Friday, May 10
Iowa City, IA
ALL DAY
Wisconsin Badgers
at
Big Ten Outdoor Championships
Photo by: Darren Miller
Mighty Morgan: McDonald opens Big Ten championships with a bang
May 10, 2019 | Men's Track & Field
Senior captain wins the 10,000 meters in his debut
IOWA CITY, Iowa - Wisconsin men's track and field standout Morgan McDonald has done a lot in his career in Madison, but he had never competed in a 10K race on the track.
That changed on Friday night at the 2019 Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships as the senior captain won his debut 10,000 meters in a time of 29 minutes, 26.06 seconds.
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A three-time NCAA champion this year, McDonald added another Big Ten trophy to his collection as the Sydney, Australia, native has won eight Big Ten individual titles, six on the track and two on the cross country course, while also leading UW to a pair of conference team titles in cross country.
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Tyson Miehe led the 10,000 field for the first 7,200 with McDonald following closely behind. After a quick pass form Iowa's, Daniel Soto, McDonald continued in second place before taking over in the last kilometer.
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Indiana's Ben Veatch kept the race close, but McDonald was able to beat him to the line for the second time in three weeks as McDonald led UW to a Penn Relays title in the 4xMile against Veatch's Indiana squad in late April.
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True freshman, Shuaib Aljabaly, found his way into seventh place with a time of 29:47.56. Tyson Miehe rounded out the top ten with a time of 30:07.55.
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In the men's pole vault, junior Rashid Coulibaly took third with a clearance of 17 feet, 1 inch. The Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, native cleared his first two bars with ease before bowing out of the competition. It marked his best finish at an outdoor Big Ten competition and his second top-three finish of the year after placing second at the conference indoor meet.
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Olli Hoare won his heat in the preliminary 1500 meters with a time of 3:45.36. After in the lead group for a majority of the race, Hoare took control with 200 meters left and didn't look back. He will compete in the championship on Sunday at 1:05 p.m.
Tucker Wedig took seventh in the hammer throw with a heave of 206-11 to score a pair of points for UW. Redshirt freshman Austin Glynn was 13th with a toss of 185-5. Dan Ufearo took 16th on the day with a throw of 165-10.
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In javelin throw, Travis Tolliver advanced to the finals and took eighth place in the conference after having a season best throw of 200 feet, 7 inches.
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In the men's 400 meter hurdles, Robby Hatch ran a personal best time of 52.15 in the preliminary round to advance to the finals on Sunday. Ryan Dundun took ninth place with a season-best time, 52.19 seconds.
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A pair of Badgers are in contention for a Big Ten title in the decathlon as Trent Nytes sits in third place after the first day of action in 4,004 points while Zach Lorbeck is in fourth in 3,963 points. Teammate Paul Afflitto is in 10th with a score of 3622.
Lorbeck started hot in the men's decathlon, winning the 100 meters and earning 899 points. Paul Afflitto came in fourth place and earned 852 points with a time of 11.04 seconds. Trent Nytes finished closely behind Afflitto in fifth place with an 11.08 time, earning him 843 points in the first multi-event of the afternoon.
In the long jump, Nytes and Lorbeck each jumped 22-8 while Afflitto soared 20-8.
Lorbeck stayed hot and won the third event of the decathlon. He threw the shot 46 feet, 1 1/2 inches and earned 732 points. Nytes threw for 43-5 and tallied up 681 points. Afflitto took 11th place with a mark of 39-2 1/4, earning 603 points.
Nytes made a move in the high jump as he finished second with a clearance of 6-9, worth 859 points. Â Lorbeck took third with a 6-6 3/4 high jump and got himself 803 points. Afflitto jumped to a sixth place finish with a PR of 6-3 1/4, tallying up 723 points.
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In the final decathlon event of the day, Nytes took fourth place in the 400 meters, moving him up to third place in the event. Afflitto took seventh place with a 50.50 time, moving up to tenth place. Lorbeck took 10th in the 400 meters with a time of 51.73, finishing up the day in fourth place.
