EUGENE, Ore. – When Wisconsin men's track and field senior standout Malachy Schrobilgen toed the line for the 10,000 meters at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Championships, he admitted that he was hyped up for his final race for the Badgers.

Unfortunately, the race didn't go the way the distance ace dreamed as Schrobilgen, one of the most decorated athletes in program history, finished 21st in the 10,000 meters on Wednesday in 29 minutes, 50.26 seconds at Hayward Field. 

"Malachy has struggled a little bit of late," UW Director of Track and Field Mick Byrne said. "He had some stomach issues down at the regional meet. That's not the Big Ten champion that I know who looked so good just a couple of weeks ago at the Big Ten meet.

"Unfortunately it's not the way he wanted to go out, but I think after taking some down time he will regroup.

"We haven't heard the last of Malachy."

 "I wasn't feeling great heading into the race," Schrobilgen admitted. "Maybe I was a little too emotionally hyped up to start off and it kind of drained me a little bit early on. I tried to make a move, just got a little too antsy and made a move earlier than I needed to instead of just staying relaxed. When the move did come I was just cooked. It wasn't a good race for me but, you know, it happens. I'm happy with everything I've done up to this point and I put myself in a position to compete today it's just sometimes you have good runs and sometimes you don't. I just didn't have one today."

A native of Oak Park, Illinois, Schrobilgen ends his UW career as a four-time Big Ten champion and a four-time first-team All-American. Schrobilgen also helped UW earn four Big Ten team titles, two in track and two in cross country, and helped UW nab three top-10 finishes at the NCAA cross country championships. 

"It's been the opportunity of a lifetime," Schrobilgen said about his time at Wisconsin. "I would absolutely do it again a million times over. I love my coaches. I love my teammates. I love my school. It would've been nice to give them a good one to go out on but I'm pretty cooked at this point.

"I think emotionally I was there but physically just ran out of steam at the end of the season."

"Over the years, I am very proud of what's he has done for the program," Byrne said. "He's meant so much to the program. The injury he sustained back in 2015 took so much out of him, and a lot of guys would have quit right there, but he crawled his way back to become a Big Ten champion. He helped us win the Big Ten cross country title and helped us score 18 points at the Big Ten meet. That speaks volumes to his character.

"We wish nothing but the best for Malachy in the future."

In his first NCAA outdoor championships, junior Riley Budde was busy, competing in both the shot put and hammer on the opening day of the four-day competition. The school record-holder in the shot put, Budde earned second-team All-America honors in the shot put with a toss of 61 feet, 5 1/2 inches. 
Budde's first throw was his best throw as he fouled his final two attempts and finished 14th overall. 

"I guess it was OK," Budde said about his shot put performance. "I would've liked to throw a little better in both. My second throw in shot was a big foul. I wish I could've saved that one, I probably would've made it to finals but that's the way it goes sometimes."

"He looked much better tonight in the shot put," Byrne said. "Certainly that second throw was over 20 meters and that looked like a throw that was going to get him into the finals but unfortunately he fouled. He came back and that third throw was a very good effort but they called him for a foot foul. I don't know whether his nerves got to him this being his first time at the outdoor meet but I'm sure after taking some down time, some time with his coach, he'll learn from this experience and be better next year."

Before throwing the shot put, Budde placed 19th in the hammer throw with a toss of 207-2, which came on his final attempt. 

"It's not my first time throwing two events in the same day so I kind of thought of it as just another meet and went in and tried my best. 

"I'm definitely looking forward to a little break here, too. It's been a pretty long season so it will be nice to rest up a little bit and get back after it."

In his first NCAA meet, freshman Rashid Coulibaly finished in a tie for 20th in the pole vault with a clearance of 16-10 3/4. After missing the height at his first two attempts, Coulibaly calmly cleared the bar on his final attempt to remain in the competition.

The freshman was close to clearing 17-4 ½ on his third attempt, two inches below his PR of 17-6 1/2 set at the NCAA West Prelims, but Coulibaly knicked the bar on his way down to bow out of the competition. 

"Rashid just looked a little off today," Byrne said. "He missed those first two attempts and got over, but it seemed like he was struggling. But he's a young freshman who's improved over two feet this year and we think he has a very bright future ahead of him."

Junior Josh McDonald, who competed at last year's NCAA outdoor championships in the discus, took 24th in the shot put this year with a toss of 56-1.

Brenna Detra is the lone Badger to compete at the NCAA championships on Thursday as the junior will compete in the semifinals of the 400 hurdles at 8:30 p.m. CT live on ESPN2.