ATHENS, Georgia – At the Bulldog Decathlon, one of the premier multi-event competitions of the track and field season, Wisconsin men's track and field senior Zach Ziemek shined in the star-studded field, nabbing a runner-up finish with a score of 8,047 points.

It marks the third time that "Double Z" has broken the 8000-point barrier in his Wisconsin career, as he finished behind Georgia' Karl Saluri, who recorded 8,108 points in the Bulldogs' home competition. Saluri and Ziemek currently rank first and second, respectively, in the country in the decathlon.

Fifth-year senior Charlie Foss finished in 13th with 7,068 points, a personal-best mark, and redshirt freshman Trent Nytes, in his first collegiate decathlon, finished in 14th with 7,007 points.

Ziemek started the second day of the decathlon with a bang, running a personal best of 14.71 seconds in the 110 hurdles to place sixth. Foss clocked in at 14.97 to earn a 10th-place showing while Nytes crossed the line in 15.57 to finish 16th.

"Double Z" took the lead in the decathlon after winning the discus with a mark of 153 feet, 9 inches. Nytes was eighth with a mark of 133-11 while Foss was 14th with a mark of 122-6.

In his premier event of the decathlon, the pole vault, Ziemek tied for second place with a clearance of 16-10 3/4. Foss cleared 14-7 1/4 and Foss vaulted 13-3 1/4.

Ziemek placed fourth in the javelin with a throw of 188-5 to record 699 points and maintain his lead. Foss threw 168-11 and Nytes had a toss of 135-2.  

In the 1500 meters, the final event of the competition, Ziemek placed seventh in 4:55.23, Nytes was 11th in 5:03.68 and Foss took 13th in 5:07.76. Saluri finished second in the 1500 meters in 4:27.43 to win the overall title.

The Badgers continue competition at Spec Towns Track as the Spec Towns Invitational starts on Friday with the men's discus at 1 p.m.