The Wisconsin Badgers men’s track and field team dominated field events Friday at the University of Dubuque’s Solomon W. Butler Classic and had a satisfactory day on the track Saturday at the University of Notre Dame’s Alex Wilson Invitational.
The Badgers were represented by just six athletes participating only in field events Friday in Dubuque. Although Badgers only appeared in two different events, the team still posted a strong showing.
The team dominated in the weight throw, led by Jason Swarens’ winning throw of 20.56 meters. Swarens was joined in the final standings by teammates Cole Hooper in third, Jacob Bugella in fourth and Nick Tomasovic in seventh.
The Badgers swept their only other event, the shot put, with the meet’s top three finishers all donning the Motion W. Andrew Stone led the way with a winning throw of 19.76 meters, followed by Jason Swarens in second and Kyle Clabough in third.
Wisconsin's success continued Saturday in South Bend, this time on the track. Two Badgers emerged victorious in their respective events along with a relay team that pushed for a school record.
Redshirt junior Sam Amusan was the first Badger to claim a top spot when he won the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.60 seconds. Amusan also had a strong showing in the 60-meter dash, where he won his preliminary heat and finished second in the finals.
The distance crew enjoyed a second straight weekend of strong results. Redshirt senior Rowen Ellenberg led the way with a winning time of 8:09.99 in the 3000 meters, joined by teammates Sam Craig in third and Oliver Paleen in fifth. Meanwhile, in the mile, Joe dosReis and Pierce Seigne placed second and fourth.
The distance medley relay was the highlight of Wisconsin’s weekend. The team, composed of Adam Spencer, Abdullahi Hassan, Jackson Sharp and Jalen Williams, ran a time of 9:21.07 for a fourth-place finish.
In addition to the top four finish, the team punched their ticket to the 2024 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. The team also finds themselves just over a second away from the school record time of 9:19.99 set at the same meet a year ago, still with the opportunity to surpass that mark this season.
Wisconsin will spend the week preparing for this weekend’s Big Ten Indoor Championships, which take place Friday and Saturday at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio.
