After months of traveling and a record-setting week, the Wisconsin men's track and field team will return home this Saturday to host the annual Wisconsin Twilight Invitational event at Dan McClimon Memorial Track. It is the Badgers' final meet before the Big Ten Outdoor Championships in College Park, Pa., next week, making it even more crucial that they wrap up the regular season with a strong finish.
The Badgers have built up plenty of momentum going into their home event. Last week, senior Demi Omole won his fourth consecutive Drake Relays title. He became only the second man in the history of the race to win four consecutive titles in the men's 100-meter dash, posting a time of 10.21 seconds last Saturday. Omole's time was the fastest in the Big Ten this season and the fifth-fastest in NCAA Division I competition. Omole's victory also earned him the honor of Big Ten track athlete of the week. It was the second time he received the award this season and the third in his outdoor career. The Wisconsin Twilight Invitational is Omole's last home meet of his Badger career.
Wisconsin's 4x200-meter relay team also set a UW record at the Drake Relays with a time of 1:23.88, breaking the previous record set in 1987. The team consists of seniors Dan Goesch, Demi Omole, Joe Detmer and sophomore James Groce.
Earlier this week another UW record was also broken, this time at the Cardinal Invitational in Palo Alto, Ca., as senior Tim Nelson set a new school record in the 10,000 meters. Nelson's time automatically qualified him for the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Last season's Wisconsin Twilight Invitational brought many highlights for the Badgers. Most notably, Demi Omole finished first among all participants with a time of 10.51. Dan Goesh also had an impressive performance in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.34, good for first place in his heat. Both runners will look to improve upon these times in their senior seasons for UW.
The Wisconsin Twilight Invitational has a variety of events, including dashes, runs, hurdles, relays, jumps and throws. This year's schedule contains a few additional events added to last year's agenda: a 400-meter dash, a 4x100-meter relay and a decathlon just to name a few.
Another unique element of the invitational is the diversity of its participants. Athletes from colleges, junior colleges and clubs are all encouraged to enter. Last season, Madison hosted runners ranging from the Wisconsin Track Club to the Milwaukee School of Engineering and many inbetween.
McClimon Memorial Track will begin Saturday's Wisconsin Twilight Invitational's field events at noon, followed by running events at 2 p.m.
