With numerous athletes sitting out, the Wisconsin men and women's track and field teams still fared well at the Wisconsin Twilight Saturday. The meet featured more than 700 athletes from universities all over the Midwest, including runners affiliated with Nike and Reebok.
"This was a great meet to watch," men's track head coach Ed Nuttycombe said. "We rested some guys, but the ones who did compete competed well. We had some guys who really needed this meet to fix a thing or two before next weekend, and I think that they're where they need to be now."
Next weekend the Badgers take the road for the Big Ten Outdoor Championships at Penn State. Saturday's meet proved many Badger athletes are ready to go.
"I finally did it," sophomore pole-vaulter Jenny Soceka said, referring to clearing 13 feet for the first time since high school. "I knew I had it in me; I'm just so happy it came here because now I know it can happen again next weekend."
Soceka was one of a handful of UW athletes already qualified for postseason competition who used Saturday as a tune-up.
Others, including reigning Big Ten 100-meter champion Demi Omole and 1,500-meter champion Chris Solinsky, ran at the meet in limited roles. Despite not racing hard, Solinsky believes he is ready to defend his title.
"I don't really think of it that way," Solinksy said. "You can't think like that. Every year the field is different, so you don't know what could happen."
Solinsky briefly joined the 1,500-meter race also, prompting some to think Solinksy hopped into the 1,500-meter race to chum around with old pal Matt Tegenkamp, now running with Nike. After Solinksy dropped out, Tegenkamp took control and won the event in 3:40.13. His time broke a nine-year McClimon record. Ironically, this is only the second race Tegenkamp has ever run at McClimon.
"I never ran this race while in school," Tegenkamp said. "I always used this weekend to rest up for the Big Ten. It was great though to come back here and race in front of my home crowd."
While many other Badgers sat out much like Tegenkamp in the old days, every athlete and coach believes they are ready for next weekend.
"We're ready to go," women's head coach Jim Stintzi said. "Those who ran (Saturday) did well and are ready. Those who rested up are fired up. Next weekend is coming quick, but we've been waiting for a long time."
