AUSTIN, Texas – A pair of Wisconsin men's track and field standouts punched their tickets to the NCAA outdoor championships thanks to outstanding performances during the first day of the NCAA West Preliminary Round at Mike A. Myers Stadium.
 
Senior Malachy Schrobilgen finished 10th in the 10,000 meters to qualify for his second career NCAA track and field championship, while junior Riley Budde was 11th in the men's hammer throw to earn his first career trip to the NCAA outdoor meet.

"Both Riley and Malachy put everything they had into their respective events tonight," UW Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Mick Byrne said. "That's what it takes at this level to make it to the national championships. Riley had to have a big throw on his last attempt after sitting outside the top-12 and Malachy had to battle a group of 14 runners during the final lap to advance. 

"These two guys competed hard when they had to and it is very exciting for our program to have these two upperclassmen advance to the NCAA meet."
 
Stellar Schrobilgen: Senior punches ticket to Eugene in 10,000 meters
It was almost déjà vu on Thursday night in Austin, Texas, as for the second time in three years, Malachy Schrobilgen toed in the line in the men's 10,000 meters looking for a berth in the national championship.
 
In 2015, Schrobilgen was seeded 30th heading into the 10,000 meters at the NCAA West Preliminary Round and proved seedings didn't matter with a 12th-place showing.
 
This year Schrobilgen was seeded 32nd and once again outperformed his seed, finishing 10th in 29 minutes, 58.31 seconds.
 
"I think I saw my ghost somewhere out there but the heat was still just as bad this year," Schrobilgen said. "I think this is a race where experience helps a lot. Having ran here two years ago, I think the heat didn't take me as much by surprise as it did then. So I was kind of able to stay calm and relax a little bit as much as I could and just stick to the game plan - Stay at the back and just try to get that spot and move onto Eugene."
 
Schrobilgen was in the race off the get-go, as a group of three runners broke away from the rest of the pack early on, but the field of 48 caught up with them with less than eight laps remaining.
 
A lead group of 12, including Schrobilgen, broke away from the rest of the field with less than six laps to go and Schrobilgen was able to punch his ticket to the NCAA outdoor championships thanks to a top-12 finish.
 
"This year I was just trying to get a time to qualify and then just compete," Schrobilgen said. "Sit at the back of the pack and try to get that 10th or 12th spot and not overexert or anything to save some for Eugene. You can try to conserve as much as you want but it still's going to get you pretty toasted. It seemed like a mile in it was already hitting me so I was glad I could just sit in there, cover a couple of moves and just be there at the end for those last few spots."
 
Schrobilgen will compete in the 10,000 meters at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Championships on Wednesday, June 7 at 9:08 p.m. CT as he eyes his fifth career All-America honor.
 
Rallying Riley: Budde advances to NCAA championships in hammer throw
Heading into his final attempt in the men's hammer throw at the 2017 NCAA West Preliminary Round, Wisconsin men's track and field junior Riley Budde was sitting in 15th place, knowing that only the top-12 finishers advance to the national championships.
 
Budde was able to launch a bomb of 213 feet, 8 inches that moved the Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, native safely into the top-12 and a spot at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Championships next month in Eugene, Oregon.
 
"I was pretty nervous head into my final throw," Budde said. "My first throws weren't what I wanted them to be so I was just kind of going to go out there and give it everything I had and just hoped that it happened."
 
Budde began his competition with a toss of 195-11 before throwing the hammer 208-6, which landed him in 15th heading into the final round of throws.
 
"I'm really happy that I was able to qualify," Budde said. "That was the goal, and now I have one down so it's kind of a relief. I just move on to the next event now." 
 
Budde will compete in the men's shot put on Friday at 4:30 p.m. CT and the men's discus on Saturday at 1 p.m. A first-team All-American in the weight throw earlier this year, Budde is one of only two throwers at the meet that is scheduled to compete in all three events. 
 
Freshman Tucker Wedig, the No. 48 seed in the meet, finished 32nd with a personal-best mark of 198-8.
 
Junior Carl Hirsch advanced to the next round of the 1500 meters as the junior finished fourth in the third section of the event in 3:49.64. Teammates Joe Hardy and Oliver Hoare were sixth and eighth, respectively, in their section and did not advance. Hirsch will race for the right to advance to Eugene on Saturday at 6:45 p.m.
 
Sophomore Eric Brown also qualified for the ensuing round of the 800 meters as the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, native finished 12th overall in 1:50.56. Brown will race again on Friday at 6:45 p.m.
 
Senior Lorenzo Larry narrowly missed out on advancing to Friday's final of the 100 meters. The captain crossed the line in 10.27 to finish fourth in his section and 24th overall.
 
UW resumes action at the NCAA West Preliminary Round on Friday at Noon CT as Tim Guthrie and Rashid Coulibaly will compete in the men's pole vault.