It’s a time for transitions.
As the weather outside appears to be changing from the dreary winter cold to the warmth of spring, the men’s and women’s track and field team is making a transition of their own as they head outdoors.
The Badger track team begins its outdoor schedule by traveling to the Hurricane Invitational at the University of Miami this coming weekend, and while they will not be bringing the entire team to participate, they are still very excited to get the next leg of the season underway.
“Relatively speaking, we’re a better outdoor team,” men’s head coach Ed Nuttycombe said. “Some of the events that come back during the outdoor season, like steeplechase and javelin, work in our favor, but whether that translates to higher places, we’ll have to see.”
Both the men’s and women’s teams are coming off of fairly successful indoor seasons. The men’s team finished third in the Big Ten Championships behind Minnesota and Ohio State, which is right where Nuttycombe anticipated they would land entering the meet. He said they didn’t quite reach all of their team goals, but that he was still very optimistic, as they are an “awfully young team, which bodes well for the future.”
The women’s team improved upon its seventh-place conference finish last year by grabbing fifth place this season, which is a “testament of the hard training they’ve been putting in,” senior thrower Mandy Hoeppner said.
“We have incredible freshman, a really good new throwing coach and it all seemed to add up to a lot of points in the Big Ten Championships,” she added. “So we should have an even better chance in outdoors.”
UW followed up the Big Ten meet with several outstanding showings at the NCAA Indoor Championships last weekend, with every Badger participant coming home with All-American honors. On the men’s side, senior Craig Miller took fifth place in the 3,000 meters in a time of 8:12.15, while freshman Zach Mellon also took fifth place in the 800 meter with a 1:49.08.
It was Miller’s seventh All-American honor of his career, tying him for the second-highest total in Wisconsin history. The lone Badger for the women’s team represented well too, as sophomore Dorcas Akinniyi saved her best effort for the last and largest meet of the season, scoring a career best 4,056 points in the pentathlon to secure seventh place.
As the team shifts its focus to outdoor work, the training for the men will continue as it has for most of the team, with the only exception being obviously for the events that are just beginning now.
“I think the training is always geared towards later in the season,” Nuttycombe said. “Although you’re trying to get the athletes as ready as possible for the indoor, you’re leaving a few stones unturned for outdoors. The object is to be at your best in May and June.”
One of those Badgers that is most looking forward to the outdoor season is Hoeppner, as arguably her best event is an outdoor-specific one. When asked what she was most looking forward to with the coming of outdoor competition, besides the weather, she said the hammer throw, which isn’t an indoor event.
She anticipates the training for the throwers will continue to be similar to what they’ve been doing all year, as it seems to already be paying off.
“We are lifting, running and throwing,” Hoeppner said. “It is very, very exhausting, but very rewarding at the same time. A lot of us are getting in the best shape of our lives, and we’re throwing farther than ever.”
For some of the runners, the outdoor season will begin this weekend in Miami, specifically those who may not have gotten as much time in during the indoor season. But the rest of the team will be in full swing starting March 26, when they travel to Tallahassee for the Florida State Relays.
“We’re really looking forward to the opportunity to get the outdoor season started in a good fashion,” Nuttycombe said.
