Varsity Magazine - February 12, 2020 by Wisconsin Badgers

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FIREWORK FINISH Senior Oliver Hoare finishes second in the prestigious Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose Games in New York City on Saturday. Hoare ran a seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best time of 3:56.47. PHOTO BY JOE HALE

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DOWN THE STRETCH THEY COME! Larger than life replicas of Wisconsin hockey legends Chris Chelios, Mark Johnson and Joe Pavelski race down the ice at the inaugural Legends Races on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 at the Kohl Center. PHOTO BY TOM LYNN

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AMAZING ALICIA Senior Alicia Monson ran the fastest time in the NCAA this season, taking sixth in the 3,000 meters at the Millrose Games in New York City on Saturday. Monson crossed the line in 8:53.69. PHOTO BY JOE HALE

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A GRITTY SPLIT Wrestling at 141 pounds, redshirt freshman Dominic Dentino is close to the full splits as he grinds out a tough match against Michigan Stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Matt Santos on Sunday in the UW Field House. Dentino ultimately lost 16-5. PHOTO BY DIANE NORDSTROM

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FIGHT TO THE FINISH Clinching the match at No. 4 singles, Anna Makarova celebrates Wisconsinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s comeback victory against Denver, 4-3. After losing her first set 3-6, she rallied to win the next two sets 7-5 and 6-3 to seal the overall victory for the Badgers. PHOTO BY WISCONSIN ATHLETICS

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CONTENTS

FEBRUARY 12, 2020 ▪ VOLUME 10, ISSUE 16

26 FAMILY MATTERS How does a recruiting class come together? For Saeed Khalif, identifying prospects is just the beginning of a highly-personalized process aimed at finding people who will thrive within the culture of Wisconsin football.

FEATURES 2

LUCAS AT LARGE

IN FOCUS

TEAMMATES ALWAYS

16 LUCAS AT LARGE

20 WHAT TO WATCH 23 FORWARD360

39 INSIDE BASKETBALL 43 INSIDE HOCKEY 47 INSIDE WRESTLING 49 INSIDE SOFTBALL 51 INSIDE TRACK & FIELD 54 INSIDE TENNIS

TOM LYNN

25 VIRAL VIDEO

STEVE GOTTER

The strong connections among the Badgers’ Final Four teams and current players continue to grow over time.

19 BY THE NUMBERS

36 WOMEN’S HOOPS Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Badgers’ 2000 WNIT Championship — a dream season for women’s basketball. 13

BE A GO-GETTER DREAM CHASER GAME CHANGER

Online. Accelerated. Focused.

Professional Degrees and Certificates GO.WISC.EDU/PRO

Wisconsin Athletic Communications Kellner Hall, 1440 Monroe St. Madison, WI 53711

VIEW ALL ISSUES Jessica Burda

Director of Brand Communications Managing Editor

Brian Lucas

Director of Football Brand Communications

Julia Hujet

Editor/Designer

Brian Mason

Editor/Contributor

Mike Lucas

Senior Writer

Andy Baggot Writer

Chris Hall, Jerry Mao, Bianca Miceli, Brandon Spiegel Video Production

Monica Danek Advertising

Adam Ahearn Distribution

Contributors

Carissa Brzezinski, Paul Capobianco, A.J. Harrison, Brandon Harrison, Patrick Herb, Diane Nordstrom, Kelli Steffes Photography

David Stluka, Greg Anderson, Bob Campbell, Jack McLaughlin, Tom Lynn, Cal Sport Media, Icon Sportswire Cover Photo: Dan Sanger Problems or Accessibility Issues? VarsityMag@UWBadgers.com ÂŠ 2020 Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. All rights reserved worldwide. 15