Straight from the Track
UW Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Mick Byrne
On Morgan's win:
"When Morgan gets on the track, he takes your breath away. He has a lot tools in his tool box. He can win any type of race. Is he the best distance runner in Wisconsin history? I would argue yes. He's won six individual Big Ten track titles and two individual NCAA track titles. More importantly, he's a real team player. As he closes out his career, I'm excited to see him add to this legacy."
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On Rashid Coulibaly's third-place finish:
"We had an outstanding pole vault performance by Rashid Coulibaly as he earned his best outdoor finish in the event in a very tough competition.Â
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On the decathlon:
"Our athletes are in a good position. They fought hard all day and they are in a good scoring spot right now. As we head into day two we are hoping that those athletes, as they always do, will give it their best and put some more points up on the board."
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On scoring points in the throws:
"We got a surprise point out of Travis Toliver in the javelin as he made his first Big Ten final and finished eighth and scored a point with a season-best throw. The men's hammer throw was a great competition. The throws in the Big Ten Conference have gone to another level and it was great to see Tucker Wedig hang in there and get some valuable points."
Senior Morgan McDonald
On winning Big Ten title in his 10K debut:
"It was awesome! The Big Ten track is an event that I've never done before so to come in here and win it my first time was pretty awesome. This is my last Big Ten Championship so it is super special out here, beautiful conditions out here in Iowa."
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On importance of Tyson Miehe:
"We talked about it before and he just wanted to go out there and have an honest race. Quite often these races can start off kind of slow and no one wants to take it. Tyson kind of stepped up to the plate there and gave it an honest effort in a way that he thought was best for him. It worked out well for us and it made it a really good race, just being able to sit in there for a while. I have a lot of respect for him and I think he's pretty happy with it."
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On taking on Ben Veatch:
"That was a little scary. He was right on my tail for the whole race, for 25 laps he was right there behind me. I knew that and I knew he had a great kick. I could have waited a bit but I just really wanted to get out there and make him drive that last couple of laps or so. I went for it and he stuck right there. I wasn't sure but I saw it on the screen that he was just one step behind me. He pushed me the whole way and it's awesome to have competition like that here. It pushes you and makes you have great results. We had a really good finish there so I was happy with that."
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Up Next:
The 2019 Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships continue on Saturday as the decathlon 110 hurdles kickstart the meet at 9:30 a.m. CT.
2019 Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships
May 10, 2019
Iowa City, Iowa
200 Meters (Prelims)
22. David Young - 21.97
1500 Meters (Prelims)
4. Olli Hoare - 3:45.36
10,000 Meters
1. Morgan McDonald - 29:26.06
7. Shuaib Aljabaly - 29:47.56
10. Tyson Miehe - 30:07.55
400 Meter Hurdles (Prelims)
8. Robby Hatch - 52.15
9. Ryan Dundun - 52.19
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Pole Vault
3. Rashid Coulibaly – 17-1 (5.21m)
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Javelin
8. Travis Toliver  - 200-7 (61.15m)
Hammer Throw
7. Tucker Wedig – 206-11 (63.08m)
13. Austin Glynn - 185-5 (56.52m)
16. Dan Ufearo - 165-10 (50.55m)
Decathlon (Day 1)
3. Trent Nytes - 4004 points
4.Zach Lorbeck - 3963 points
10. Paul Afflitto - 3622 points
Decathlon 100 Meters
1. Zach Lorbeck – 10.83
4. Paul Afflitto – 11.04
5. Trent Nytes – 11.08
Decathlon Long Jump
8. Trent Nytes – 22-8 (6.91m)
9. Zach Lorbeck – 22-8 (6.91m)
11. Paul Afflitto – 20-8 (6.30m)
Decathlon Shot Put
1. Zach Lorbeck – 46-1 1/2 (14.06m)
5. Trent Nytes – 43-5 (13.16m)
10. Paul Afflitto – 39-2 1/4 (11.94m)
Decathlon High Jump
2. Trent Nytes – 6-10 1/4 (2.06m)
3. Zach Lorbeck – 6-6 3/4 (2.00m)
6. Paul Afflitto – 6-3 1/4 (1.91m)
Decathlon 400 Meters
4. Trent Nytes - 49.69
7. Paul Afflitto - 50.50
10. Zach Lorbeck - 51.73
That changed on Friday night at the 2019 Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships as the senior captain won his debut 10,000 meters in a time of 29 minutes, 26.06 seconds.
