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Akinniyi off to strong start

By Brian Mason on March 13, 2010 1:30 PM

Sophomore Dorcas Akinniyi stands eighth in the women's heptathlon at the NCAA indoor championships with two events of the five-event competition in the books.

Akinniyi, fresh off winning the Big Ten championship in the event two weeks ago, opened with a personal-best time of 8.86 in the 60-meter hurdles and followed with a clearance at 5 feet, 8 1/2 inches in the high jump. That mark was just a quarter-inch off her lifetime best.

That adds to a two-event total of 1,842 points. Texas Tech junior Kelsey Lloyd leads the competition after two events with a score of 1,941 points.

The pentathlon field heads to the shot put next, followed by the long jump and the 800 meters.

Mellon moves on

By Brian Mason on March 12, 2010 7:22 PM

Wisconsin freshman Zach Mellon is on to the finals of the men's 800 meters after his run of 1:49.73 in Friday's prelims.

Mellon finished fourth in his preliminary heat and advanced into the final based on time. The top three finishers in each section automatically advanced, with the next two fastest times also moving on.

Mellon will race in the finals at 7:35 p.m. Saturday and, as long as he finishes the race, will earn the first All-America honor of his young career.

Oregon senior Andrew Wheating holds the top seed time for the final after running a 1:49.23 to win Mellon's prelims section.

Seidl's day done in high jump

By Brian Mason on March 12, 2010 3:43 PM

Senior Megan Seidl is out of the women's high jump competition at the NCAA indoor championships after failing to clear the third height in the competition at 5 feet, 10 inches (1.78m).

Seidl had a first-attempt clearance at 5-7 and then made it over 5-8 3/4 on her second jump at that bar.

She then missed on all three attempts at 5-10. Seidl is likely to finish 17th in the field.

The Badgers will wrap up the first day of the NCAA indoor championships with freshman Zach Mellon running the prelims of the men's 800 meters at 6:55 p.m.

Follow along with live results and live video.

Ready to roll in Fayetteville

By Brian Mason on March 12, 2010 2:37 PM

Wisconsin senior Megan Seidl is about to get things going for the Badgers at the 2010 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, with the women's high jump set to begin at 2:45 p.m.

Seidl is the 18th and final jumper in the order.

There are several ways to follow along during the meet:
- Live Video (until 8 p.m.)
- Live Video (8 p.m. to finish)
- Live Results

NCAA start lists released

By Brian Mason on March 10, 2010 7:48 PM

The official start lists for this weekend's NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships were released Wednesday afternoon. Men's Lists | Women's Lists

The only revelation to come from the release of the heat sheets is in which heat -- and against whom -- freshman Zach Mellon will race in the men's 800 meters.

Mellon will race in the second of two heats in the prelims of the 800 on Friday, placing him in the same section as a pair of returning All-Americans. Oregon senior Andrew Wheating was the runner-up at last year's NCAA meet, while Baylor senior Chris Gowell was fifth.

On the road again

By Brian Mason on March 10, 2010 4:08 PM

It feels like just yesterday that assistant coach Mark Guthrie and I made this drive, but here we are on the road again.

Coach Guthrie and I made the nearly 12-hour trek from Madison to Fayetteville, Ark., for the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Championships last June, and we're retracing our steps again today en route to this weekend's 2010 NCAA Indoor Championships.

This time, however, we're joined by men's volunteer assistant coach Tom Peterson and athletic trainer Chuck Hart for the journey.

Continue reading On the road again.

Breaking down the bubble

By Brian Mason on March 3, 2010 5:30 PM

Both the Wisconsin men's and women's track and field teams are dividing their resources this weekend in hopes of adding to their list of qualifiers for next week's NCAA Indoor Championships.

A number of Badgers will compete at UW-Whitewater's Karl Schlender Last Chance, largely for the reason of getting another competition under their belts to avoid going a month without racing. The Big Ten Indoor Championships concluded on Feb. 28, and the Badgers don't get the outdoor season going in earnest until the Florida State Relays on March 26.

Those with the best chance of earning a spot in the NCAA championships -- you know, "on the bubble" -- are set to compete either at the Alex Wilson Invitational in South Bend, Ind., or the Iowa State Last Chance in Ames, Iowa.

Continue reading Breaking down the bubble.

Badgers up to No. 1 in regional ranks

By Brian Mason on March 2, 2010 4:16 PM

The Wisconsin men's track and field team may have settled for a third-place finish at last weekend's Big Ten indoor championships, but the Badgers can take solace in the fact that they've vaulted to the No. 1 spot in the latest regional rankings.

UW moved to the top of the order in the Great Lakes Region, according to the latest version of the USTFCCCA Regional Team Index released Tuesday.

Continue reading Badgers up to No. 1 in regional ranks.

Afternoon update

By Brian Mason on February 28, 2010 3:15 PM

The 5,000 meters is underway with Wisconsin's Mohammed Ahmed, Landon Peacock and Maverick Darling swapping the lead through the early laps.

A few notes from the day so far:
- Luke Rucks took second in the 800 meters with a fantastic run and finished in 1:51.38
- Despite having his starting block slip, Nate Larkin ran 7.98 to finish runner-up in the 60-meter hurdles
- Running out of the first heat, Zach Beth took third in the 600 meters with a run of 1:18.22
- Seniors Craig Miller and Jack Bolas finished third and fourth in the mile
- Kyle Jefferson took fifth in the 200 meters, with freshman Gavin Robertson sixth
- David Grzesiak moved up to finish seventh in the heptathlon with a score of 5,265 points

Check back to UWBadgers.com for a complete recap.

Looking down the lists for Day 2

By Brian Mason on February 28, 2010 11:06 AM

The second day of the 2010 Big Ten Indoor Championships began few minutes ago, so here's a look at what to expect today inside the University of Minnesota Fieldhouse.

The opening day of the meet was not a particularly good one for the Badgers but, after some reflection last night, it became clear that yesterday's prelims gave UW plenty of opportunities for today, especially on the track.

Let the event-by-event breakdown begin! (For those with shorter attention spans, I've bolded the athletes' names so you can skip past my analysis more easily. For those with really short attention spans, here are the start lists for today).

Continue reading Looking down the lists for Day 2.