Wisconsin track teams will compete at the low-key Hawkeye Invitational in Iowa Saturday.
The competition includes Big Ten rival Iowa, Drake, Bradley, Northern Iowa and Marquette.
The men's team qualified 10 individuals and the 4x400 meter relay to the NCAA Midwest Regional championships so far this season.
The distance crew qualified seven athletes for regionals - five in the 1,500 meters - and the top athletes will take this meet off.
Last year, junior James Groce earned a second-place finish in the 400 meters in Iowa, finishing behind a professional athlete running for Reebok by six-hundredths of a second. Sophomore Rory Linder also earned second in the discus last year.
Senior Joe Pierre placed third in the 800 meters last year, just ahead of junior teammate Steve Ludwig. Freshman Luke Rucks, freshman Zach Beth and senior Eric Hatchell have also emerged as strong middle-distance runners since then.
Senior hurdlers Adam Pischke and Peter Dykstra and their counterparts junior Brennan Boettcher and sophomore Nate Larkin showed their strength by winning the 110-meter hurdle shuttle at Tennessee last weekend.
In the field events, sophomore jumper Victor Dupuy and sophomore pole vaulter Sal Fadel placed third and fifth in Iowa last year, respectively.
In addition, it was announced this week that men's head coach Ed Nuttycombe will be inducted into the Madison Sports Hall of Fame.
Currently in his 25th year, Nuttycombe coached a national championship team, 10 individual NCAA champions and 164 All-Americans and won 24 out of a possible 48 Big Ten titles.
He has continued his success into this season, winning the indoor Big Ten title in a year UW was expected to fall. This puts UW on track for its fifth-straight Big Ten Triple Crown"" - earned by winning consecutive conference titles in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track.
Women's preview
At the Sea Ray Relays in Tennessee last weekend, seven members of the women's team made NCAA regional qualifying standards, bringing the outdoor total at nine.
The top athletes will likely rest this week, giving other team members a chance to qualify for regionals.
Senior Venus Washington, who ran UW's second fastest all-time 100-meter dash last weekend, took third place at Iowa last year and placed fifth in the long jump.
Senior Ann Detmer, who qualified for regionals in the 1,500 meters last weekend, won the 800-meter run last year.
Senior distance runner Sarah Hurley, a member of the winning 4x800 meter relay in Tennessee, finished second in the 3,000-meter steeplechase last year.
Distance runners Gwen Jorgensen and Alicia Pabich also had good showings last weekend and placed well in Iowa.
The throwing events have emerged as one of the Badgers' strengths this season, as well.
Junior Amanda Hoeppner, senior Kayla Schulz and junior Amy Lewis have all qualified for regionals in one event each and will be looking for good performances in others.
Hoeppner set UW's indoor 20-pound weight throw record this season, qualified in the shotput and is close to qualifying in the hammer throw and discus.
In the field events, junior Jenny Soceka earned second in the pole vault last year, while junior Megan Seidl took third in the high jump.
Other top returners include senior Nicole Slaby and junior Caitlin Dodge in the 400-meter dash and junior Carly Ducharme in the 400-meter hurdles.
The track teams will return to the Hawkeye State for the competitive Drake Relays April 24 to 26.
