University of Wisconsin track standout Demi Omole continued to build on his remarkable freshman campaign last weekend at the Drake relays in Des Moines, Iowa, winning the 100-meter dash in a time of 10.29 seconds. The time ranks as one of the top 10 in the nation, as the young Badger begins to prepare for the Big Ten championships.
After improving his 100-meter dash time at nearly every event this season, Omole continues to climb up the school’s track and field record books.
His time of 10.29 seconds in the 100-meter dash and 21.01 seconds in the 200-meter dash (posted at the Mt. Sac relays) place him seventh and eighth, respectively, on the all-time list of outdoor marks posted at UW. His previous personal best of 10.35 seconds in the 100-meter dash (Mt. Sac relays) also stands as a ninth-place tie with former Badger great B.J. Tucker.
The Milwaukee native’s accomplishments are part of the reason why the men’s track and field team is enjoying national recognition this year, as Wisconsin was recently named as the top team in the country by the United States Track Coaches Association Team Power Rankings.
After enjoying a phenomenal prep career at Whitefish Bay Dominican High School, where he was a three-time Division 2 state champion in the 100 meters and two-time champion in the 200 meters, Omole enrolled at the University of Florida. After a semester as a Gator, Omole decided to return to his home state and has been enjoying success ever since.
“I feel that transferring from the University of Florida was one of the wisest decisions I have ever made,” Omole said. “I’m really enjoying myself here in Madison.”
Citing his close relationship with his mother and the desire to excel as an athlete and a student, Omole said the decision to come home was the right one.
“I’m a ‘momma’s boy,’ and she’s a very strong woman who has been through a lot of things and has always encouraged me to be the best I can be,” Omole said. “She has always been my No. 1 fan.”
Upon returning to Wisconsin, Omole flirted with being a two-sport athlete as he briefly practiced with the football team as a wide receiver before concentrating on track and field. Omole cited the track team’s prestige and his personal ambitions as reasons why UW and the men’s track team was the right fit for him.
“The Badgers are a very strong team and, when you look at the last 13 cross country/track Big Ten Championships, we’ve won 12,” Omole said. “I know this is a place where I can expect to win and develop as an athlete and student.”
Barring injury, Omole will continue his slaughtering of the school record books this season and throughout his career at UW. Former Badger and current Minnesota Viking running back Michael Bennett possesses one of Omole’s most desired goals, the school record in the 100-meter dash, which stands at 10 seconds flat.
“I want to hold the UW records in both the 100 meter and 200 meter,” Omole said. “With the way the season is going thus far, I think I will get the 100-meter record.”
Currently, Omole’s 100-meter and 200-meter times stand at the top tier of Big Ten sprinters and are also nationally ranked.
“I would enjoy getting two individual titles at the Big Ten championships,” Omole said. “Most importantly, I would like to have a major impact at the NCAA championships and make the Olympic trials.”
As a freshman, Omole is still very young, and his form and strength continue to grow every day. With accomplishing so much at the collegiate level in such a short period of time, the Olympics are not out of the question and are something that Omole strives to achieve.
“I nearly made the Olympic Trial B standard qualifying for the 100 meter,” Omole said. “If I keep developing and getting stronger, I hope to make the trials this summer. Whether or not I make the games, the trials are an accomplishment in itself.”
Omole cites Olympic gold medalist sprinter Michael Johnson when asked who would be an inspiration for his Olympic dreams.
“He went from being an average high school athlete to holding two world records,” Omole said.
Considering he was anything but an average high school athlete and already ranks as one of the nation’s elite collegiate sprinters as a freshman, the Olympics seem like an inevitable event that Omole will someday participate in, whether this summer or in 2008.
For now, Omole will just have to settle on potential Big Ten titles in the 100- and 200-meter dashes and making a name for himself at the NCAA outdoor championships in June at the University of Texas. At the age of 18, Omole has already achieved what most collegians would love to accomplish in four years. His times this season already place him as one the fastest sprinters in UW history, and there is a distinct possibility that Demi Omole will leave Wisconsin as the fastest man ever to don Badger spikes.