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A three-time NCAA champion this year, McDonald added another Big Ten trophy to his collection as the Sydney, Australia, native has won eight Big Ten individual titles, six on the track and two on the cross country course, while also leading UW to a pair of conference team titles in cross country.
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Tyson Miehe led the 10,000 field for the first 7,200 with McDonald following closely behind. After a quick pass form Iowa's, Daniel Soto, McDonald continued in second place before taking over in the last kilometer.
Â
Indiana's Ben Veatch kept the race close, but McDonald was able to beat him to the line for the second time in three weeks as McDonald led UW to a Penn Relays title in the 4xMile against Veatch's Indiana squad in late April.
Â
True freshman, Shuaib Aljabaly, found his way into seventh place with a time of 29:47.56. Tyson Miehe rounded out the top ten with a time of 30:07.55.
Â
In the men's pole vault, junior Rashid Coulibaly took third with a clearance of 17 feet, 1 inch. The Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, native cleared his first two bars with ease before bowing out of the competition. It marked his best finish at an outdoor Big Ten competition and his second top-three finish of the year after placing second at the conference indoor meet.
Â
Olli Hoare won his heat in the preliminary 1500 meters with a time of 3:45.36. After in the lead group for a majority of the race, Hoare took control with 200 meters left and didn't look back. He will compete in the championship on Sunday at 1:05 p.m.
Tucker Wedig took seventh in the hammer throw with a heave of 206-11 to score a pair of points for UW. Redshirt freshman Austin Glynn was 13th with a toss of 185-5. Dan Ufearo took 16th on the day with a throw of 165-10.
Â
In javelin throw, Travis Tolliver advanced to the finals and took eighth place in the conference after having a season best throw of 200 feet, 7 inches.
Â
In the men's 400 meter hurdles, Robby Hatch ran a personal best time of 52.15 in the preliminary round to advance to the finals on Sunday. Ryan Dundun took ninth place with a season-best time, 52.19 seconds.
 Â
A pair of Badgers are in contention for a Big Ten title in the decathlon as Trent Nytes sits in third place after the first day of action in 4,004 points while Zach Lorbeck is in fourth in 3,963 points. Teammate Paul Afflitto is in 10th with a score of 3622.
Lorbeck started hot in the men's decathlon, winning the 100 meters and earning 899 points. Paul Afflitto came in fourth place and earned 852 points with a time of 11.04 seconds. Trent Nytes finished closely behind Afflitto in fifth place with an 11.08 time, earning him 843 points in the first multi-event of the afternoon.
In the long jump, Nytes and Lorbeck each jumped 22-8 while Afflitto soared 20-8.
Lorbeck stayed hot and won the third event of the decathlon. He threw the shot 46 feet, 1 1/2 inches and earned 732 points. Nytes threw for 43-5 and tallied up 681 points. Afflitto took 11th place with a mark of 39-2 1/4, earning 603 points.
Nytes made a move in the high jump as he finished second with a clearance of 6-9, worth 859 points. Â Lorbeck took third with a 6-6 3/4 high jump and got himself 803 points. Afflitto jumped to a sixth place finish with a PR of 6-3 1/4, tallying up 723 points.
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In the final decathlon event of the day, Nytes took fourth place in the 400 meters, moving him up to third place in the event. Afflitto took seventh place with a 50.50 time, moving up to tenth place. Lorbeck took 10th in the 400 meters with a time of 51.73, finishing up the day in fourth place.
Straight from the Track
UW Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Mick Byrne
On Morgan's win:
"When Morgan gets on the track, he takes your breath away. He has a lot tools in his tool box. He can win any type of race. Is he the best distance runner in Wisconsin history? I would argue yes. He's won six individual Big Ten track titles and two individual NCAA track titles. More importantly, he's a real team player. As he closes out his career, I'm excited to see him add to this legacy."
Â
On Rashid Coulibaly's third-place finish:
"We had an outstanding pole vault performance by Rashid Coulibaly as he earned his best outdoor finish in the event in a very tough competition.Â
Â
On the decathlon:
"Our athletes are in a good position. They fought hard all day and they are in a good scoring spot right now. As we head into day two we are hoping that those athletes, as they always do, will give it their best and put some more points up on the board."
