Wisconsin Badgers
Big Ten Outdoor Championships
Badgers buckle down for Big Ten Championships
May 07, 2024 | Men's Track & Field
UW seeks 19th outdoor title in program history
MADISON, Wis. – The postseason has begun as the UW men's track and field team gears up for the 2024 Big Ten Outdoor Championships. The meet opens up on Friday and wraps up on Sunday.
The Badgers are the Big Ten team to beat in 2024 after claiming the Big Ten Indoor Championship back in February. UW finished fourth at last year's outdoor championship as Jackson Sharp was the lone individual champion, winning the 1500 meters.
Fans can follow the action from Ann Arbor live on Big Ten Plus ($) or @BadgerTrackXC on social media.
Here are five events to watch this weekend:
1. READY TO LAUNCH: The UW throwers unit took last weekend's Badger Challenge by storm, seeing four UW top 10s and individual victories across all four events. They look to continue the success going into this weekend. Starting in the shot put, Jason Swarens and Kyle Clabough will compete at 3:30 p.m. CT on Saturday. Swarens comes in as the Big Ten's top-ranked shot putter this season after winning the Badger Challenge with a throw of 65-9 ½. His distance is the top in the NCAA West Region and fifth furthest in the NCAA this season. Clabough ranks 11th in the Big Ten with a distance of 60-8. He broke onto the UW top-10 list at No. 9 during Friday's Badger Challenge. His mark is 18th in the NCAA West Region.
Jacob Bugella and Swarens will kick off the throwing weekend in the hammer throw at 1:45 p.m. on Friday. Swarens, who has bounced between the shot and hammer during the regular season, won the hammer during the Badger Challenge with a season-best of 210-4. Bugella finished second in the event with a distance of 203-10. The duo ranks 9-and-10 in the conference, respectively.
Javelin specialist Jacob Zednik checks into the postseason on a tear. He has broken a personal best in four of his six appearances this season, with the most recent coming at the Badger Challenge. The New York native won the event with a toss of 213-3, good for the fourth farthest in school history and ninth in the Big Ten this year. Zednik will compete at 5:45 p.m. on Friday.
Jake Schaefer will wrap up the weekend in the discus at 12:30 p.m. Sunday. He ranks No. 8 in the Big Ten, just sneaking into Sunday's top flight. Scheafer broke his personal best by six feet last Friday at 186-0, earning the all-time UW No. 6.
2. SPECTACULAR SPENCER: Adam Spencer returns to the track for just the second time since winning the 1500 meters at the 2024 Australian Athletics Championship. The Aussie will now drop down a distance for the 800 meters, starting with trials on Saturday at 4:55 p.m. Spencer ran the 800 meters at last year's Big Ten Championships and finished second. He has run the event once this season, where he won at the Stanford Invitational in 1 minute, 47.47 seconds. His time is the fifth fastest in the Big Ten. Spencer will be accompanied by freshman Andrew Casey, who holds the Big Ten's No. 10 mark at 1:48.24. Sunday's final will be held at 1:08 p.m. CT should either Badger qualify.
3. GO GIO GO: Giovanni Wearing looks to double up in the hurdles after winning the 60-meter hurdles at the 2024 Big Ten Indoor Championships. The 110-meter hurdles get underway Saturday at 4:35 p.m. with Sunday's final at 12:35 p.m. Wearing has been on a tear since his indoor victory, winning the 110-meter hurdle three times in five appearances this outdoor season. His time of 13.63 is the second fastest in the Big Ten, 14th in the NCAA West Region and 24th in the NCAA this season.
4. MULTI-TASKING IN THE AA: The decathlon will feature the weekend's first events, starting with the 100-meter dash at 11:00 a.m. on Friday. Cade Amborn and Quinn Lansill gear up for their second decathlon of the year after successful performances at April's Bryan Clay Invitational. Amborn ranks No. 24 in the NCAA and fifth in the Big Ten this season with a mark of 7,370 points.
5. STEEPLE SUCCESS: The 3000-meter steeplechase tandem of Logan Measner and Benjamin Nibbelink returns to the track for their season's second outing. Measner has a nice history at the Big Ten Championships, having finished second in the steeplechase at last year's meet. He is the Big Ten's fastest steeple chaser this season after placing fourth at the Penn Relays at 8:37.40. Nibbelink followed closely behind in that race, coming in ninth at 8:47.93, good for the No. 5 spot in the Big Ten.
Players Mentioned
