Five things to know: NCAA Outdoor Championships

Wednesday, June 6

Eugene, OR

2:30 PM

Wisconsin Badgers

NCAA Outdoor Championships

Trent Nytes and Sawyer Smith at 2018 Big Ten Outdoor Championships

Photo by: Walt Middleton

Five things to know: NCAA Outdoor Championships

June 04, 2018 | Men's Track & Field

Trio of Badgers gear up for national championship meet

2018 NCAA Outdoor Championships

Wednesday, June 6- Saturday, June 9 | Eugene, Ore.

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EUGENE, Ore. – As the collegiate track and field season is officially coming to its end, the pressure is amped up more than ever with the NCAA Outdoor Championships occurring this weekend. Three Badgers from the Wisconsin men's track and field team have qualified for the national meet for the first time and will put their athleticism to the test as they will ultimately aim to become national champions.

ESPN will provide comprehensive coverage of the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships as every track and field event can be seen online via ESPN3. In addition, track events on Wednesday can be seen on ESPNU, Thursday on ESPN2 and Friday and Saturday's championship action can be seen live on ESPN.

Fans can follow Badger action on Twitter (@BadgerTrackXC) for live updates and follow up on UWBadgers.com for recaps after each day of the meet.

1. HAYWARD FIELD FINALE: This year's NCAA championships will be the final major championships at Historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon as the stadium will be demolished in order to build a new state-of-the-art stadium that will host the 2021 IAAF World Championships. The 2019 and 2020 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships will now be held in Austin, Texas, before the meet returns to Eugene in 2021.

2. SMITH'S FINAL RUN: Senior Sawyer Smith qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the decathlon by finishing as the runner-up at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships with a personal best score of 7,495 points. Smith ranks 11th in school history in the decathlon and looks to become the 11th Badger to break the 7,500 points mark in the event. The LaCrosse, Wis., native enters the national championships as the No. 22 seed. Decathlon competition at the NCAA championships will begin on Wednesday, June 6th at 2:30 p.m. CT and wraps up on Thursday at 8:26 p.m.

3. UNSTOPPABLE OLLIE: Sophomore phenom Ollie Hoare will make his NCAA Outdoor Championships debut in the 1500 meters after qualifying for the event at the NCAA West Preliminary Championships. Hoare advanced to the final heat of the 1500 meters after running a time of 3:46.26 in the quarterfinals. The Sydney, Australia, native came back and dominated the loaded race, finishing fourth overall with a time of 3:43.13 to punch his ticket to Eugene. A four-time Big Ten Champion this year, Hoare enters this weekend's meet as the No. 6 seed, thanks to a sub-3:40 performance in the event earlier in the season. At the Bryan Clay Invitational, Hoare finished sixth overall in a stacked section, crossing the line in 3:37.84. The 1500 meter semifinals will take place on Wednesday, June 6 at 6:46 p.m. CT. The top-five finishers and the next two-fastest time qualifiers will advance to the final of the 1500 meters on Friday at 7:42 p.m.

4. NYTES THE NEWCOMER: A native of Kaukauna, Wis., Trent Nytes enters his first NCAA Outdoor Championships as the No. 12 seed in the decathlon after recording a personal best score of 7,683 points at the Bryan Clay Invitational. Nytes' score ranks No. 7 in school history, and the junior also holds the No. 3 score in the indoor heptathlon. Nytes has become a decorated multi-event athlete during his time at Wisconsin, finishing fifth in the decathlon at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships and becoming the Big Ten Champion in the indoor heptathlon competition. He went on to earn Second-Team All-America honors in the heptathlon at the 2018 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. Nytes will join Smith in the ten-discipline event starting on Wednesday, June 6th at 2:30 p.m. CT and finishing up on Thursday at 8:26 p.m.

5. WRAPPING UP: Following the NCAA Outdoor Championships, the collegiate track season will officially be at its end but a couple of national competitions are on the docket for the Cardinal and White as the U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships will take place in June with the Canadian Track and Field Championships to follow in July.