The 2004 campaign has been a banner year for UW sports. The football team is off to its best start since 1998, the hockey programs are each ranked No. 5 in the nation in the current USCHO polls, the swimming teams are both undefeated and Jerry Schumacher's men's cross country squad is ranked first in the nation in the Mondo poll for the fourth consecutive week.
Meanwhile, the volleyball and women's soccer teams are each riding five-game winning streaks. In Barry Alvarez's debut season as UW athletic director, Wisconsin is making some noise in a number of sports.
Utah may have moved ahead of the Badgers in the latest BCS rankings (despite being ranked No. 9 in the AP poll and No. 10 in the coaches' poll), but Barry and the boys are enjoying their best season since the Ron Dayne era. Wisconsin is the Big Ten leader with just three games remaining and the Badgers have spent the last two weeks in the national top 10.
On the ice, Mike Eaves' squad has skated to a 4-0 start, outscoring its opponents 21-5 on the year. Wisconsin currently leads the WCHA in goals scored (5.25 per game) and goals allowed (1.25 per game) after a remarkable start.
The early success of the Ice Badgers can be traced to remarkable performances from a pair of unlikely sources. Sophomore goaltender Brian Elliot has yet to give up a goal after posting shutouts in his only two starts this season, and freshman Joe Pavelski leads the team with eight points.
Mark Johnson's squad has been equally impressive offensively, outscoring its opponents 34-6 through six games. The Badger women's hockey team has won five of its first six, featuring the second-ranked offense (5.67 goals per game) and the second-ranked defense (1.00 goals allowed per game) in the WCHA.
Goalkeeper Meghan Horras is undefeated in three starts with an impressive 1.00 goals against average and three Badgers, Lindsay Macy, Sara Bauer and Molly Engstrom, rank among the top 10 scorers in the WCHA.
On the track, Schumacher's top-ranked cross country team received 12 of 14 first place votes from the U.S. cross country coaches association to remain the No. 1 program in the nation. The Badgers recently won the Jim Drews Invitational for the third consecutive year, as five UW runners finished among the top 10 individually. Next on the docket for the cross-country juggernaut is the Big Ten Championships in Iowa City, Iowa, where the Badgers will compete for a sixth-straight conference title and Simon Bairu will defend his individual crown.
Moving to the pool, both Wisconsin teams have opened the year 3-0 in impressive fashion. Led by gold medalist Carly Piper, who holds the top UW time in the 200, 500, 1000 and 1650-yard freestyle events this season, the women's swimming team moved into the national top 10 after leaving Iowa in its wake over the weekend.
In a dominant performance, the Badgers won every event on the second day of competition after taking eight of nine events on day one. In the 500 freestyle, Wisconsin took the top three spots with Piper winning the event by more than 10 seconds.
The No. 16-ranked men's swim team has also jumped out to a torrid start, winning 14 of 17 events against the Hawkeyes over the weekend to open the Big Ten schedule. Leading the way is Olympian Adam Mania, who holds the Badgers' top time in six events this season.
On the pitch, Dean Duerst and the UW women's soccer team have won five straight, outscoring their opponents 13-2 over the five-match span. The Badgers feature the top-rated offense in the Big Ten with 43 goals on the year.
After taking a medical redshirt last season, striker Amy Vermuelen has returned to anchor the powerful Wisconsin attack. The senior currently leads the conference in assists (9) and ranks second in points (31). Joining Vermuelen in the attack is junior Katy Lindenmuth, who was recently named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week after posting five points in two games over the weekend.
Also riding a five-game winning streak is Pete Waite's UW volleyball team, which boasts the highest-ranked block in the conference at 3.38 blocks per game. Middle blocker Sheila Shaw leads the Big Ten in blocks this season, averaging 1.43 per game.
Though Camp Randall will be quiet this weekend as the Badgers enjoy a much-needed bye week, Wisconsin will undoubtedly be making some noise away from the gridiron as Eaves' squad faces off against defending champion Denver, Waite's squad takes on No. 2 Minnesota and Schumacher's squad heads to the Big Ten Championship. It looks like the man who turned around the football program has already begun to take the entire athletic department to new heights.
