Jan. 29, 2011

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MADISON, Wis. -- Well, that was easy.

At least that's how redshirt freshman Japheth Cato made it look Saturday as he capped off an outstanding collegiate debut in the heptathlon at the Wisconsin Elite Invitational.

Cato's first attempt at the seven-event competition in a Badger uniform was an unquestioned success, as he racked up a score of 5,698 points to win the heptathlon and earn an automatic qualifying berth in the NCAA indoor championships.

Cato wasn't the only freshman to make an impact for Wisconsin, however.

Dan Block rounded out an outstanding weekend of competition by sweeping the shot put and weight throw.

Alex Hatz laid down a personal-best time and used a furious kick to score a win in the mile.

Alex Brill cruised to victory in the 3,000 meters.

In all, those four freshmen contributed five of the Badgers' eight event wins and helped carry UW to the team title on their home track with 171 points. Eastern Michigan was second at 142 points, with Indiana State (133) third and Milwaukee (90) fourth.

Cato's winning tally, which kept him ahead of runner-up and teammate David Grzesiak, ranks him No. 2 nationally in the event this season. The score also stands No. 2 all-time at Wisconsin - just 63 points off the school record of 5,761 owned by five-time All-American Joe Detmer.

"It feels good to be a freshman and to come in here and show other people that I'm not joking around," Cato said. "I'm very serious about this."

At one point Friday, Cato's prospects looked precarious. He fouled his first two attempts in the shot put and was forced to play it safe and settle for a throw of 35 feet, 1 3/4 inches.

He left nothing to question Saturday by posting the top mark in the 60-meter hurdles at 8.39 seconds, finishing No. 2 in the pole vault with a clearance of 16-4 3/4 and then closing with a personal-best time of 2:52.68 in the 1,000 meters.

"The vault was really good today," Cato said. "Knowing that going into the 1,000 was a really big help and really pushed me."

Grzesiak, while falling short of the automatic NCAA qualifying standard, positioned himself well for a berth in the national meet with a score of 5,572 points that ranks No. 5 nationally. It also places Grzesiak third on UW's all-time list in the heptathlon.

Block also continued his assault on the Badgers' record books with a pair of personal-best marks. He opened the day with a mark of 56-11 1/2 to win the weight throw, ranking him No. 3 all-time at UW in that event. A win in the shot put followed, as Block heaved 59-7 1/2 to win that competition by a full 6 1/2 inches. Block now stands fourth on UW's all-time list in the shot put.

"I had a good week of practice and it's good for it to finally pay off," Block said.

Saturday's performances came on the heels of three big throws in an exhibition discus competition. There, Block threw 187 feet, 6 inches to finish runner-up to Lance Brooks - who is ranked No. 14 in the world in the event. Block's mark does not count officially, but UW's school record in the outdoor discus stands at 186-0.

Hatz took to the track for the first time as a collegian coming off a spectacular high school career that saw him finish as the nation's top miler as a senior. He lived up to that billing by clocking a personal-best time of 4:04.71 in the mile - a performance that gave him the win by four one-thousandths of a second over Eastern Michigan's Terefe Ejigu.

"It was a lot of fun," Hatz said. "I was just hoping to run a fast time and the race was paced perfectly.

"I haven't raced in a long time, but that's as competitive a race as I've been in," he added. "I was just happy to hold him off."

Sophomore Reed Connor was on the leaders' heels and finished third in a personal-best 4:05.01.

Brill coasted to victory in the 3,000 meters by clocking a time of 8:09.69. That placed him ahead of teammate Elliot Krause, who opened the season in 8:15.23 to take second place.

Returning All-American Zach Mellon opened on a strong note, as well. The sophomore was sidelined by injury for the entire 2010 outdoor season after finishing fifth in the 800 meters at the NCAA indoor championships.

In his return to racing, Mellon clocked in at 1:51.30 to take the win in the 800 meters.

The Badgers' other individual win came from junior Grant Bughman, who raced to a personal-best time of 48.29 to take top honors in the 400 meters. Redshirt freshman Drew Simmons ran second with a strong 48.48.

Bughman then helped the Badgers close out the day with a win in the 4x400-meter relay.

Sophomore Gavin Robertson, who also finished second in the 60 meters, opened and handed to junior Kyle Jefferson, who had earlier taken second in the 200 meters. The next pass was to Bughman, who passed the baton to anchor leg and senior Andrew Milenkovski.

The foursome combined to clock in at 3:14.19.

After running on its 200-meter home surface at The Shell, Wisconsin now opens a stretch of three straight meets on oversized tracks. It begins next Saturday, Feb. 5, with the GaREAT Track Invitational in Geneva, Ohio.