Badgers ready for conference championship

Friday, February 24

Geneva, OH

9 AM

Wisconsin Badgers

Big Ten Indoor Championships

Photo by: David Stluka

Badgers ready for conference championship

February 23, 2017 | Women's Track & Field

Wisconsin travels to Geneva, Ohio for Big Ten Indoors

MADISON, Wis. – It is championship season for the Wisconsin women's track and field team and things seem to be peaking at just the right time heading into the 2017 Big Ten Indoor Track and Field Championships.. Twenty-two Badgers will battle at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio with a Big Ten indoor title in mind. Fans can watch the meet live on BTN Plus Friday and Saturday.

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

It will be no easy task, with five Big Ten programs ranked in the top 25 of the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association rankings, including No. 14 Penn State, No 16 Indiana, No. 18 Michigan, No. 21 Purdue and No. 24 Illinois. Wisconsin sits just outside the rankings at No. 30, but is capable of finishing in the top three if everybody performs at their best.

Junior Georgia Ellenwood enters the weekend with the top mark in the pentathlon. The two-time Big Ten pentathlon runner-up has her eyes set on the top of the podium. Last year she broke the school record at this meet with 4,392 points. She will also compete in the high jump, seeded 12th.

Wisconsin also has three athletes seeded second in their events. Junior Taylor Amann goes into the Big Ten meet with a three week personal record setting streak. Most recently she broke the school record when she cleared 13 feet, 6 1/2 inches at the Shell Shocker. On top of earning key points for the Badgers, Amann will also be vaulting for a place at the NCAA indoor meet as only the top-16 athletes in their event advance to the two-day national championship.

Another second seed fighting for a spot at nationals is Chinne Okoronkwo. The freshman, ranked 17th in the country in the triple jump, set a personal best in the event at the Shell Shocker, covering 42-10 3/4. She is just five inches shy of the school record. Okoronkwo will also join Amann in the pole vault, going into the meet ranked ninth overall and second among freshman.

Banke Oginni is seeded second in the weight throw. The sophomore became second all-time at Wisconsin when she threw 70-10 1/2 at the Minnesota dual. Oginni will also compete in shot put, entering with the eighth-best mark.

Other notable field entries include Kennedy Blahnik in shot put, Jane McCurry in the pole vault, Emma Haugen in high jump, Casie Pawlik and Haley Showalter in the weight throw.

On the track, a Badger will run in almost every event. Junior Ebony McClendon leads the sprint squad, seeded seventh in the 60 meters and 11th in the 200 meters. Earlier this season McClendon tied her personal-best in the 60 meters and is one hundredth of a second away from the school record. At last year's Big Ten Championship, McClendon set the 200 meters school, clocking in at 23.90.

Senior Brenna Detra has the third-best time in the conference in the 800 meters. At the Iowa State Classic she moved up to fifth all-time at Wisconsin in the event, running a personal-best 2:06.47.

In the 3000 meters, Amy Davis, Shaelyn Sorensen and Alicia Monson will toe the line. Davis leads the pack with the seventh seed and a personal record of 9:31.00. Sorensen is seeded 12th and Monson will be competing in her first collegiate 3000 meters.

Senior Michele Lee enters with the seventh seed in the 5000 meters. She will be joined by Davis, Monson and junior Sarah Disanza as they take on an elite field led by Michigan's Erin Finn.

Freshman Gabby DesRosiers will get her first taste of conference championship action in the 400 meters. She enters as the 10th seed with a time of 55.11.

Two Wisconsin relays have the potential to be extremely competitive. The 4x400 relay of DesRosiers, Detra, McClendon and Ellenwood is seeded 10th. Earlier this season they became second all-time at Wisconsin running a 3:43.77 at the Armory Invitational.

Wisconsin will also have a distance meadly relay featuring Emma Langer, DesRosiers, Emma Reifel and Sarah Heinemann. The team is seeded fourth after winning the DMR at the Armory Invitational in 11:31.82.

A tape-delayed broadcast of the meet will air on Friday, Feb. 27 at 5 p.m. CT on BTN.