The Wisconsin men's track and field team rose in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association's rankings for the third week in a row with the release of the latest rankings on Tuesday, moving up to No. 15 in the country.

Ranked No. 17 in last week's poll, UW moved up two spots in the rankings and has now climbed six spots over the last three weeks.

UW continues to exceed its No. 19 preseason ranking and has yet to be ranked lower than No. 25 nationally this season.

Wisconsin also increased its lead atop the USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region rankings, holding a score of 954.74 points this week, while No. 2-ranked Indiana has 781.29 points in the regional index.

So far this season, the Badgers have held the top spot in the Great Lakes for four of the six possible weeks.

Wisconsin hosts this weekend's 2012 Big Ten Outdoor Championships this weekend and welcomes four other conference teams ranked in the USTFCCCA top 25.

Indiana remained the highest ranked Big Ten team at No. 8, while Nebraska sits at No. 17, Iowa ranks No. 21 and Minnesota rounds out the list at No. 25.

Including those ranked in the top 25, a total of eight Big Ten teams rank in the top 50 of the USTFCCCA national rankings.

There was little time to rest following Saturday's scrimmage, as the Badgers returned to practice Monday to open a week that will see them drill four times in six days.

Despite the quick turnaround, the team was greeted with a brief session inside the McClain Center -- due to windy conditions outside -- and were on the field for just over an hour.

The practice, conducted in half-pack (helmets and shoulder pads only) focused primarily on special teams work, but the Badgers also spent time making corrections from Saturday's scrimmage as the offensive units went head-to-head with the defensive units.

The team returns to full pads for its ninth practice of the spring on Tuesday before closing out the week with a practices on Thursday and Saturday

Head coach Bret Bielema met with the media after Monday's practice, and his complete comments are below:

The Badgers reached the halfway point of spring drills Saturday, using their seventh practice session to conduct a full-contact scrimmage inside Camp Randall Stadium.

"Did it feel good to get out there and play some football?" head coach Bret Bielema asked his team after the 24-period practice held under sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-60s. Bielema met with the media after practice, and video of his complete remarks can be found above.

The tailback tandem of junior James White and redshirt freshman Melvin Gordon stood out, with each breaking long runs, including one that saw White slip through a hole opened on the right side of the offensive line by RT Casey Dehn and RG Robert Burge. The other offensive highlight was a leaping touchdown catch for TE Sam Arneson as the Badgers operated their offense in the red zone late in the scrimmage.

On the defensive side of the ball, LB Derek Watt found himself in on several plays, while DB Dezmen Southward picked off a pass that he returned down the sideline.

With two weeks remaining until the 2012 Wisconsin Football Spring Game, the Badgers resume practice Monday with a session in half-pack before returning to full pads for practices Tuesday, Thursday and next Saturday.

After an 11-day hiatus for spring break, it was back to practice for the Wisconsin football team Tuesday. UW's fifth session of spring practice had the Badgers back in full pads, through a cold snap forced practice into the McClain Center.

The Badgers drilled for 26 periods, with a number of younger players -- including RB Melvin Gordon and WR Chase Hammond -- standing out.

What drew the most attention, however, was the Badgers' use of a two-tailback setup, with senior Montee Ball and junior James White lining up in the backfield at the same time.

"We're going to get our best players on the field," first-year offensive coordinator Matt Canada said. "We've got guys who can catch it, who can run it. And again, let's try to maximize our best."

It's no wonder the UW coaching staff wants to maximize each player's impact. In the past two seasons, Ball and White have combined for 4,684 rushing yards and 6,000 all-purpose yards.

Following practice, head coach Bret Bielema met with the media. His full remarks can be found below:

A week's work out west was enough to boost the Badgers in the Great Lakes.

After a number of athletes turned in personal-best performances at the Stanford Invitational over the weekend, the Wisconsin men's track and field team has ascended to the No. 1 spot in the Great Lakes Region, according to the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association's Regional Index.

