The outdoor track season has been a gradual process for many of the University of Wisconsin’s track athletes who were making the transition from the grueling indoor season, but things have certainly begun to pick up.

This weekend, the men’s team will travel to Des Moines, Iowa, for the Drake Relays, an event that is host to a crowd of around 40,000 people while also bringing in some of the best track athletes in the country. Head coach Ed Nuttycombe, who addressed the media on Monday, has been hesitant to send out a full squad due to some health concerns, but he is ready to bring all of his best athletes to this highly anticipated meet, regardless of some minor injuries.

“We’re as healthy as we’ve been all year long. The same kind of little things that have been nagging us all year, still the same, but it’s not any worse, and in some cases it’s a little better,” Nuttycombe said. “So we’re taking a full squad, participating in as many of the relays as we can.”

The talented UW men’s squad has been steadily improving over the past few weeks and has a solid group of runners who have already qualified for the NCAA Regionals. The Drake Relays will provide these athletes with another opportunity to progress as the competition begins to pick up.

Some recent additions to the NCAA regional qualifying list include Jack Bolas, a junior from Chapel Hill, N.C., Landon Peacock, a junior from Morley, Mich., and Christian Wagner, a senior from Columbus, Ind. Bolas was able to qualify with a time of 3 minutes and 45 seconds in the 1500 meters, while Peacock and Wagner ran extremely well in the 5000 meters to punch their tickets.

While several of the long-distance runners have performed admirably as of late, several other members competing in a variety of events have also earned their way on to the list of NCAA regional qualifiers. Sophomore Zach Beth, a middle-distance runner from Silver Lake, Wis., qualified with a recent fifth place finish in the 800 meters. Nate Larkin, who qualified weeks ago in the 110-meter hurdles, was able to improve upon his already impressive time with a new personal best of 14.11 seconds.

In the field events, UW senior Robert Dehn qualified in the javelin early on, but sophomore Mickey DeFillippo has grabbed headlines with his continued success in the pole vault.

DeFillippo has posted a NCAA regional qualifying mark in all three of the outdoor events he has competed in and will look to continue that trend this weekend. In an earlier interview, the sophomore expressed his hopes for the outdoor season:

“My expectations have always been high and they will continue to be high,” DeFillippo said. “I’m trying to jump the best I can each time out.”

Another Badger in the field events who will look to improve upon his already impressive mark is Rory Linder. Linder, a senior thrower from Cedarburg, Wis., spoke previously about his satisfaction in qualifying for the regionals and the confidence he has in his throws.

“I was struggling a little bit to start the season and to go out and qualify, like that meant a lot,” Linder said. “I’ve been very happy with my throws and will look to keep getting better here on out.”