Â
On scoring points in the throws:
"We got a surprise point out of Travis Toliver in the javelin as he made his first Big Ten final and finished eighth and scored a point with a season-best throw. The men's hammer throw was a great competition. The throws in the Big Ten Conference have gone to another level and it was great to see Tucker Wedig hang in there and get some valuable points."
Senior Morgan McDonald
On winning Big Ten title in his 10K debut:
"It was awesome! The Big Ten track is an event that I've never done before so to come in here and win it my first time was pretty awesome. This is my last Big Ten Championship so it is super special out here, beautiful conditions out here in Iowa."
Â
On importance of Tyson Miehe:
"We talked about it before and he just wanted to go out there and have an honest race. Quite often these races can start off kind of slow and no one wants to take it. Tyson kind of stepped up to the plate there and gave it an honest effort in a way that he thought was best for him. It worked out well for us and it made it a really good race, just being able to sit in there for a while. I have a lot of respect for him and I think he's pretty happy with it."
Â
On taking on Ben Veatch:
"That was a little scary. He was right on my tail for the whole race, for 25 laps he was right there behind me. I knew that and I knew he had a great kick. I could have waited a bit but I just really wanted to get out there and make him drive that last couple of laps or so. I went for it and he stuck right there. I wasn't sure but I saw it on the screen that he was just one step behind me. He pushed me the whole way and it's awesome to have competition like that here. It pushes you and makes you have great results. We had a really good finish there so I was happy with that."
Â
Up Next:
The 2019 Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships continue on Saturday as the decathlon 110 hurdles kickstart the meet at 9:30 a.m. CT.
2019 Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships
May 10, 2019
Iowa City, Iowa
200 Meters (Prelims)
22. David Young - 21.97
1500 Meters (Prelims)
4. Olli Hoare - 3:45.36
10,000 Meters
1. Morgan McDonald - 29:26.06
7. Shuaib Aljabaly - 29:47.56
10. Tyson Miehe - 30:07.55
400 Meter Hurdles (Prelims)
8. Robby Hatch - 52.15
9. Ryan Dundun - 52.19
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Pole Vault
3. Rashid Coulibaly – 17-1 (5.21m)
Â
Javelin
8. Travis Toliver  - 200-7 (61.15m)
Hammer Throw
7. Tucker Wedig – 206-11 (63.08m)
13. Austin Glynn - 185-5 (56.52m)
16. Dan Ufearo - 165-10 (50.55m)
Decathlon (Day 1)
3. Trent Nytes - 4004 points
4.Zach Lorbeck - 3963 points
10. Paul Afflitto - 3622 points
Decathlon 100 Meters
1. Zach Lorbeck – 10.83
4. Paul Afflitto – 11.04
5. Trent Nytes – 11.08
Decathlon Long Jump
8. Trent Nytes – 22-8 (6.91m)
9. Zach Lorbeck – 22-8 (6.91m)
11. Paul Afflitto – 20-8 (6.30m)
Decathlon Shot Put
1. Zach Lorbeck – 46-1 1/2 (14.06m)
5. Trent Nytes – 43-5 (13.16m)
10. Paul Afflitto – 39-2 1/4 (11.94m)
Decathlon High Jump
2. Trent Nytes – 6-10 1/4 (2.06m)
3. Zach Lorbeck – 6-6 3/4 (2.00m)
6. Paul Afflitto – 6-3 1/4 (1.91m)
Decathlon 400 Meters
4. Trent Nytes - 49.69
7. Paul Afflitto - 50.50
10. Zach Lorbeck - 51.73
Players Mentioned
Multi-Events
/ Men's Track & Field
Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Pole Vault
/ Men's Track & Field
Sprints/Hurdles
/ Men's Track & Field
Throws
/ Men's Track & Field
Sprints/Hurdles
/ Men's Track & Field
Multi-Events
/ Men's Track & Field
Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Distance
/ Men's Track & Field
Multi-Events
/ Men's Track & Field
Throws
/ Men's Track & Field
Throws
/ Men's Track & Field
Sprints
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