Wisconsin ready for 2017 Big Ten Indoor Championships

Friday, February 24

Geneva, OH

9 AM

Wisconsin Badgers

Big Ten Indoor Championships

Photo by: David Stluka

Wisconsin ready for 2017 Big Ten Indoor Championships

February 23, 2017 | Men's Track & Field

Twenty-three members of the men’s team set to compete at two-day meet

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin track and field team travel to Geneva, Ohio, for the 2017 Big Ten Indoor Track and Field Championships this weekend at the Spire Institute.

Wisconsin at Big Ten Indoor Championships
Date	Friday, Feb. 24 - Saturday, Feb. 25
Location	Geneva, Ohio \| SPIRE Institute
Admission	$20 for two-day pass, $12 a day
Meet Info	Schedule \| Heat Sheets
Follow	Live Results \| @BadgerTrackXC Friday Video \| Saturday Video

Beginning on Friday at 9 a.m. (CT), the meet will kick off the festivities with the men's heptathlon 60 meters. Events will continue throughout the rest of the day Friday and Saturday, concluding at 3:50 p.m. on Saturday afternoon with the awards presentation.

The Badgers are led by veteran athletes that have experience competing at stages such as the Big Ten championships before.

Junior Morgan McDonald won the Big Ten title last season in the 3000 meters and looks to defend his crown on Friday as the top seed. McDonald ran to a time of 7:51.19 at the Armory Invitational on Feb. 4, which marked the third-best time in school history and the sixth-best time in the nation this year.

Fellow junior Riley Budde appears ready to challenge for the top spot in the weight throw after earning the sixth-best distance in the nation over this past weekend at the Shell Shocker. Budde's toss of 72 feet, 11 1/4 inches(22.23 meters) ranks second in UW history behind two-time NCAA Champion Michael Lihrman and leads the field heading into the championship.

On the track, Lorenzo Larry looks to improve upon his sixth-place finish in the 60 meters at last year's meet.

The senior will compete in the 60 meters and 200 meters where he is seeded third and 11th, respectively. Larry currently holds the third-best time in the conference for the 60 meter dash with a run of 6.72 at The Dual in late January.

In the 400 meters, senior Ryan Davis will race as the fifth seed for the Badgers. Davis holds the third-best time in Wisconsin history and has the best time (47.19) of anyone on the team this season.

Corbin Ellis will go in the 600 meters, also seeded fifth in the event. Ellis set a personal record in the 400 meters at the Shell Shocker with a time of 48.14 and is hitting his stride heading into Big Ten competition.

Three pole vaulters will be contending in the event this weekend. Freshman Rashid Coulibaly enters as the eighth seed and juniors Tim Guthrie and Jacob Wallenfang rank 10th and 16th. Coulibaly holds the best mark this season with a leap of 16-6 3/4 (5.05m) at the Iowa State Classic. Guthrie just won the competition at the Shell Shocker while setting a new personal best of 16-5 1/2 (5.00m). At last year's Big Ten meet, Wallenfang finished fourth with the eighth-best mark in program history at 17-0 (5.18m).

The shot put will feature juniors Josh McDonald and Budde. McDonald holds the ninth-best mark in the conference with a throw of 60-0 1/2 (18.57m) which checks in as the sixth-best in UW history. Budde currently holds the fifth-place spot on the Wisconsin list with a toss of 60-11 1/4 (18.57m).

Brandon Mortensen, Trent Nytes, Zach Lorbeck and Paul Afflitto are all aiming for the heptathlon title this weekend, as all are seeded in the top 10. Mortensen leads the field after winning the heptathlon during Wisconsin's competition at the Black and Gold Premier in Iowa earlier this season with 5,574 points. Nytes placed second to Mortensen at the Black and Gold Premier and is seeded third at the championship. Last year Nytes took third at the Big Ten indoor meet with a personal-best score of 5,474 points.

For the distance races, the Badgers will turn to senior Malachy Schrobilgen to lead the team in the 5000 meters alongside freshman Benjamin Eidenschink. The duo is seeded seventh and ninth, and will be joined by teammates McDonald and Russell Sandvold. At the 2015 Big Ten Indoor Championships, Schrobilgen placed second in the event while also taking fourth in the 3000 meters. The four-time All-American ranks seventh in the conference this season with a run of 14:12.63 at the Iowa State Classic.

Freshmen Olin Hacker and Oliver Hoare join in on the distance team with Hacker competing in the 3000 meters and Hoare competing in the mile. Hoare holds the best time on the year with a run of 4:05.08 to place third at the Iowa State Classic. Hacker owns the eighth-best time in the conference in the 3000 meters with a time of 8:06.10.

A tape-delayed broadcast of the meet can be seen on Monday on BTN at 5 p.m. as former UW runner Reed Connor will be on the announcing team.