GENEVA, Ohio – Juniors Taylor Amann, Georgia Ellenwood, and sophomore Ebony McClendon led the Wisconsin women's track and field team during the first day of the 2017 Big Ten Conference Indoor Championships on Friday at the SPIRE Institute.
 
"This was a fantastic day both for the men and the women," Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Mick Byrne said.
 
Ellenwood had a thrilling, come-from-behind win in the women's pentathlon, finishing the day with a season-best score of 4,122 points.
 
"It's amazing!" Ellenwood said. "I've been waiting a long time for this because the last few years it's been tough. It feels really good to get it even though I wish my point total was a little bit higher. I always have to work for it no matter what, it's never easy. I'm just happy to come out with the win today."
 
The Langley, British Columbia, native started the day strong, running a season-best 8.68 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles. A second-place showing, clearing 5 feet, 8 1/2 inches, in the high jump helped propel her into second after two events.
 
In the shot put, Ellenwood threw 39-8 1/2 and took the lead with just two events to go. A jump of 17-11 1/2 in the long jump moved her back down to second with one event to go.
 
"It always happens," Ellenwood explained. "I'm always down going into the 800 and that's why I do the 800 training I do because it always comes down to it."
 
The training paid off, as Ellenwood ran a blazing 2:15.75 in the 800 meters to secure the conference pentathlon crown with a score of 4,122.
 
Amann picked up the team's second Big Ten title of the day, clearing a school-record 13-9 1/4 in the pole vault on her final attempt. She bested her own school record of 13-6 1/2 set last weekend at the Shell Shocker.
 
"It means so much to me," Amann said afterwards. "I'm so excited! I've been having really good meets and getting a new PR each meet, which is awesome. I've just been working hard for it and I wanted to win and I did."
 
Amann and Ellenwood earned 20 of Wisconsin's 27 points during the first day of competition. The Badgers currently sit in third, just three points behind first-place Penn State.
 
In the sprint preliminaries, McClendon gave everything and more in her two races. First up was the 60-meter preliminary. Finishing fifth overall and second in her heat, McClendon ran a 7.41 to advance to the finals and give her the school record.
 
Just an hour later McClendon was back at it, this time beating her previous school record in the 200 meters. She crossed the line in 23.62 and will appear in the finals on Saturday.
 
"That's a great day," Byrne said of McClendon's races. "Advancing to the finals, that's the first time it's happened in a while."
 
Freshman Alicia Monson had a huge race in her first collegiate 3000 meters, placing seventh in 9:20.18 to earn two points for the Badgers. Sophomore Amy Davis finished 10th in the event, clocking a 9:33.19. 
 
Thrower Banke Oginni earned a top-10 finish in the shot put. The sophomore threw 50-5 1/2 and finished ninth. Fellow sophomore Kennedy Blahnik placed 13th with a throw of 48-3 1/4.
 
Also earning a top-10 finish and a personal best was Chinne Okoronkwo in the pole vault. She cleared 12-11 1/2 on her final attempt, finishing 10th. Junior Jane McCurry was just three places back in 13th, vaulting 12-5 1/2 on her first attempt. 
 
Junior Casie Pawlik also competed in the pentathlon, finishing ninth and just two points shy of her personal record with a score of 3,455. She started with a season best in the 60 hurdles, finishing in 8.87. Next in the high jump, Pawlik cleared 5-1 1/4. A mark of 30-0 1/4 in the shot put and a third-best leap of 18-0 1/4 in long jump came next. Her best performance came last with a 2:32.79 personal record in the 800 meters.
 
Brenna Detra had her first go-around in the 800 meters today. The senior got the lean to finish first in her heat with a 2:09.04 to advance to Saturday's 800-meter final.
 
In the 400-meter preliminaries, freshman Gabby DesRosiers finished second in her heat and 11th overall in 55.25.
 
Wisconsin closed out the day with a fourth-place finish in the distance medley relay. The team of Emma Langer, DesRosiers, Emma Riefel and Sarah Heinemann ran the 10th best time in school history of 11:21.26, giving Wisconsin another five team points. Riefel and Heinemann delivered sensational performances, crushing each of their own personal records in each of their legs.
 
The second day of the Big Ten meet begins tomorrow at 9 a.m. (CT) with the heptathlon 60 hurdles. Fans can tune in and watch the meet live on BTN Plus, as well as watch a tape-delayed broadcast of the meet on Monday at 5 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.