Wisconsin Badgers
Big Ten Outdoor Championships
Flax's performance puts Badgers in podium position
May 14, 2011 | Women's Track & Field
May 14, 2011
• Results | Results 
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IOWA CITY, Iowa -- One streak is going to end for the Wisconsin women’s track and field team this weekend, but Jessica Flax has the opportunity to continue another.
With a strong showing to open the 2011 Big Ten Outdoor Championships on Friday, Flax put herself in position to contend for a conference title in the heptathlon.
The junior amassed a career-best first-day total of 3,266 points and stands just 70 markers back of leader Alana Gray of Ohio State (3,336 points).
If Flax is able to jump into the lead over the final three events Saturday, she would give UW a fourth-consecutive league title in the multi-events between indoor and outdoor competition.
The Badgers’ run of three straight has come on the back of sophomore Dorcas Akinniyi, whose bid to repeat her sweep of the Big Ten’s indoor pentathlon and outdoor heptathlon crowns for the second-straight year came to an end with a no-height in the high jump.
The end of Akinniyi’s stranglehold on the event opens the door for Flax -- who finished third in the heptathlon last year -- to move up the podium. Right behind her, however, is UW freshman Deanna Latham, who put together a strong opening day of her own to hold down the No. 3 spot with 3,172 points.
Flax made her jump to second place in the third event of the day, posting a field-leading throw of 41 feet, 1 inch in the shot put. The mark was just off her lifetime best and kept her just ahead of Latham, who threw a personal-best 39-3 3/4 to place second.
Latham also recorded a personal-best time of 14.14 in the 100-meter hurdles to begin the competition.
The most impactful event of the day, however, was the high jump. Flax and Latham both came in with the bar at 4-11 3/4 and made successful clearances. Akinniyi, a strong high jumper, made her first attempt when the bar was raised to 5-3 1/4 and failed to make a clearance, forcing her to withdraw from the competition.
Flax went on to clear 5-5 3/4, while Latham finished with a mark of 5-2 1/4.
Remaining for Flax and Latham on Saturday are the long jump, javelin and 800 meters. The competition resumes at 10:15 a.m.
After the multi-event athletes opened the day, a trio of distance runners helped the Badgers close things out under the lights in the 10,000 meters.
Freshman Emily Sisson, competing in just her second-ever race for the Badgers in track after earning All-America honors in cross country, raced her way to a third-place finish in 35 minutes, 7.35 seconds. Sisson was part of a four-runner breakaway in the race’s late stages, which Penn State’s Kara Millhouse won in 35:02.33.
Fellow freshman Lavinia Jurkiewicz also put together a strong race and came home 11th in 36:03.07.
Junior Caitlin Comfort, bouncing back from injury that has severely limited her training since the outdoor season’s first weeks, finished 14th in 36:15.14.
The other highlight for the Badgers came in the hammer throw. Freshman Angela Boushea led the charge for four UW competitors with a 10th-place finish after throwing a personal-best 170 feet, 4 inches. The performance ranks Boushea No. 6 all-time at UW and also qualifies her for next month’s U.S. junior championships.
Sophomore Jasmine Boyer threw 159-4 for 16th place, with freshman Abby Lueck (149-10) taking 18th and sophomore Taylor Smith failing to record a legal mark.
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- One streak is going to end for the Wisconsin women’s track and field team this weekend, but Jessica Flax has the opportunity to continue another.
With a strong showing to open the 2011 Big Ten Outdoor Championships on Friday, Flax put herself in position to contend for a conference title in the heptathlon.
The junior amassed a career-best first-day total of 3,266 points and stands just 70 markers back of leader Alana Gray of Ohio State (3,336 points).
If Flax is able to jump into the lead over the final three events Saturday, she would give UW a fourth-consecutive league title in the multi-events between indoor and outdoor competition.
The Badgers’ run of three straight has come on the back of sophomore Dorcas Akinniyi, whose bid to repeat her sweep of the Big Ten’s indoor pentathlon and outdoor heptathlon crowns for the second-straight year came to an end with a no-height in the high jump.
The end of Akinniyi’s stranglehold on the event opens the door for Flax -- who finished third in the heptathlon last year -- to move up the podium. Right behind her, however, is UW freshman Deanna Latham, who put together a strong opening day of her own to hold down the No. 3 spot with 3,172 points.
Flax made her jump to second place in the third event of the day, posting a field-leading throw of 41 feet, 1 inch in the shot put. The mark was just off her lifetime best and kept her just ahead of Latham, who threw a personal-best 39-3 3/4 to place second.
Latham also recorded a personal-best time of 14.14 in the 100-meter hurdles to begin the competition.
The most impactful event of the day, however, was the high jump. Flax and Latham both came in with the bar at 4-11 3/4 and made successful clearances. Akinniyi, a strong high jumper, made her first attempt when the bar was raised to 5-3 1/4 and failed to make a clearance, forcing her to withdraw from the competition.
Flax went on to clear 5-5 3/4, while Latham finished with a mark of 5-2 1/4.
Remaining for Flax and Latham on Saturday are the long jump, javelin and 800 meters. The competition resumes at 10:15 a.m.
After the multi-event athletes opened the day, a trio of distance runners helped the Badgers close things out under the lights in the 10,000 meters.
Freshman Emily Sisson, competing in just her second-ever race for the Badgers in track after earning All-America honors in cross country, raced her way to a third-place finish in 35 minutes, 7.35 seconds. Sisson was part of a four-runner breakaway in the race’s late stages, which Penn State’s Kara Millhouse won in 35:02.33.
Fellow freshman Lavinia Jurkiewicz also put together a strong race and came home 11th in 36:03.07.
Junior Caitlin Comfort, bouncing back from injury that has severely limited her training since the outdoor season’s first weeks, finished 14th in 36:15.14.
The other highlight for the Badgers came in the hammer throw. Freshman Angela Boushea led the charge for four UW competitors with a 10th-place finish after throwing a personal-best 170 feet, 4 inches. The performance ranks Boushea No. 6 all-time at UW and also qualifies her for next month’s U.S. junior championships.
Sophomore Jasmine Boyer threw 159-4 for 16th place, with freshman Abby Lueck (149-10) taking 18th and sophomore Taylor Smith failing to record a legal mark.
