Five things to know: Badgers split up for meets at Chicago, Boston, Lubbock

Friday, February 13

Chicago, IL

Wisconsin Badgers

Blue Demon Alumni Classic

Micah Walker running in No. 2 ranked UW 4x400

Photo by: Dani Savin

Five things to know: Badgers split up for meets at Chicago, Boston, Lubbock

February 11, 2026 | Men's Track & Field

Select sprints head to Lubbock, distance to Boston as throwers travel to Chicago

By: Dani Savin

MADISON, Wis — The Wisconsin men's track and field team competes in three meets this weekend: the Blue Demon Alumni Classic in Chicago, Illinois, on Friday, Feb. 13, the David Hemery Valentine Invitational in Boston, Massachusetts, on Friday, Feb. 13 and the Jarvis Scott Invite in Lubbock, Texas from Feb. 13-14. The three meets will be the penultimate before the 2026 Big Ten Indoor Track and Field Championships from Feb. 26-28, in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Badgers will send sprints to Lubbock, distance to Boston and throwers will head to Chicago.

Fans can follow the Blue Demon Alumni Classic here, watch the David Hemery Valentine Invitational and find results here, and watch the Jarvis Scott Invite with live results found here.

1. WILLIAMS WOWS: Day one of the Windy City Invite delivered its biggest highlight in the men's 400-meter invite, where Jalen Williams surged to victory in 45.84 seconds. His performance cut nearly a full second off his previous school record and established a brand-new Wisconsin program record. The time now stands at No. 11 nationally in both Division I and the NCAA.

2. REWRITING THE RECORDBOOKS: The momentum continued in the middle-distance events, where Zion Omotesa claimed second place in the 600 meters with a personal-best 1:17.61, moving him from sixth to fifth on Wisconsin's all-time list. The Badgers dominated the distance races as well. In the mile, Archie Noakes led a historic sweep by winning in 3:56.76, a performance that ranks fourth in school history and makes him the 14th badger ever to break the four-minute barrier. Matan Ivri followed in second with a 3:57.89, nearly two seconds faster than his Penn Elite mark and now seventh all-time at Wisconsin. Liam Newhart finished third in 3:58.43, placing him ninth in program history. In the sprints, Micah Walker added another standout result by taking third in the 200-meter invite with a time of 21.34, which ranks fifth all-time for the Badgers.

3. RELAY RUNNING: Wisconsin closed the meet with a statement performance in the 4x400-meter invite. The quartet of Walker, Omotesa, Patrick Hilby and Williams raced to a winning time of 3:08.38. Their effort now ranks No. 23 in the NCAA, No. 22 in Division I and stands as the second-fastest relay in Wisconsin history.

4. B1G MOMENTS: Following his record-setting 400-meter run on Friday, Jalen Williams now owns the fastest time in the Big Ten this season. In the 600 meters, Henry Risser holds the No. 10 conference ranking with his time of 1:17.09, while Omotesa sits at No. 13 with his time of 1:17.61. Hilby is ranked No. 10 in the Big Ten in the 800 meters after running 1:47.26. Noakes is currently No. 11 in the mile with his time of 3:56.76 and No. 6 in the 3000 meters with a time of 7:51.25. In the 5000 meters, Johnny Livingstone ranks eighth at 14:00.31, with Micah Wilson and Nick Gilles following at No. 10 and No. 11 after running 14:02.95 and 14:02.99 respectively. Tonovila Hicks holds the No. 11 spot in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 7.94. The 4x400-meter relay team of Walker, Omotesa, Hilby and Williams is ranked fourth in the conference with its 3:08.38 performance. In the multis, Darius Jones II sits at No. 6 in the Big Ten in the heptathlon with 5703 points.

5. UP NEXT: The Badgers will conclude their regular-season schedule at the Alex Wilson Invitational in Notre Dame, Indiana, on Saturday, Feb. 21 and the Panther Tune-Up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Saturday, Feb. 21.