In addition to holding down their spot atop the region, the Badgers held steady at No. 24 in the USTFCCCA national rankings.

Wisconsin is one of four Big Ten teams in the current Top 25, trailing No. 9 Indiana, No. 15 Nebraska and No. 17 Iowa.

After earning a No. 17 preseason ranking, the Badgers opened the season at No. 24 last week. UW's performance in its second competition of the outdoor season was enough to hold down the spot for a second-consecutive week.

The Badgers are back in action this week, making their second trip to the state of Mississippi in four weeks. UW competes in the Mississippi Open -- hosted by No. 12 Ole Miss in Oxford -- Saturday beginning at 9 a.m.

USTFCCCA Men's National Rankings - Week 2
Team	Score	Last Week
1. Florida	268.56	1
2. Florida State	246.64	3
3. LSU	230.58	2
4. Texas A&M	223.97	6
5. Arkansas	216.70	4
6. Texas	216.56	5
7. Arizona State	186.60	10
8. Texas Tech	185.98	7
9. Indiana	181.96	11
10. Mississippi State	180.55	9
11. USC	178.02	8
12. Mississippi	153.70	14
13. Oregon	148.11	16
14. Arizona	146.26	12
15. Nebraska	143.75	15
16. Stanford	135.52	19
17. Iowa	132.58	20
18. Georgia	127.79	18
19. Baylor	125.41	13
20. Virginia Tech	120.16	17
21. Oklahoma	113.92	23
22. Auburn	99.56	21
23. Princeton	87.20	22
24. Wisconsin	83.68	24
25. Kansas	83.37	25

With four practices down and 10 to go before the Wisconsin Football Spring Game on April 28, the Badgers broke camp Thursday for spring break.

A 24-period practice -- the team's first of the spring in full pads -- served as a send-off for the players, who will take advantage of a week off as part of UW's spring break before returning to the field on April 10.

Photo Gallery: Practice No. 4

Today's links
* ESPN.com: Big Ten's top game
* SportingNews.com: Counting down best NCAA football/basketball schools
* Madison.com: Bielema not worried about O'Brien's transition to team
* JSOnline.com: Bielema thinks QB moves don't hurt UW's image
* FoxSportsWisconsin.com: Bielem gives Badgers a large spring break
* ESPNWisconsin.com: Been there, done that

Head coach Bret Bielema met with members of the media Thursday, prior to the Badgers' final practice session before spring break.

Bielema discussed his impressions from the first week of spring practice, as well as the addition of Maryland transfer QB Danny O'Brien.

The Badgers practice in full pads for the first time this spring on Thursday before breaking camp for spring break. They return to the field April 10, with an additional 10 practices leading into the Wisconsin Football Spring Game on April 28.

If you could build a team using the players that have suited up for the Badgers during Bret Bielema's six years at the helm of the Wisconsin program, who would you choose?

That was the question we posed during three weeks of voting by fans on the official Wisconsin Football Facebook page. The result is a list of the best to line up at each position during the Bielema era, as chosen by the fans -- the All-Bielema Team.

In the last five NFL drafts, a total of 16 UW players have been selected. That number will grow in a big way this year, with a school-record eight players invited to the 2012 NFL Scouting Combine -- the second most of any school in the nation.

Over the past six seasons, the Badgers have had finalists for the Heisman Trophy, Doak Walker Award, John Mackey Award, Rimington Trophy, Ted Hendricks Award, Manning Award and Lou Groza Award. In addition, Scott Tolzien won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, J.J. Watt won the Lott IMPACT trophy, and Gabe Carimi and Joe Thomas both won the Outland Trophy.

Leads to some tough choices, huh?

Tough enough, in fact, that a number of players who have gone on to play in the NFL didn't even sniff inclusion on the All-Bielema Team.