LUCAS AT LARGE

BY MIKE LUCAS ▪ UWBADGERS.COM SENIOR WRITER

‘You remember the wins. But the relationships matter more.’ STEVE GOTTER

n his official recruiting visit, Josh Gasser was sitting with his parents in UW head coach Bo Ryan’s office when his mom, Joan, took a look around the room and spotted a picture on the wall that prompted her to point and tell Ryan, “That’s my favorite Wisconsin basketball player.” It was her son’s, too. The picture was of Mike Kelley, the defensive-minded point guard on the 2000 Final Four team and one of the players who returned for Sunday’s 20th anniversary celebration at the Kohl Center. Kelley narrated a moving pre-game video that Brevin Pritzl admitted, “Gave me goose bumps.” Gasser can relate to the source of such an adrenaline rush. As an 8-year-old growing up in Wisconsin, he had just begun to embrace the sport when Kelley and his unsung teammates put the Badgers on the college basketball map one fateful

March which was followed a year later by the Bucks making it to the NBA’s Eastern Conference finals. “Those were my first two big memories of basketball — really falling in love with the game — that’s how it started,” said Gasser, a fan of Kelley and Bucks shooting guard Ray Allen. “Before I knew it, Mike Kelley was calling our (Badgers) games (as a TV color analyst) and saying great things about me. “We got to know each other well and I now consider him a friend. We text pretty often these days. His daughter underwent ACL surgery a few months back and I gave her a call to wish her well and I’ve been staying in touch to help out any way that I can (Gasser tore his ACL in 2012). “Mike has a great head on his shoulders, and he does things the right way in terms of being a parent and a coach and I really respect that out of him. He’s someone I’ve definitely looked

up to in how he has handled life from me being a kid (in Port Washington) all the way to now being in my upper 20s.” Gasser, who will turn 28 on Thursday, has another link to Kelley: He played in back-toback Final Fours in 2014 and 2015. And he can make generational comparisons based on everything he knows about Kelley’s team from 20 years ago and his knowledge of Dick Bennett’s coaching acumen. “It seems that they had a toughness and a togetherness,” Gasser observed. “The same thing can be said about our Final Four teams. Yeah, we had good talent and we made plays and things like that. But ultimately what made us a really good team was how tight of a unit we were.” April will mark the five-year anniversary of Wisconsin’s 2015 Final Four team. After shocking previously unbeaten Kentucky in the semifinals, the Badgers advanced to the national champi-

onship game where they lost to Duke in front of 71,149 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. “That it has already been five years to me is just crazy,” Gasser said, “because I feel like I can remember every single day and every single moment of that year. I feel like it was just yesterday, but at the same time there has been a lot that has happened since then and life moves on.” That team is still as tight as ever. As is the 2014 Final Four team that lost to Kentucky in the semis in Arlington, Texas. “Unbelievable memories and we’re still great friends today,” Gasser said. “It’s just kind of the family of Wisconsin basketball that creates these longstanding relationships.” They had three mini-reunions last spring and summer at the weddings of Gasser, Dan Fahey and Zak Showalter. “With the bachelor parties, we had six weekends when we got to reunite,” Gasser said. “We were talking the other day, ‘No Badger weddings coming up.’ Dang what are we going to do? “We’re going to have to plan something on our own to get together.” Shouldn’t be a problem. Gasser and Ben Brust drove to Milwaukee recently to see Frank Kaminsky when the Phoenix Suns played the Bucks. Kaminsky, who’s in his first year with the Suns, has been sidelined since late December with a knee injury. In early March, Gasser is planning on spending a few days with Kaminsky in Phoenix. “You remember the wins,”

Gasser said. “But the relationships matter more.” On Sunday, the Badgers honored the 2000 Final Four team by wearing throwback uniforms against Ohio State. It was a sharp, clean look. And so was their play in a 70-57 victory. The pre-game video outlined Bennett’s pillars/principles: humility, passion, unity, servanthood, thankfulness. Kelley’s narration made them come to life: “These words are literally buried in the foundation of the Kohl Center. Before the concrete and mortar, before the banners and lights, these five pillars set the vision for that magical run 20 years ago and they are still alive in the program today.”

