EUGENE, Ore. – Wisconsin men's track and field standout Adam Spencer wrapped up his collegiate track career with a fourth-place showing in the 1500 meters at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Friday. 

A 2024 Olympian, Spencer was towards the front of the pack for a majority of the race and grabbed the lead heading into the bell lap. 

However, the field spread out heading down the homestretch as Spencer ultimately finished in fourth in 3 minutes, 47.50 seconds. The top-eight finishers were within .50 seconds of each other with Washington's Nathan Green winning the title in 3:47.26. 

"It was slow at the start," Spencer said. "Simeon (Birnbaum) went out pretty hard in the first 100 meters. Three-hundred meters in, it was pretty slow, so I thought I may as well move up to the front. No one really made a big move until Nathan (Green) did down the back straight. It just felt like Big Tens again. It was pretty slow and a big kick, so I tried to do it the same way and I was hoping to catch people off guard, they were right on my tail today and I just didn't have the last 100 meters."

It marks the end of a legendary collegiate career for Spencer on the track as he represented Australia at the 2024 Olympics in the 1500 meters. A six-time Big Ten champion, Spencer earned nine All-America honors during his time as a Badger. The harrier holds the school record in the 1500 meters (3:31.81), indoor mile (3:52.70) and indoor 3000 meters (7:40.38). 

"For the past four years Adam Spencer has been the leader of our middle-distance group, winning six Big Ten titles on the track along with helping us win four cross country titles," UW Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Mick Byrne said. "He has worn our uniform with tremendous pride and represented Wisconsin on the world and Olympic stage. I know how much he wanted to win a NCAA title today. This one race does not define Adam as an athlete. He has a very bright future ahead at the next level and we all wish him the best as he pursues his dreams as a professional athlete."

As a team, Wisconsin tied for 19th place with 15 points and ranked fourth among Big Ten Conference teams. USC and Texas A&M shared the team title with 41 points. 

Up Next: Taylor Kesner will be the final Badger in action at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships as the junior will throw the discus at 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday. It will mark her second competition of the weekend as the Highland, Illinois, native threw the discus on Thursday, earning honorable-mention All-America honors.