UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. – UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Wisconsin women's track and field team capped off the 2017 Big Ten Outdoor Championships with a trio of third-place finishes from Sarah Disanza, Brenna Detra and Emma Fitzgerald.

Disanza was one of three Badgers to score in the 5000 meters as she crossed the line in 16 minutes, 24.50 seconds. Freshman Alicia Monson was right on her tail crossing in 16:24.95 to place fourth and sophomore Amy Davis finished seventh with a time of 16:26.35 after placing sixth in the 10,000 meters on Friday.

"We're very proud of our 5K group," UW Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Mick Byrne said. "Coming into the race, we had three women ranked in the top eight. Obviously at a championship meet rankings don't mean anything. It's all about execution. And our women did a fantastic job executing their race plan in less than ideal conditions. Our athletes today were battling winds more than 20 miles per hour. They stayed poised and patient throughout the race and when the pace picked up over the last 800 meters they responded with confidence and scored a crucial 13 points for us."

"It was really, really exciting," Disanza said. "I was a little nervous at first where there was a girl who was starting to come around me and kind of bumped me a little bit, almost knocking me off the track. I was concerned that it was one of the other big names in the race, but then she apologized and it was very, very sweet and I could tell from the tone of her voice it was Alicia. That got me really excited and even more fired up. At another point I saw Amy start to peak out around the corner, so that really was fueling the fire and brought back the same energy we had during cross country season." 

The trio were among the leaders throughout the race, as seven runners broke away from the rest of the pack midway through the race.

"Wind aside, everyone knew that and really didn't want to take the lead," Disanza said. "We were crawling for the first couple of laps, so that was interesting and until Gina made a move everyone then decided that it was time to go. After that it was a bit more of a grind, but still somewhat comfortable. After a lot of those girls were doubling, I knew it was going to be a lot more conservative of a race rather than a true grind from the gun."

"I've been waiting so long this whole week to compete. I knew I wanted to give it absolutely everything I had."

Senior Sarah Heinemann also competed in the 5000 meters, completing the race in 16:58.85 to place 12th.

In the 400 hurdles, Detra crossed the line in 57.80 to finish third, scoring six points for the Badgers. Her run came days after running a season-best time of 57.64 in the preliminary round.

"During my 400 hurdle race, I was thinking 'The wind's not on our side today,'" Detra said. "But I tried to think however the race goes I have to stay aggressive and stay positive and that's exactly what I did. I just took it hurdle by hurdle — and third place — I'm pretty happy with that today to get a medal. That's all I could ask for."

"Brenna is an upperclassman and one of our team leaders," said Byrne. "We were expecting her to score in the 400 hurdles and she came out and finished third. To run 57.80 in these conditions was impressive."

After collecting fifth in the heptathlon Saturday, Fitzgerald was back on the podium Sunday in the javelin. The freshman uncorked a throw of 160 feet, 8 inches on her third attempt to finish third in the event.

"Conditions were bad out there and the message we gave to the team was to not let the conditions beat you," Byrne said. "I think our athletes listened and we got points where we expected and some places where we didn't expect them.

"Emma did a great job in the javelin. She was ranked second heading in, but coming out as a freshman a day after finishing in the heptathlon was fantastic."

In the sprints, Ebony McClendon tied her personal best of 11.55 in the 100-meter final to place sixth. 

"When that gun goes off, there's nine people in that race and they all can win," Byrne said. "Ebony did her job in a very competitive field and we are very proud of her for that."

Freshman Chinne Okoronkwo leaped to her second-best mark this season of 42-3 ½ in the triple jump en route to a sixth-place showing.

"It was a positive to see her rebound after no-heighting in the pole vault on Friday," Byrne added. "She showed maturity as a freshman to come back and score points in the triple jump."

The UW quartet of Detra, McClendon, Gabrielle DesRosiers and Mary Bartelson won their section of the 4x100 relay in 46.31 to earn a sixth-place showing.

Kennedy Blahnik picked up two points for the Badgers in the shot put. The sophomore threw 50-5 ¼, her second-best throw of the season, to place seventh.

"She's been dealing with an injury, but she put that aside today," Byrne said. "At our team meeting, we told them not to let the weather conditions or anything else affect their performances. She easily could have settled for something less, but she went out and scored points. That's what you need at this meet. We need more of that."

Last on the track was the 4x400 relay. DesRosiers, McClendon, Detra and Haley Lubow completed the four-lap relay in 3:44.06, placing them eighth on UW's all-time list and in the meet.

UW ultimately finished ninth with 45 points.

"In this conference, you have to fight for every point," Byrne said. "There are no soft points. Across the board, event by event, the level of competition was first class. In terms of performances, we expected a roller coaster ride all weekend. We had some outstanding performances with some surprises and a few disappointments. Our women left some points out there and we have some work to do."