Garrett Graham was a distant third in the voting at tight end, while other pros -- like FB Chris Pressley, LT Carimi, RG Kraig Urbik and QB Scott Tolzien -- didn't make the cut, either.

With that in mind, here's the All-Bielema Team, which was originally released in the March 15 issue of Varsity magazine:

OFFENSE

Quarterback
* Russell Wilson (2011)

Running Back
* Montee Ball (2009-11)

Fullback
* Bradie Ewing (2008-11)

Tight End
* Travis Beckum (2006-08)

Wide Reciever
* Nick Toon (2008-11)
* Jared Abbrederis (2010-11)

Left Tackle
* Joe Thomas (2006)

Left Guard
* John Moffitt (2007-10)

Center
* Peter Konz (2009-11)

Right Guard
* Kevin Zeitler (2009-11)

Right Tackle
* Josh Oglesby (2008-11)


DEFENSE

Defensive End
* J.J. Watt (2009-10)

Defensive Tackle
* Nick Hayden (2006-07)

Defensive Tackle
* Patrick Butrym (2008-11)

Defensive End
* O'Brien Schofield (2007-09)

Outside Linebacker
* Mike Taylor (2009-11)

Middle Linebacker
* Chris Borland (2009, 2011)

Outside Linebacker
* Jonathan Casillas (2006-08)

Corner Back
* Jack Ikegwuonu (2006-07)
* Antonio Fenelus (2008-11)

Strong Safety
* Jay Valai (2007-10)

Free Safety
* Aaron Henry (2007, 2009-11)


SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicker
* Taylor Mehlhaff (2006-07)

Punter
* Brad Nortman (2008-11)

Returns
* David Gilreath (2007-10)

A big weekend for the Wisconsin women's track and field team has translated into a big jump in the rankings.

The Badgers moved all the way to No. 16 in this week's edition of the national rankings compiled by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, which were released Tuesday.

UW leapt 13 spots from its No. 29 ranking last week largely on the strength of junior Taylor Smith's school-record effort in the weight throw. Smith, named Big Ten co-Field Athlete of the Week on Monday, launched a throw of 69 feet, 10 3/4 inches to win the event at Saturday's UW-Platteville Invitational.

The mark vaulted Smith to No. 5 nationally in the event and automatically secured her a spot in next month's NCAA indoor championships.

Because the USTFCCCA's rankings are based solely on athletes' national rankings, Smith's toss buoyed the Badgers.

Also supporting Wisconsin's rank is senior Monika Jakutyte, who ranks in a tie for fourth place nationally in the high jump with the clearance of 6 feet she recorded on Feb. 3.

In addition, senior and three-time All-American Dorcas Akinniyi is currently ranked No. 8 in the pentathlon after scoring 3,991 points on Feb. 3.

The Badgers' other top-25 ranked athletes include the trio of Smith (18th, 53-7 3/4), freshman Kelsey Card (17th, 53-6 1/2) and sophomore Jasmine Boyer (T-26th, 52-2 3/4) in the shot put.

Additionally, senior Caitlin Comfort is ranked 18th in the 5000 meters (16:07.90), while junior Jessica Flax stacks up No. 25 in the pentathlon (3,789 points).

Men slip out of rankings
On the men's side, the Badgers slipped out of the rankings after moving up to No. 17 last week. That's despite the effort of sophomore Dan Block, who threw 61-7 1/2 in the shot put to move up to the No. 10 spot nationally over the weekend.

Sophomore Japheth Cato, who is No. 3 in the heptathlon with his Big Ten-record total of 5,939 points, is UW's other top-10 ranked athlete.

The Badgers also picked up top-25 performances from sophomore Alex Hatz in the mile (13th, 3:58.68) and junior Maverick Darling in the 3000 meters (22nd, 7:54.70) over the weekend.

The UWBadgers.com Gameday Blog provided live coverage of Wisconsin's 6-2 win over St. Cloud State on Feb. 11, 2012. An archived version of the blog is below.