FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Wisconsin men's track and field junior Jason Swarens punched his ticket to the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the shot put while four Badgers qualified for the quarterfinals on Day 1 of the NCAA West First Round in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
A native of Terre Haute, Indiana, Swarens launched a 64-foot, 8-inch (19.71-meter) throw to place second overall, trailing just Nebraska's Kevin Shubert.
A pair of Badgers advanced to the quarterfinals of the men's 1500 meters in Adam Spencer and Jackson Sharp. Spencer was toward the front of the pack for the entirety of his section, winning the first heat in 3:41.24. Sharp took fourth in his section of the 1500 meters in 3:40.78, which was the sixth-fastest time out of the field of 48.
Pierce Seigne came close to advancing to Friday's quarterfinal as the redshirt freshman was 28th overall in 3:43.54 in his NCAA West First-Round debut. Joe dosReis was 40th in 3:47.01.
Freshman Andrew Casey made his NCAA West regional debut and did not disappoint. The Minnesota native qualified for the 800-meter quarterfinals after finishing second in his heat at 1:47.67. The time is good for eighth fastest in school history. Casey will toe the line in Friday's quarterfinal at 7:05 p.m.
Giovanni Wearing joined the qualification party, advancing to Friday's 110-meter hurdle quarterfinals. The sophomore ran a strong race in the fourth heat, finishing second at 13.48. His time was good for 10th overall. Wearing will race Friday's quarterfinals at 6:15 p.m.
A trio of Badgers made their NCAA West First-Round debuts in the throwing events, starting with Jacob Zednik in the javelin throw. The New York native finished 39th in the region with a throw of 195-9 (59.68m).
In the hammer throw, Jacob Bugella launched a throw of 198-11 (60.62m) to finish 34th.
In the shot, redshirt freshman Kyle Clabough took 41st with a heave of 55-4 ¼ (16.87m).
Straight from the Track
Senior Jason Swarens
On advancing to Eugene: "I'm super excited, it's been a long last two weeks but [I] put in the hard work and it paid off, so I'm ready to go. I want to win [at NCAAs], do whatever it takes to win, that's my goal."
Up Next: Day 2 of the NCAA West First Round kicks off Thursday at 8:30 a.m. CT. Twelve UW women will look to punch their ticket to the 2024 NCAA Championships on Thursday and Saturday, starting with Olivia Roberts and Asia Rave in the hammer throw at 8:30 a.m. The action picks up in the afternoon with Maddie Mooney, Victoria Heiligenthal and Kylie Finger in the 1500 meters at 3:30 p.m. Kiley Robbins (100 meters) will run at 4 p.m. and Danni Langseth (Shot Put) will compete at 5:30 p.m. Lexi Westley, Carolyn Shult and Shea Rhuly will cap off the night with the 10,000 meters at 6:10 p.m.
NCAA West First Round
Wednesday, May 22, 2024
John McDonnell Field
Fayetteville, Ark.
Day 1 Results
800 Meters
3. Andrew Casey - 1:47.67
1500 Meters
6. Jackson Sharp - 3:40.78 (Q)
10. Adam Spencer - 3:41.24 (Q)
28. Pierce Seigne - 3:43.54
40. Joe dosReis - 3:47.01
110 Meter Hurdles
10. Giovanni Wearing - 13.48 (Q)
Shot Put
2. Jason Swarens - 64-8 (19.71m), advances to NCAA Championships
41. Kyle Clabough - 55-4 ¼ (16.87m)
Hammer Throw
34. Jacob Bugella - 198-11 (60.62m)
Javelin Throw
39. Jacob Zednik - 195-9 (59.68m)