“BUT FOR EVERYBODY ELSE TO FIND GREATNESS, YOU CAN DO IT AS A TEAM. YOU’LL NEVER BE ABLE TO DO IT INDIVIDUALLY. THAT’S HOW WE FOUND IT. WE FOUND OUR LITTLE PIECE OF GREATNESS AS A TEAM.” Do the same principles really have application in 2020? “I think they apply now more than ever, I really do,” Kelley said. “All the true teams and great players have those core values. There are outliers for sure. But Coach Bennett used to say, ‘There are only a handful of Tiger Woods and Serena Williams.’ “But for everybody else to find greatness, you can do it as a team. You’ll never be able to do it individually. That’s how

we found it. We found our little piece of greatness as a team.” Nonetheless, Kelley was quick to concede that it was not always a smooth ride. “As much as we romanticize that team from 20 years ago, we weren’t perfect, either,” he said. “Sometimes you see the best part of everybody’s team especially on social media and it makes it feel like if you have some issues in your locker room, something’s wrong. Nothing is wrong. That’s normal.” Given some of the hits the current program has absorbed, Pritzl approved that message. “Things haven’t been in our favor lately,” he said, “but at the end of the day if we stick to those core values and stick together as a group, we can fight through anything and be successful.” With Pritzl’s season-high 19 points — and five players scoring between eight and 10 — the Ohio State triumph was a group effort. The bench outscored the Buckeyes, 30-16. And the Badgers had 17 assists on 24 made field goals. D’Mitrik Trice had a career high eight assists (25 over the last four games). “I just love what I’ve seen out of this team in the past week,” Gasser said. “Just them staying together and coming together, keeping their heads straight and focusing on what really matters. There are some things you can control and there are some things that you can’t. “You always have to focus on what you can control.” Click to read more »

BY THE NUMBERS DAVID STLUKA

1979

22-1

◀ WRESTLING Redshirt senior Seth Gross has collected an impressive 22-1 overall record wrestling this season at 133 pounds. Ranked No. 1 in the nation, he also has an undefeated 5-0 record at home.

KAI MARTIN

WOMEN’S HOCKEY ▶ Wisconsin is the only school in the country with three players that have 50 or more points this year — Daryl Watts (66), Sophie Shirley (54) and Abby Roque (51).

TOM LYNN

DIANE TIMNORDSTROM VENUS

MICHELLE MIKLESH

SOFTBALL ▶ Wisconsin softball is back in action and secured four wins to open the season at the FAU First Pitch Classic Tournament with a 4-1 record.

◀ MEN’S HOCKEY The Badgers will host the ITA National Indoor Championships this week for the seventh time in school history and for the first time since 1979.

WHAT TO WATCH

HEADING WEST

MEN’S BASKETBALL AT NEBRASKA SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15 ▪ 1:15PM LINCOLN, NEB. ▪ BTN

DAVID STLUKA

Wisconsin travels to Nebraska for a Big Ten road game on Saturday. Watch the Badgers face the Huskers at 1:15 p.m. live on BTN.

MEN'S HOCKEY VS. PENN STATE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15 ▪ 7PM KOHL CENTER ▪ FOX SPORTS WISCONSIN

DAVID STLUKA

HOME ICE

Wisconsin plays its final Big Ten home series of the year when No. 9 Penn State visits the Kohl Center on Friday and Saturday. Catch the Badgers on Friday at 7 p.m. on BTN+ and on Saturday at 7 p.m. on Fox Sports Wisconsin.

fri. tickets

sat. tickets

DIANE NORDSTROM

FULL POWER

WRESTLING VS. MICHIGAN SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16 ▪ 3PM UW FIELD HOUSE ▪ BTN With only two home duals left in the regular season, No. 4 Wisconsin will face No. 17 Michigan at the UW Field House on Sunday. The Badgers take on the Wolverines at 3 p.m. live on Big Ten Network.

buy tickets 20

WEDNESDAY 2/12

THURSDAY 2/13

FRIDAY 2/14 SOFTBALL vs. Louisville Chapel Hill, N.C. 4 p.m.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL vs. Purdue Madison, Wis. 7 p.m. Watch: BTN+ Buy tickets »

MEN’S HOCKEY vs. Penn State Madison, Wis. 7 p.m. Watch: BTN+ Buy tickets » MEN’S TENNIS ITA National Championships Madison, Wis. 6 p.m. Watch: UWBadgers.com Event info »

View more 2/14 events »

