The women’s track team is ready for the second part of its season to start.
This weekend the Badgers are starting the outdoor track-and-field season at the Duke Invitational, a meet UW head coach Peter Tegan sees as an important outing for his team.
“[The Duke Invitational is] a benchmark for the outdoor season,” Tegan said.
Coming off of a week of training in California for the transition to the outdoor season, the Badgers are confident they can start the outdoor season off well. Bethany Brewster and Hillary Edmondson, both of whom are coming off injuries, look to help their Wisconsin team. Brewster has both 3,000 and 1,500 meter Big Ten titles to her credit while Edmondson also owns a 1,500 meter title.
Also leading the Badgers are Liz Reusser, Elain Canchola and Lindsey Blaisdell. Reusser is a key distance runner for the team that can contribute points every time she sets foot on the track. Canchola, a UCLA transfer, looks to help an already-strong 1,500 and 3,000-meter trio. Blaisdell, an up-and-coming freshman, will most likely be sidelined with an injury.
Wisconsin has had an unusual number of injuries this season, forcing Katie Joplin, Andrea Ashwood, Andrea Wick and others to rehab until they are able to compete again. However, these injuries are not keeping the team down.
Tara Clark, UW’s indoor record holder in the pole vault, leads a cast of talented vaulters into Duke. Chrisine Baudry, the outdoor record holder, is coming off of a 6th place finish at the Indoor Big Ten meet and is looking forward to the outdoor season. Shana Martin has been steadily improving and, with her 7th place finish at Indoors, is right on the heels of Clark and Baudry.
This talented group, however, is faced with an unusual circumstance. During transport to the team’s last meet at Northridge, their poles were lost by the airline. New poles have been rush ordered and are being sent straight to Duke. However, the vaulters will not be able to practice with the new poles until they arrive in North Carolina.
Cathy Ross and Julie Stefan look to add to the point total in the triple and long jumps. Ross has already jumped 40′ 6″ in the triple jump this year and looks to better her personal record of 41′. Stefan, who missed the indoor triple jump final by a fraction of an inch, looks to keep moving out in the pit after dealing with an assortment of nagging injuries this past indoor season.
Kym Hubing, Greta Bauer, Christie Muenzenberger and Andrea Geurtsen make up the 4×400 meter relay team traveling to Duke. This group has shifted its training recently to a higher intensity focused on distance. The team hopes this shift will help its time and its placing at the Big Ten championship.
Another standout for the team is Bree Fuqua. Fuqua looks to improve on her personal record shot put of 49’8″ at the Iowa Classic this past indoor season. Fuqua qualified provisionally for nationals with that throw and has her sights set on 50′.
The Duke Invitational is the team’s stepping stone for the outdoor season leading up to the Outdoor Big Ten championships, held in Madison later this season.