May 7, 2010
MADISON, Wis. -- The first and only home meet of the outdoor season for the Wisconsin men’s and women’s track and field teams also represents a final opportunity for the Badgers.
The Wisconsin Twilight Invitational gets underway Saturday afternoon at the Dan McClimon Memorial Track/Soccer Complex and serves as the Badgers’ last chance to work out the kinks before next week’s Big Ten outdoor championships.
The meet begins with field events at 2 p.m., while action on the track gets underway at 4 p.m. Wisconsin’s senior classes will be recognized in a ceremony at 5:25 p.m.
Admission to the event is free, with free parking available in Lot 60, immediately north of the track.
MEN’S PREVIEW
Looking Ahead
The Badgers will use Saturday’s meet largely as a training session for the Big Ten championships, with a number of athletes competing outside their normal events.
Among the notable changes are Jack Bolas competing in the 800 meters and Zach Beth dropping down to the 400 meters.
A number of Badgers also will serve as pacesetters for teammates, and several will use the 3,000-meter steeplechase and 5,000 meters for training runs.
The majority of UW’s competitors in the jumps, throws and sprints will compete in at least some of their usual events.
Out of the Blocks
The Badgers head into the final weekend of the regular season coming off strong performances in back-to-back weekends. The men’s squad continued to build on the progress made during the Drake Relays two weeks ago with some outstanding efforts at the Musco Twilight Invitational in Iowa City, Iowa, and the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif.
Wisconsin’s sprints group continued its steady improvement with a number of season-best performances in Iowa City, including wins in the 4x100- and 4x400-meter relays.
Sophomore Kyle Jefferson, who was part of both relay wins, also claimed the open 400 meters by matching his career-best time of 46.93.
Senior James Groce and freshman Gavin Robertson joined Jefferson on both relays, with each win coming in season-best time. The Badgers’ 40.33-second effort in the 4x100 relay ranks No. 2 in the Big Ten this season, while their 3:10.05 stands as the fourth-best Big Ten mark.
Senior Nate Larkin, who led off the winning 4x100 entry, also claimed victory in the 110-meter hurdles in 14.23, while sophomore Grant Bughman, who provided a carry on the winning 4x400, ran a personal-best 53.26 to take seventh in the 400-meter hurdles.
Sophomore Pat Plank dropped a half-second off his personal-best time in the 400 hurdles, running a 52.83 to take fourth place.
The Badgers also picked up wins in the javelin, with junior Rob Dehn scoring a season-best mark of 225 feet, 3 inches, and the discus, which senior Rory Linder won with a season-best effort of 167-8.
At Stanford, senior Craig Miller ran a season-best 3:41.42 to take third in the 1,500 meters, while senior Jack Bolas ran a 3:46.25 in his outdoor debut. Senior Ryan Gasper also ran a personal-best 8:42.88 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, an event in which freshman Drew Shields clocked a lifetime-best 8:55.71.
Junior Luke Rucks ran a personal-best 1:49.27 in the 800 meters, finishing ahead of teammate Zach Beth, whose outdoor debut in the 800 clocked in at 1:50.15.
WOMEN’S PREVIEW
Looking Ahead
For the most part, the Badger women will use Saturday’s meet as a final competition in their primary event before next week’s Big Ten championships.
Among the highlights are several field events featuring the Badgers’ top contenders for Big Ten titles, led by senior Jenny Soceka in the pole vault. Soceka, who also will compete in the hepathlon at the Big Ten meet, set a McClimon Complex and UW outdoor record in the vault at last year’s Wisconsin Twilight by clearing 13 feet, 11 1/4 inches.
Led by senior Megan Seidl, who claimed the Big Ten title in the event during her last outdoor season in 2008, five Badgers will battle for the top spot in the high jump. Junior Kate Flood, sophomore Monika Jakutyte and redshirt freshman Dorcas Akinniyi join Seidl as the top four seeded competitors in the event.
Senior Chavon Robinson – the Big Ten indoor champion and Badgers’ school record-holder in the event – and fellow senior LaQuita Brazil will compete in the triple jump.
The Badgers’ throws group also will look to build on the strides it has made this season in the shot put, discus and hammer throw. Senior Amanda Hoeppner leads the charge in the hammer throw and is joined by freshmen Jasmine Boyer and Taylor Smith in the shot put, with Boyer and Smith also competing in the discus.
Out of the Blocks
At the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational last Saturday, senior Amanda Donath shattered her personal-best time with a run of 2:09.55 to finish fourth in the 800 meters. The run cut 1 1/2 seconds off her previous lifetime best, which was just two weeks old, and ranks her No. 5 in the Big Ten this season.
Redshirt freshman Caitlin Comfort also ran a personal-best 16:22.28 in the 5,000 meters to crack the Big Ten’s top five for the season.
In Iowa City, sophomore Megan Rennhack unleashed a lifetime-best throw of 142 feet, 8 inches to win the javelin at the Musco Twilight Invitational. Senior Carly Ducharme took fourth with a season- best mark of 119-8.
In the shot put, Hoeppner led a 1-2 finish for the Badgers by throwing 49-3 1/2 to grab the win, as Smith tossed a personal-best 49-1 to take second.
Sophomore Sunni Massop was fourth in the invitational discus with a personal-best effort of 158-1
