Five things to know: Badgers to host Badger Challenge

Friday, May 2

Madison, Wis.

1:00 PM

Wisconsin Badgers

Badger Challenge

Gio Wearing running in the school record breaking SMR

Photo by: AJ Harrison

Five things to know: Badgers to host Badger Challenge

April 29, 2025 | Men's Track & Field

By: Dani Savin

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin men's track and field team returns home for their lone home meet of the outdoor season, the Badger Challenge, on Friday at the McClimon Track Complex. Field events will begin at 1 p.m. while track events will start at 3:15 p.m. Admission is free. UW will also honor its senior class during the competition.

1. RECORD RELAYS: The Badgers shined in Philadelphia this past week, breaking a 53-year-old school record and adding two other top-10 times. The sprint medley relay team of Gio Wearing, Jalen Williams, Andrew Casey and Patrick Hilby fought hard, crossing the line with a time of 3:16.69. With this time, the team finished fourth in the event, breaking the 53-year-old school record. Redshirt freshman Nick Gilles surged from 12th to 2nd in the steeplechase, clocking 8:39.91, earning the 10-best time in program history and second in the Big Ten Conference. The distance medley relay squad of Liam Newhart, Williams, Casey and Adam Spencer took eighth with a time of 9:32.56, the second-best outdoor time in UW history.

2. TOSSIN' IN TEXAS: The Badger's throwers broke records this weekend in Texas. Senior Jacob Zednik won the javelin with a throw of 70.50 meters, the second-best mark in school history and just seven inches shy of the program record set in 2009. Zednik is currently ranked fifth in the Big Ten.

3. THRILLING THROWS: Wisconsin's throwers are dominant, ranking No. 1 nationally in the shot put event squad rankings. Jason Swarens leads the Badgers, ranking fifth in the nation with a throw of 20.18m. The Terre Haute, Ind. native is one of only five athletes in the nation to break the 20 meter barrier this season and is the only thrower in the Big Ten Conference to do so, where he ranks first in the event. Joseph White rounds out the nation's top-10 rankings in 10th with a throw of 19.57m; he ranks fourth in the Big Ten. Ending the Badgers representation in the rankings is Andrew Stone, who ranks 21st in the nation and sixth in the Big Ten with a throw of 19.22m.

4. B1G MOVES: As the Badgers gear up for the Big Ten Championships, they are topping off the rankings. Jalen Williams ranks third in the 400 meters with a time of 45.49 seconds; he touts a runner-up finish in the event from the indoor season with a school record of 45.94. First-team All-American DMR teammate Adam Spencer leads the conference in the 1500 meters at 3:34.57. The Badgers continue to dominate the distance scene, with eight athletes ranked in the top-25 for the 5000 meters, starting with Bob Liking coming in at number one with a tie of 13:32.52. Half a second off Liking's time is redshirt freshman Matan Ivri who clocked a 13:33.05 at the Stanford Invite. Sophomore transfer Johnny Livingstone rounds out the top-5, in fifth with a time of 13:36.18. Freshman Christian de Vaal and graduate student Rowen Ellenberg sit 9-10 in the rankings with times of 13:39.10 and 13:40.85 respectively. Liam Newhart and Micah Wilson find themselves in the top-15, within 0.3 seconds of each other, clocking times of 13:45.65 and 13:45.93. Liking also holds the top Big Ten time in the 10000 meters of 27:55.50, while Livingstone ranks fifth with a time of 28:24.77. In the hurdles, Gio Wearing is second in the 110-meter hurdles, clocking 13.53 seconds, just 0.04 off the Big Ten lead, Christian Martin.

5. Up Next: The Badgers will head south for the Augustana Penultimate Qualifier held by Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois on May 9.