Four Badgers earn spots at 2017 NCAA Indoor Championships
March 01, 2017 | Men's Track & Field, Women's Track & Field
Budde, Ellenwood, McDonald and Oginni will represent UW at national meet
MADISON, Wis. – Four members of the Wisconsin track and field program are heading to College Station, Texas, to compete at the 2017 NCAA Indoor Championships on March 10-11.
Riley Budde, Georgia Ellenwood, Morgan McDonald and Banke Oginni will showcase their talents at the final indoor meet of the season. The four Badgers each put forth impressive performances at the Big Ten championships last weekend, leading the men to third place and the women's squad to a sixth-place showing.
Budde will compete in the men's weight throw for Wisconsin on the back of his monster throw at The Shell Shocker on Feb. 17. Budde reached a distance of 72-11 1/4 (22.23m), easily winning the competition and earning the 10th-best mark around the country in the process.
The junior placed third at the Big Ten meet, and currently holds the second-best mark in program history behind two-time NCAA champion Michael Lihrman. Budde has racked up 11 top-two finishes in all events this season, including five victories.
Coming off a victory in the pentathlon last weekend, Ellenwood advanced to nationals for a third-straight year with a score of 4,122 points, which ranks 12th nationally. During the competition, Ellenwood finished in the top five in all five events, including second-place finishes in the high jump and the 800 meters. She also currently holds the best mark in Wisconsin history in the pentathlon with a score of 4,392 points.
The Langley, British Columbia, native also won the pentathlon at the Black and Gold Premier in January of this year. Ellenwood scored 4,104 points to capture the title in Iowa.
She was a 2015 and 2016 first-team All-American in the indoor pentathlon and placed fourth overall at last year's NCAA Championship meet, setting three personal records in the process.
McDonald will compete in the 3000 meters for a second-straight year at the NCAA indoor meet. He qualified for nationals with a second-place finish at the Armory Invitational in the 3000 meter invitational run. His time of 7 minutes, 51.19 seconds, was good for the sixth-best mark in the country this season while ranking third in program history.
The 2017 Big Ten Indoor Track Athlete of the Championships, McDonald is coming off of a sensational pair of performances at the conference meet. The junior claimed victories in both the 3000 meters and the 5000 meters, becoming the first Badger to win both distance events since Brandon Bethke in 2008. He was a 2016 first-team All-American in the 5000 meters outdoors.
Oginni earned a spot at the NCAA championships with the 10-best mark in the nation in the weight throw. The sophomore tossed a distance of 70 feet, 10 1/2 inches (21.60 meters) at The Dual earlier this season, winning the event during the annual competition against Minnesota. Oginni's throw also signaled the second-best in Badger history, behind Olympian Kelsey Card.
At the Big Ten meet, Oginni placed third in the weight throw while also taking ninth in the shot put. Throughout the 2017 indoor season, Oginni won the weight throw four times and had nine top-two finishes in all events this season.
Ellenwood will compete in the pentathlon on Friday, March 10, set to begin at 12:15 p.m. CT with the 60 meter hurdles.
Budde aims to contend in the weight throw on Saturday, March 11, at 2 p.m. Oginni takes to the field shortly afterward at 4:30 p.m., while McDonald is set to run in the 3000 meters at 6:15 p.m. on Saturday night.
Riley Budde, Georgia Ellenwood, Morgan McDonald and Banke Oginni will showcase their talents at the final indoor meet of the season. The four Badgers each put forth impressive performances at the Big Ten championships last weekend, leading the men to third place and the women's squad to a sixth-place showing.
Budde will compete in the men's weight throw for Wisconsin on the back of his monster throw at The Shell Shocker on Feb. 17. Budde reached a distance of 72-11 1/4 (22.23m), easily winning the competition and earning the 10th-best mark around the country in the process.
The junior placed third at the Big Ten meet, and currently holds the second-best mark in program history behind two-time NCAA champion Michael Lihrman. Budde has racked up 11 top-two finishes in all events this season, including five victories.
Coming off a victory in the pentathlon last weekend, Ellenwood advanced to nationals for a third-straight year with a score of 4,122 points, which ranks 12th nationally. During the competition, Ellenwood finished in the top five in all five events, including second-place finishes in the high jump and the 800 meters. She also currently holds the best mark in Wisconsin history in the pentathlon with a score of 4,392 points.
The Langley, British Columbia, native also won the pentathlon at the Black and Gold Premier in January of this year. Ellenwood scored 4,104 points to capture the title in Iowa.
She was a 2015 and 2016 first-team All-American in the indoor pentathlon and placed fourth overall at last year's NCAA Championship meet, setting three personal records in the process.
McDonald will compete in the 3000 meters for a second-straight year at the NCAA indoor meet. He qualified for nationals with a second-place finish at the Armory Invitational in the 3000 meter invitational run. His time of 7 minutes, 51.19 seconds, was good for the sixth-best mark in the country this season while ranking third in program history.
The 2017 Big Ten Indoor Track Athlete of the Championships, McDonald is coming off of a sensational pair of performances at the conference meet. The junior claimed victories in both the 3000 meters and the 5000 meters, becoming the first Badger to win both distance events since Brandon Bethke in 2008. He was a 2016 first-team All-American in the 5000 meters outdoors.
Oginni earned a spot at the NCAA championships with the 10-best mark in the nation in the weight throw. The sophomore tossed a distance of 70 feet, 10 1/2 inches (21.60 meters) at The Dual earlier this season, winning the event during the annual competition against Minnesota. Oginni's throw also signaled the second-best in Badger history, behind Olympian Kelsey Card.
At the Big Ten meet, Oginni placed third in the weight throw while also taking ninth in the shot put. Throughout the 2017 indoor season, Oginni won the weight throw four times and had nine top-two finishes in all events this season.
Ellenwood will compete in the pentathlon on Friday, March 10, set to begin at 12:15 p.m. CT with the 60 meter hurdles.
Budde aims to contend in the weight throw on Saturday, March 11, at 2 p.m. Oginni takes to the field shortly afterward at 4:30 p.m., while McDonald is set to run in the 3000 meters at 6:15 p.m. on Saturday night.
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