Badger track and field will be all over the country this Saturday. A big weekend awaits the Wisconsin men's and women's track and field teams as distance runners travel to the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational in Palo Alto, California while the sprinters head down South to compete in the Arkansas Twilight. The rest of the squads will stay in Madison for the Wisconsin Open.
Although the Arkansas Twilight and the Wisconsin Open will attract many fans and competitors, the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational seems to be the one to watch. The meet features some of the best distance in runners in the entire country.
PAYTON JORDAN CARDINAL INVITATIONAL
Eight distance runners from the Badger men's track team will be competing in the prestigious Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational, which takes place Saturday at Stanford University. Wisconsin men's track is coming off an impressive performance in the Drake Relays after winning the 4x800 relay last weekend and setting the second fastest outdoor 4x800 time in the world this year. All members from the winning relay team will be competing individually in Palo Alto.
Men's head coach Ed Nuttycombe believes the Drake relays prepared them for the tough competition in Stanford this weekend.
""It was good for their development.,"" Nuttycombe said. ""They are also looking forward to the very good competition at Stanford.""
This weekend is the most important of the season for the Badgers. Not only are they competing in three different meets, but they are preparing for the Big Ten Championships. Nuttycombe believes the Cardinal Invitational will prepare his distance runners.
""Certain athletes need that high-level competition that these special meets provide. The Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitation provides that,"" Nuttycombe said.
UW middle-distance runners sophomore Zack Beth and senior Steve Ludwig will be running in the men's 800 meters. Additionally, junior Ryan Gasper looks to rebound in the 1,500 meters after losing the lead with 150 meters to go in Des Moines this past weekend. Gasper will also compete in the men's 3,000 meters.
On the women's side, the Badgers look for senior Gwen Jorgensen to close in on another milestone in her career. Jorgensen hasn't run in a 5,000 meter race this year, but women's head coach Jim Stintzi looks for her to qualify for the NCAA regionals.
""Obviously, competition is extremely good out there,"" Stintzi said. ""We are looking for our runners to improve their times and use this meet to get ready for the Big Ten Championships. Or, in Gwen's situation, she hasn't run a 5,000 race. Hopefully, she'll qualify for the NCAA regional after this weekend.""
ARKANSAS TWILIGHT
The sprinters from both the men's and women's teams will be traveling down South to compete in the Arkansas Twilight at the University of Arkansas. Standout sophomore hurdler Nate Larkin will be running in the men's 110-meter hurdles. The other two runners, who many believe to compete along with Larkin for first, are Ryan Braithwaite from Barton CC and Kansas' speedster Julius Jiles.
Sophomores Chas DeMers and Kyle Jefferson will be running in the men's 200-meter dash, which is considered to be one of the toughest events of the meet.
The men's 4x100 relay team will try to close out the meet with a victory. Head coach Ed Nuttycombe believes the relay team will probably be able to make the trip back to Madison for the Wisconsin Open.
""We are entered, and we are going to see how they fair in the Arkansas trip,"" Nuttycombe said. ""We are hoping they can because we need races.""
One of the biggest races for the women will be 100-meter hurdles, which feature sophomore Egle Staisiunaite and freshman Jessica Flax, both of whom are seeded in the top ten for the event. Three Badger women will be competing in the 200-meter dash. Wisconsin women's track also looks to place high in the 400-meter dash with entries of senior Amanda Donath and sophomore Akaila Cabell.
Senior Jamie Klages is a favorite to win the women's high jump after being seeded first with a jump of 1.80 meters. Furthermore, UW senior Chavon Robinson looks to beat the triple jump favorite, Kansas senior Crystal Manning.
WISCONSIN OPEN
The Badgers will host the Wisconsin Open, which will be a much smaller meet than the two others this weekend. The meet will feature local schools in the Wisconsin area.
Three of the four winners from the winning shuttle hurdle relay team at the Drake Relays will be competing in the open. Adam Hexum, Temi Ogunbodede and Seth Pelock will also compete at this meet.
Despite having only two entries in the Drake Relays this past weekend, the women's track team still managed to place in the top 15 in both the women's hammer and javelin. Senior Johanne Verpil placed 15th in the women's university hammer while Amy Lewis had a stellar performance, placing seventh in javelin. The Badgers look to do the same at home this weekend.
""As far as the throwers go in Drake, it was a great meet for them not just performance-wise, but to see where they are on a bigger stage,"" Stinzi said. Stinzi looks at the Wisconsin Open as a way for the throwers to get reps in and prepare for the Big Ten Championships, which are only two weeks away.
