The Wisconsin men's track team will spend the next two weeks gearing up for their biggest meet to date this season-the Big Ten Outdoor Championships in West Lafayette, Ind. The No. 20 Badgers will compete in Iowa City, Iowa this weekend for the Musco Twilight VI and then host the Madison Twilight the week after that before making the trip to West Lafayette for the conference championships.
UW views this Saturday's sixth annual Musco Twilight and next weekend's home meet as tune-ups for the true test that awaits them at the Big Ten Championships.
\Different athletes are using [the Musco Twilight VI] for different things,"" says men's Head Coach Ed Nuttycombe. ""Some are using it to try and earn spots to travel to the Big Ten meet while some of the athletes are putting on a shine, so to speak-they are just trying to put on some finishing touches to prepare for the Big Ten meet. Others are actually just going to rest and are not competing. It really is contingent on what is best for each individual athlete.""
""We won't take any long distance runners to Iowa. We will take one half-miler, but that is about it. The sprints, the hurdles and the field events are primarily the focus in making sure they are ready to go-they need more preparation."" Nuttycombe added, ""This is the prelude for the Big Ten meet, the object of this weekend is to get everybody right where you want them, but to stay healthy, you just don't want to get people hurt this time of the season if possible.""
Nuttycombe is sure to keep the next two meets in perspective as he keeps his sights set on the conference championships and humbly gazes past his team's next two events. He does acknowledge, however, an intangible reward in store for his team when they compete at home for the Madison Twilight.
""It usually ends up being a pretty good meet, but we are just hoping we get some nice weather and its always fun for the athletes to run at home,"" said Nuttycombe. ""It comes at a time when they are getting ready for exams so their minds are in that mode too, but they know it is their last preparation for the championship meet.""
Once UW finishes up at home, they will focus on their matchup with formidable Minnesota-the stiffest competition at this year's championships. Minnesota finished No. 2 indoors this year but two weeks from now they will square off with UW in the outdoor championships-a distinction both squads are certainly aware of.
""Overall it will be a strong field, the fast sections, all of heats, and all of the events will be very competitive,"" Nuttycombe said. ""There will be probably four or five teams that will be vying for the top two or three spots, but I think it will come down to our team and Minnesota who are, right now, the two best teams in the conference.""
With the whole team eyeing a conference crown and their biggest conference foe within reach, things are looking up for UW. Nuttycombe is optimistic that he can get contributions from athletes all across the board and make a strong showing two weeks from now.
""We have six seniors currently on the team and most of them should have a chance to score at the championship and certainly they have been a very important part of what has been a very good run for us team-wise-but for the future of the team, it is nice to know that most of the guys that will come up big at the championships will be underclassmen.\
