All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, and a similar fate would likely befall exhausted men's track teams. Fortunately for the Badgers, head coach Ed Nuttycombe has a masterful way with his athletes, and his team's performance has proven his prowess. After practice, athletes joke and laugh with coaches, visitors and each other. After all, when a team has won three straight Big Ten outdoor championships, they're entitled to a little fun.
Certainly, none of this is meant to imply a single iota of complacency. No team could boast 25 NCAA qualifiers without a lot more hard work than fun, and Wisconsin is no exception. As the Badgers prepare to close their regular season this Saturday at the McClimon Complex, the team continues to train as strenuously as ever. Junior long sprinter Dan Murray, for one, demonstrates the success that intense preparation can bring. Murray owns the Big Ten's best time in the 800 meters.
\I think really hard training for the entire year has paid off,"" Murray said. ""I'm just sticking to the workouts that my coach has given me and training with my guys; they've really helped me out too."" The 12-time Coach of the Year was quick to return his pupil's praise.
""Any time an athlete's running well and running with confidence, they always believe in [their training methods],"" Nuttycombe said. ""He is running well, he's got a lot of confidence right now, and I think his best running is yet in front of him for this year, which is exactly where you want everybody to be."" It is undoubtedly important that the Badgers save their best performances for the season's final weeks, because the team will face several obstacles to their continued Big Ten supremacy.
""[Defending our title] will be particularly difficult, because the favored team is at home,"" Nuttycombe said. ""I think Minnesota will definitely be the team to beat, and there are actually five teams that can finish in the top two or three. It's very, very well-balanced.""
The Big Ten championship is not the only postseason focus for the Badgers. The number of athletes who will take their skills to NCAA Regional competition is 25 and counting, including senior distance runner Isaiah Festa and junior hurdler Jon Mungen.
""We have a really fantastic group of young men that qualified,"" Nuttycombe said. However, both Nuttycombe and the team know that the hard work is not yet over. ""The major championship part of the season is yet to come,"" Nuttycombe said. The Badgers will be ready.
