Badgers hit the road for Black and Gold Premier

Friday, January 27

Iowa City, IA

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Wisconsin Badgers

Black and Gold Premier

Badgers hit the road for Black and Gold Premier

January 26, 2017 | Women's Track & Field

Wisconsin track and field travels to Iowa City for two-day meet

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin men's and women's track and field teams hit the road for its first away meet of the season, traveling to Iowa City, Iowa for the Black and Gold Premier.

Wisconsin at Black and Gold Premier
Date	Friday, Jan. 27 - Saturday, Jan. 28
Location	Iowa City, Iowa \| Recreation Building
Admission	Free
Meet Info	Schedule \| Heat Sheets
Follow	Live Results \| Live Video \| @BadgerTrackXC

The meet begins Friday morning with the heptathlon, pentathlon, field events and select running events and concludes on Saturday with day two of the heptathlon, field events and the premier heats of the running events.

"It's a different feel from last week," Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Mick Byrne said. "There are some good schools going; Notre Dame, Tulsa, Minnesota is sending some of their team, the Illinois men, and Illinois State. It looks like it's going to be competitive across the board."

For the first time this season, the Badger multi-event athletes will compete in the pentathlon and heptathlon.

"It's a two-day meet," Byrne said. "Multi kids get to do their thing for the first time, that's exciting. We've got some good, young multi kids with some excellent seniors. On the women's side Georgia Ellenwood opens up with her main event (60 Hurdles)."

Juniors Georgia Ellenwood and Casie Pawlik, along with redshirt freshman Annie Wagner will compete in the pentathlon. Ellenwood's future looks bright after a remarkable campaign last season. The 2016 pentathlon All-American holds the Wisconsin school record of 4,392 points. Pawlik finished 11th at last year's Big Ten Championship, while Wagner will be competing in her first pentathlon as a Badger.

"On the men's side, we've got Brandon Mortensen and Trent Nytes, and we've got some young guys, Paul Afflito, Isaac Hale, Zach Lorbeck," Byrne explained. "But the goal for those guys is to get on the Big Ten list."

Mortensen and Nytes lead the Wisconsin men in the heptathlon. Mortensen started the 2017 season hot, winning the 60 hurdles at the Badger Icebreaker. At the Minnesota dual he finished runner-up in both the 60 hurdles and long jump. Nytes finished last year's indoor season with a third place finish in the heptathlon at the Big Ten Championships, scoring a career-high 5,475 points.

After crushing the competition at the Minnesota Dual, freshman Chinne Okoronkwo is seeded second in the triple jump. She currently is the NCAA freshman leader in the event and ranks 11th overall.

Sprinters Ebony McClendon and Lorenzo Larry both won the 60 and 200 meters last weekend against Minnesota. This weekend McClendon will compete in the premier 200 meters along with teammate Gabby DesRosiers. DesRosiers will also appear in the premier 400 meters after becoming second all-time at Wisconsin in the 400 at the Minnesota Dual. Larry enters the weekend with the top seed in the 60 meters and will also compete in the premier 200 meters.

Wisconsin enters the women's weight throw with the top four seeds. Sophomore Banke Oginni, seeded first, looks to improve on her monstrous throw of 70 feet, 10 ½ inches that has her ranked fourth in the NCAA. Sophomore Kennedy Blahnik is the top seed in the shot put. Junior Riley Budde is also seeded first in the men's weight throw and shot put.

In the premier running heats, senior Brenna Detra will toe the line for the 600 meters. Last weekend she won that event at the Minnesota dual. Junior Corbin Ellis will also compete in the premier 600 on the men's side. Senior Ryan Davis will represent Wisconsin in the 400 meters thanks to a second place showing at the Minnesota dual. Emma Reifel and Cooper Barth will take on the premier field in the 800 meters.

Top-seeded Taylor Amann, Jane McCurry and Chinne Okoronkwo will compete in pole vault on the women's side, with Tim Guthrie, Rashid Coulibaly, Travis Toliver and Jake Wallenfang competing on the men's side. Sophomore Emma Haugen enters as the second seed in the women's high jump.

In the distance events, sophomore Joe Hardy is the second seed for the men's premier mile and will be joined by teammates Russell Sandvold, Oliver Hoare and McKena Ramos. Lianna Mack, Rachel Fleddermann and Colette Richter will run in the premier 3000 meters.