Jan. 30, 2010

Complete Results | Complete Results | Video: Post-Meet Interviews

MADISON, Wis. -- Craig Miller's run at history came up a little short, but the performance did plenty to set him up for the future.

The Wisconsin senior took a shot at 30-year-old track record Saturday in the Wisconsin Elite Invitational and narrowly missed, but the run moved him to the top of the national performance list and provided another highlight for the capacity crowd that crammed into the Camp Randall Memorial Sports Center.

In running away with the mile run, Miller provided one of the Badgers' eight event wins on the day and helped propel Wisconsin to the team title in the process.

The Badgers racked up 251.5 points to claim the five-team event over runner-up Purdue, which tallied 184 points. Indiana State finished third with 152, while South Dakota (121) followed in fourth and Milwaukee (84.5) rounded out the team race in fifth.

Miller's blistering time of 4:00.78 in the mile was just off the pace necessary to break Steve Lacy's track record of 4:00.40 from 1978.

It was fast enough, however, to tie Miller for the national lead in the mile and automatically qualify him for the NCAA indoor championships. Because his time was run a flat 200-meter track, it is converted and officially recognized as by the NCAA as 3:58.98.

"It was my first race of the year, so I wasn't necessarily in top form, but I think I'm at the level in my running where I can run at 4-flat without a lot of race-specific mile training," Miller said. "The last 200 meters I slowed down a little bit, but I'm happy with how things went for my first race."

Senior Jack Bolas served as the rabbit for Miller and the rest of the competitors - which included senior teammate Ryan Gasper - and took the field through the first 1,200 meters right on pace at 30 seconds per lap.

Once Bolas dropped out, Miller dropped the field into his rearview mirror and ran through the finish in an elite time despite not having any competition to help push him along.

"That's a big factor," Miller said. "When Jack stepped off, I was trying a lot harder just to run the same pace. It's definitely easier to follow somebody and let them set the pace."

The run at Lacy's long-standing record brought the crowd to its feet and set the stage for the final events on the track.

"It was a great opportunity for me because I don't run at a lot of home meets, and it was nice to have the whole building cheering and all the whole team there watching," said Miller, who holds the Badgers' school record in the mile at 3:59.09. "It was a good team atmosphere."

That energy created by Miller's run did a lot to spur on his Badgers teammates that followed, as well.

"I definitely fed off of that, the atmosphere and how crazy the crowd was," said junior Zach Beth, who ran to a win in the 800 meters. "It helps to have that team competition, too. The team just looked great in general today."

Beth and teammate Luke Rucks both established themselves in their first 800s of the season, with Beth winning in 1:50.52 and Rucks taking the runner-up spot in 1:50.91. Their converted times rank Beth sixth nationally and Rucks ninth, and both are now provisionally qualified for the NCAA championships.

The trio of junior Landon Peacock, freshman Reed Connor and redshirt Maverick Darling continued the strong day for the Badgers' distance group by sweeping the top three spots in the 3,000 meters. All three clocked in below the NCAA provisional qualifying mark, although Connor competed unattached in will not be eligible for NCAA consideration.

Peacock claimed the win in 8:04.69, with Connor second in 8:05.06 and Darling third in 8:06.07.

Across each event group, the Badgers enjoyed a dominant day on the track.

Senior Nate Larkin set the tone for the day by holding off defending Big Ten champion Josh Hembrough to score a win in the 60-meter hurdles, reversing their finish from last year's 110-meter hurdles final at the Big Ten outdoor championships.

Larkin clocked in at a season-best 8.00 seconds, with Hembrough on his shoulder at 8.02.

"It was a good race for me," said Larkin. "I love running in front of these people, so it was great to get out here and race in my last home meet.

"When you run against great competition like (Hembrough), it's not always the fastest race, but I did what I needed to do."

Wisconsin's success in the sprints continued with Grant Bughman winning the 400 meters over teammate Andrew Milenkovski - despite the fact that neither were seeded in the "fast" afternoon heats of the race and ran earlier in the day. Bughman ran a 49.09 to take the top spot, while Milenkovski came in at 49.45.

Senior James Groce made his return to the Wisconsin uniform a triumphant one, as he took the win in the 600 meters in 1:19.71, finishing ahead of junior teammate Quinn Evans (1:19.98). It was Groce's season debut and his first race as a Badger since 2008 after sitting out all of last year.

"(Today) was filled with a lot of emotions," he said. "It felt good to get the jersey on, not compete unattached and be a Badger again."

Junior Chas DeMers led a sweep of the top three spots for the Badgers in the 200 meters, clocking in at 21.97 to finish ahead of sophomore Kyle Jefferson (21.99) and freshman Gavin Robertson (22.26).

The crew of Groce, Jefferson, Evans and Milenkovski then wrapped things up with a win in the 4x400-meter relay, clocking a time of 3:15.88.

"We had a great crowd and we had a lot of good performances across the board," UW head coach Ed Nuttycombe said. "I think the people who came to watch this meet had a good time and saw some really good marks.

"Today was our first real test to see where we are and, in many cases, we're where we want to be. In others, we've got some improvement to make in the next couple of weeks to get where we need to be (for the) Big Ten championships."

With three home meets in as many weeks under their belts, the Badgers hit the road for the first time this season when they head to South Bend, Ind., for the annual Meyo Invitational next weekend. The two-day meet begins Friday, Feb. 5, and continues Saturday, Feb. 6, at the Loftus Center.