Badgers start push towards Big Ten indoors

Friday, February 10

Ames, IA

All Day

Wisconsin Badgers

Iowa State Classic

Badgers start push towards Big Ten indoors

February 09, 2017 | Women's Track & Field

Wisconsin travels to Ames this weekend for Iowa State Classic

MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin men's and women's track and field teams hit the road for Ames, Iowa and the Iowa State Classic this weekend. The two-day meet kicks off at 11 a.m. Friday with the men's long jump. Running events start at noon with the preliminary heats of the 60 meters, and fans can stream the meet with FloTrack Pro.

Wisconsin at Iowa State Classic
Date	Friday, Feb. 10 - Saturday, Feb. 11
Location	Ames, Iowa \| Lied Recreation Center
Admission	Free
Meet Info	Schedule \| Heat Sheets
Follow	Live Results \| Live Video \| @BadgerTrackXC

Last time out, the women's team had a good weekend at the Armory Invitational in New York, highlighted by a win in the distance medley relay and a second-best all-time performance in the 4x400 relay. This weekend more Badgers will be competing, as the Iowa State Classic is one of the last meets for the athletes to make the travel roster for the 2017 Big Ten Indoor Championships.

Lots of field athletes will be in action this weekend, including high jumper Emma Haugen. The sophomore won the Black and Gold Premier in her last competition, narrowly missing her personal record.

Four Badgers are set to compete in the women's pole vault, including the trio of Taylor Amann, Chinne Okoronkwo and Jane McCurry that swept the top-three places at the Black and Gold Premier. Amann set a personal record of 13 feet, 3 1/2 inches to move up to second on the Badgers' all-time list in the pole vault. Okoronkwo, a true freshman is tied for fifth in program history with a collegiate best of 12-9 ½.

The throwers will also return to competition after taking last weekend off. Banke Oginni paces Wisconsin in the weight throw with the eighth-best throw in the country this season of 70-10 ½. Sophomore Kennedy Blahnik leads the way in shot put, ranking fourth all-time with a throw of 52-1 ½.

On the track, sprinter Ebony McClendon will compete in the 60 and 200 meters. Last weekend McClendon made it to the semi-finals in the 60 meters at the Armory Invitational. Prior to that, she won the 60 meters and was runner-up in the premier 200 meters at the Black and Gold Premier.

Freshman Gabby DesRosiers is set to run in the 200 and 400 meters. Earlier this year, DesRosiers became second all-time in the 400 meters, running the two lap race in 54.55 seconds at the Minnesota dual.

Senior Brenna Detra will run in the 800 meters for the first time this season. Detra ran the 800 meter leg of the distance medley relay for Wisconsin at the Armory Invitational, clocking in at 2 minutes, 11.42 seconds. Her personal record in the open 800 is a 2:11.73.

Seven different Badgers will run the 5000 meters this weekend. Freshman Alicia Monson will be making her Badger track and field debut after finishing third last weekend in the women's junior race at the USA Cross Country Championships. Sophomore Amy Davis will also toe the line as the Madison native was the 3000 meters runner-up at the Armory Invitational running a personal-best 9:31.00. Junior Sarah Disanza will run her first 5000 meters since the 2015 indoor season. That year she finished third at the NCAA Championships with a time of 15:47.32, earning first-team All-American honors in the event.

The Emma's will represent Wisconsin in the mile this weekend. Senior Emma Reifel was runner-up in the mile at the Armory Invitational, crossing the line in a personal-best 4:53.52. Freshman Emma Langer will be competing in the mile for the second time in her career. At the Minnesota dual, Langer took third with a time of 5:00.49.

Senior Sarah Heinemann finished ninth in the 3000 meters at the Armory Invitational, running the first indoor 3000 meters of her career in 9:42.85. This weekend she is slated to compete in the event again.

In the 60 hurdles, juniors Georgia Ellenwood and Casie Pawlik, along with freshman Ruth Cesar-Heymann, are set to compete. Ellenwood made it through to the semi-finals at the Armory Invitational with a season-best time of 8.75.