After a busy weekend in California that saw both Wisconsin men’s and women’s track and field teams participate in three separate meets, both teams began competing Thursday in the historic Penn Relays at Franklin Field in Philadelphia.
On the men’s side, Wisconsin’s mid-distance starter Oliver Hoare entered the Relays fresh off of setting a new school record and personal best in the 1500 meters at the Bryan Clay Invitational. Hoare’s time of three minutes, 37.20 seconds — the fastest in the Big Ten, NCAA and world so far this year — earned him Big Ten Track Athlete of the Week honors for the third time this year.
Track and Field: Hoare sets UW record in 1500 meters, headlining busy weekend in California
Keep an eye on Hoare this weekend as he will likely be anchoring the Badgers’ distance medley relay team against top distance programs like Notre Dame, Georgetown and Indiana.
Perhaps most noteworthy for Wisconsin this weekend will be Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor’s track and field debut.
Yup, you read that right.
Taylor — a former track phenom at Salem (N.J.) High School — will be competing for the Badgers in the 4×100 meter relay. Taylor holds a personal best of 10.49 seconds in the 100 meter dash, and has previous experience competing at the Penn Relays — in 2017, he led Salem to a 4×100 meter relay title at the event.
Taylor also won back-to-back 100-meter titles in the New Jersey Meet of Champions at Salem. So, don’t lower your expectations for Taylor.
Track and Field: Badgers put up impressive performances at Arizona’s Sun Angel Classic
The Penn Relays present the women’s team with its first trip to the east coast this season. Last weekend, sophomore Jordan Hirsbrunner posted the seventh-best heptathlon score in Badger track history with 5,369 points, while Lucinda Crouch recorded the fifth-best steeplechase time in school history, finishing in 10 minutes, 22.14 seconds.
The 125th edition of the Penn Relays begin Thursday and conclude Saturday from Franklin Field in Philadelphia. They will be broadcast live on USATF.TV, and fans can follow along on Twitter @BadgerTrackXC.
