As Rio looms just around the corner, over 50 current and former Badgers across seven sports have qualified for the Olympic Trials, and in some cases have already made the team. Here are just some of the stories of the Badger athletes that have a chance to compete in Brazil.
There’s a new face running the show for the Wisconsin Badgers’ defense this season. With former defensive coordinator Dave Aranda off to LSU, Justin Wilcox is taking over the unit that allowed the second-fewest yards per game in the country last season, so expectations will be high in 2016. Despite the changes at the top, Wisconsin fans shouldn’t notice too many differences with the way the defense looks on the field.
It was a year of overachievement for the Wisconsin softball team (11-11-1 Big Ten, 28-24-1 overall), as they won at least one game against every conference opponent they played in the regular season.
Abby Jagdfeld took a leap of faith last summer, and it paid off big time almost a year later. One year ago, the redshirt sophomore was training at home in Waukesha, Wis.
There are some athletes that we will never forget. There are those that define a generation, and there are those that transform the game. But none have ever transcended sports the way Muhammad Ali did.
The Bo Ryan sex scandal appears to be just beginning after a notice of claim was filed with the Attorney General on behalf of Robin Van Ert, a massage therapist who Ryan admitted to having extramarital affairs with after his abrupt resignation from the Wisconsin Basketball program last December.
Nigel Hayes’ time as a Badger isn’t done quite yet. Hayes will withdraw his name from the 2016 NBA draft and return to Wisconsin for his senior season, the Wisconsin State Journal’s Jim Polzin reported Tuesday night. “Getting the opportunity to gather information about the NBA and visit with professionals at that level was a really valuable experience for me,” Hayes said in a statement. “Playing in the NBA still remains an important goal for me, but that can wait another year. I’m excited to get back to work to pursue that dream, as well as the dream of getting my degree and helping my teammates, my brothers, bring a championship to Wisconsin.” With the 6-foot-7 forward making his return to Madison for the 2016-’17 season, the Badgers will be returning every major contributor from last year’s team that made an improbable mid-season turnaround culminating in their fifth trip to the Sweet Sixteen in the last six years. Hayes led the team in a number of categories, including points per game (15.7), assists per game (3.0) and minutes per game (36.2). However, he did see a significant dip in his shooting percentages.
Next season, for the first time since 2011, Wisconsin will be hosting a Big Ten team under the lights at Camp Randall.
From Bronson Koenig's improbable 3-pointer against Xavier, to Melanie Cross' game-winning home run against Ohio State to Jenny Holtzen's, Brett Pinfold's and Austin Byrd's prowess in the pool, Wisconsin has plenty of highlights that define its 2016 semester.
There’s a certain paradoxical mental state most athletes try to reach when they’re in the thick of competition that seems too elementary to actually be true.
Few, if any, coaches have left a more indelible mark on college basketball in the state of Wisconsin than Bo Ryan.
Mother Nature, again, threw the Badgers a curveball, as Saturday’s game was suspended due to rain and forced a Sunday Senior Day doubleheader.
The 2014 Wisconsin Badgers backfield is having a reunion in San Diego, as the Chargers selected UW fullback Derek Watt with the 198th overall pick in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL draft Saturday.
Wisconsin outside linebacker Joe Schobert had to be disappointed when his name wasn’t called through the first two days of the 2016 NFL draft, but he didn’t have to wait long on Saturday to hear his name called.
Wisconsin was defeated by Northwestern 5-3 Friday in its first of three matchups with the Wildcats this weekend at Goodman Diamond.
Blayre Turnbull was used to playing in front of raucous, sellout crowds in LaBahn Arena. But after her illustrious four-year Badger career concluded last spring, Turnbull traded in her red and white Wisconsin jersey for a red and white Calgary Inferno jersey.
The question marks surrounding the receiver position are nothing new at Wisconsin, but George Rushing’s Spring Game performance showed fans, players and maybe even the coaching staff that the Cardinal receivers can be a productive and deep group in the 2016 season. For head coach Paul Chryst, it was more than just Rushing’s Spring Game that showed he might be ready to step up and play a major role in the Badger offense. “George has worked this spring,” Chryst said plainly.
At least two Wisconsin Badgers were taken in each of the last eight NFL drafts, but that trend of success could end in 2016.
Junior midfielder Rose Lavelle has been named to the U.S. Under-23 Women’s National Team roster, according to a Monday release.
Fresh off a competitive home series against Illinois, Wisconsin (9-7-1 Big Ten, 24-19-1) takes a break from Big Ten play to host a doubleheader with in-state rival Green Bay. The Badgers won just one of the three games against Illinois, but they had a chance to tie or win the game in each of their losses. Friday’s game one was a back-and-forth contest and it wasn’t until some late-inning Badger miscues gave the game to Illinois.
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