, for providing the original game story that ran in the Superior Evening Telegram after the game. For clarification, UW-Superior was originally known as Superior Normal School. Otto Puls served as an eye-witness and verified the facts in this story.
It's worth a read. Make sure you "touch the high ones" like 'Ole'.
There is an old saying about live broadcasting--it is similar to walking a tightrope without a net. Sometimes even the better announcers lose their balance. Such is the case in the last couple of weeks, as Bob Griese and Gus Johnson made on-air comments that caught many off-guard, resulting in some uncomfortable moments.
The weekend has come and gone, with the dreaded Monday here again. This past weekend, however, was extra special. My family and I planned a surprise 50th birthday for my mother in Madison. Being only a monotonous two-hour drive from my hometown of Random Lake, my mother comes to visit about twice a month. She's kind enough to take me grocery shopping, out to eat, do my laundry, and, sometimes, clean my apartment. You are probably thinking "Wow, what a Momma's Boy" or "What a great mother." Both are very accurate. I realize that my mother is unique, as most would not dare to even go into a bathroom in a college apartment occupied by three men, nonetheless clean it for an hour.
Wisconsin's 1-0 win over Milwaukee last night was an important one for the Badgers in terms of ending the regular season on a high note but, more importantly, it was vital to keeping alive their hopes of an NCAA tournament berth.
The Badgers have plenty of positives on their resume -- No. 33 RPI, an outstanding strength-of-schedule, wins against Ohio State and Michigan State, signature results away from home against Northwestern and UC Santa Barbara, etc. -- but there is one glaring issue with UW's at-large candidacy: its overall record.
One house-keeping note before we dive into observations from the Badgers' exhibition opener vs. Bemidji State. Bo Ryan has added a 16th player to his 2009-10 roster: 6-foot-2 guard J.D. Wise. The Whitefish Bay Dominican alum made the Wisconsin roster after an open tryout last Wednesday and participated in his first UW practice on Thursday. Wise, a freshman, will practice with the team this semester, but is unable to compete until the spring semester. He will wear No. 22.
By Jacqueline Boscacci on November 5, 2009 9:53 AM
By Michele Dalton, women's soccer goalkeeper
The sweetest, most satisfying feeling in the world HAS to be a hard fought victory! Certainly the game Monday night was nothing less than a battle. Northwestern, in my opinion, was the game with the greatest amount of energy we've experienced all season. It was nothing less than electric. During an injury in the second half, I took a deep breath and had a minute to collect my thoughts. I looked to my right and both benches we're on their feet incessantly encouraging us to stay in it. I looked up and realized how dark the sky had become and how bright the lights were. I closed my eyes and realized how loud the crowd was yelling. Perhaps the stats didn't reflect the energy. Two and three saves respectively for the goalkeepers isn't a very impressive statistic, but that doesn't mean both sides didn't have solid chances. Luckily, we were the team that used the energy the most to our advantage.
Please join Brian Mason as he chronicles all the action from today's match between the Badgers and Milwaukee with the Game Day Blog. Remember, the blog is now interactive, so be sure to chime in with comments and questions and vote in the polls or email me at bm3@athletics.wisc.edu.
Please join Brian Mason as he chronicles all the action from tonight's exhibition game between the Badgers and Bemidji State with the Gameday Blog. Remember, the blog is now interactive, so be sure to chime in with comments and questions and vote in the polls, or email me at bm3@athletics.wisc.edu.
By Jacqueline Boscacci on November 3, 2009 6:12 PM
By Olivia Jakiel, Wisconsin women's hockey
Finally! Our first sweep of the
season! And it feels that much better
because it was against second-ranked Minnesota. I think it's safe to say that
the entire team is pumped. We may have gotten off to a slow start this season,
but I'm getting a good vibe (I think it's my indigo child instincts) that this
is the start of real Badger Hockey - the kind of hockey we all know and love.
Part of what makes being a sports fan special is it seems we truly enjoy looking back at extraordinary teams and special players. Thanks to a pair of new books, Badger fans have a chance to take a trip down memory lane. With one book, my guess is you will embrace the memories. With the other, you will do the same, and perhaps it might spark a fun little debate.
From Wisconsin's perspective, the only thing decided on the second-to-last weekend of play in the Big Ten men's soccer season is that the Badgers have been eliminated from contention for the regular-season conference title.
UW's 2-1 loss to Penn State on Saturday removed the Badgers from the list of contenders, a result made all the more disappointing when Indiana and Northwestern both fell on Sunday. Had the Badgers managed a win against Penn State, those results would have handed the crown to Wisconsin for the first time since 1995.
Still, with three Big Ten games left on the slate this weekend, there's still the matter of seeding for the Big Ten tournament.
By Jacqueline Boscacci on November 1, 2009 2:24 PM
By Michele Dalton, women's soccer goalkeeper
Hello
Badger fans! I'm hoping this blog is able to give you some better insight into
what it means to be a Wisconsin student-athlete and how it feels to chase an
NCAA berth! For us, this is the first time any of us would have an NCAA
experience, and for the seniors it is their last shot at this opportunity!
