MADISON, Wis. -- The Wisconsin men's track & field team hosts the Windy City Invite in Chicago this weekend. UW will send select sprints, hurdles, distance and throwers to compete against athletes from Minnesota, Purdue, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Indiana Rutgers, Oklahoma and Notre Dame, among others. Events start at 2:00 p.m. CT on Friday and 11:30 a.m. on Saturday.
Follow along for live results @BadgerTrackXC on Twitter and Instagram. Live results can be found here.
1. THROWERS TAKE THE STAGE: UW throwers return to action after a week off last time out. Redshirt senior Andrew Stone will compete for the third time this year, looking to win his third shot put event on the season. Stone won his first shot put last time in Chicago at the Wisconsin Midwest Invitational and took his second with a season-best toss of 62-10 (19.15m) at the Michigan Invitational (Jan. 27). Jacob Bugella also returns after his impressive performance in Michigan two weekends ago. The grad student placed ninth on the UW top-10 list in the weight throw with a toss of 66-1 3/4 (20.16m).
2. WINNING WILLIAMS: Sprint specialist Jalen Williams looks to continue his dominant season this weekend. Williams has won five events throughout his sophomore campaign. Last week, he finished third in the 400 meters, setting a personal best and earning the ninth spot on the UW top-10 list.
3. GOING THE DISTANCE: Distance runners are back on the track in Chicago this weekend, highlighted by Jackson Sharp and Bob Liking. The duo both smashed the UW 5000 meters record back in December, with Sharp taking the top mark at 13:25.51. Also returning to the track this weekend is the Big Ten Champion in the 800 meters Abdullahi Hassan. Cross country stars Rowen Ellenberg, Micah Wilson and Josh Truchon will also compete on the distance side.
4. LEAPS AND BOUNDS: A bevy of pole vaulters and jumpers hit the pit this weekend. Hunter Cook and Nathan Nelson are set to highlight for the pole vaulters. Cook set a personal best earlier this season with a clearance of 16-7 ½ (5.03m). He's finished second and third in two events. Nelson, a freshman, has grabbed top-10 appearances in his two outings this year as well. He set a personal best in January with a clearance of 15-11 ¾ (4.80m). Finally, Justin Kiefel will compete in the horizontal jumps. He won the triple jump at December's Jimmy Grant Invite and has since finished second in four events, along with several other top-10 placements.
5. UP NEXT: The Badgers travel to Dubuque, Iowa, and South Bend, Indiana, for the Solomon Butler Classic (Dubuque) and the Alex Wilson Invite, hosted by Notre Dame on Feb. 16 - 17. Events in Dubuque begin Friday, while the festivities at Notre Dame get underway Saturday at 10:00 a.m.