SUNDAY 2/16 SOFTBALL at UNC Chapel Hill, N.C. 12:30 p.m. WOMEN’S BASKETBALL at Iowa Iowa City, Iowa 2 p.m. Watch: BTN+ WOMEN’S HOCKEY vs. Ohio State (Fill the Bowl) Madison, Wis. 2 p.m. Watch: BTN+ Buy tickets »

MONDAY 2/17

TUESDAY 2/18

MEN’S TENNIS ITA National Championships Madison, Wis. 6 p.m. Watch: UWBadgers.com Event info »

MEN’S BASKETBALL vs. Purdue Madison, Wis. 6 p.m. Watch: ESPN/ESPN2 Buy tickets »

SATURDAY 2/15 MEN’S BASKETBALL at Nebraska Lincoln, Neb. 1:15 p.m. Watch: BTN SOFTBALL vs. Louisville Chapel Hill, N.C. 1:30 p.m. WOMEN’S HOCKEY vs. Ohio State Madison, Wis. 2 p.m. Watch: BTN+ SOLD OUT SOFTBALL at UNC Chapel Hill, N.C. 2 p.m. View more 2/15 events »

WEDNESDAY 2/19 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL vs. Maryland Madison, Wis. 7 p.m. Watch: BTN+ Buy tickets » WOMEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING at Big Ten Championships Iowa City, Iowa All day Event info »

View more 2/16 events »

ALL TIMES CENTRAL

VIEW FULL CALENDAR ON UWBADGERS.COM »

Make Your Stay One Big Snow Day

View Snow Report

FORWARD360 SPOTLIGHT

Freezin’ for a Reason

Badgers host fundraiser for Polar Plunge BY MAYA SHEA ▪ UW BRAND COMMUNICATIONS

isconsin Athletics believes that sports should be accessible for everyone no matter their abilities. Participating in sports is unifying and provides a sense of community and support. Because of this objective, the Badgers support Special Olympics Wisconsin as a community partner. This is why we participate in Wisconsin Shoe Projects, social media campaigns, and the Freezin’ For A Reason event each year. Wisconsin student-athletes enjoy supporting individuals with intellectual disabilities and creating inclusive spaces for all. The main event of the year between Wisconsin Athletics and Special Olympics Wisconsin is the Freezin’ for a Reason event hosted at LaBahn Arena during a Wisconsin women’s hockey game. Freezin’ for a Reason is set up to raise support and awareness for the Special Olympics Polar Plunge, which is occurring this Saturday, Feb. 15 in Madison. Badgers student-athletes from multiple sports came to the women’s hockey game on Feb. 1 to collect donations and generate support for the Special Olympics Wisconsin Polar Plunge. Donation buckets were passed around before the game and during intermissions. The

generous donations from fans at the game generated an impressive $2,174.45 of the total $4,367.45 that was raised throughout the entire campaign. “The funds raised from the Polar Plunge help provide nearly 9,000 athletes across the state with sports training and competition, leadership opportunities, free health screenings, and unified programs in schools that promote inclusion,” says Special Olympics Director of Special Events Alyse Peters. Some of the most memorable moments came after the Feb. 1 game when five UW football student-athletes made their way down to the ice to give everyone a sneak preview of the Polar Plunge. Isiaiahh Loudermilk, Garrett Groshek, Reggie Pearson, Bryson Williams and Caesar Williams sat on the ice as other Badgers and Special Olympic Wisconsin athletes doused them in freezing cold water and ice. “Freezin’ For a Reason was an awesome experience,” said Loudermilk, a defensive end for the Badgers. “Being able to do this event and help raise money for the Special Olympics means so much and I’m glad I got to be a part of it.” Learn more about the Polar Plunge on Feb. 15 or donate to the cause here. ▪

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VIRAL VIDEO

SHE WRITES THE SCRIPT UP NEXT:

2000 FINAL FOUR TEAM 20-YEAR REUNION

WISCONSIN HOCKEY || EP 20 || WISDOM

FOLLOW THE BADGERS â&#x2013;¶

SAEED KHALIF

aeed Khalif had just arrived on campus as the football program’s new Director of Player Personnel when he ran into linebackers Vince Biegel and T.J. Watt, who were preparing for the NFL draft. Biegel and Watt were grabbing something to eat at the Badger Alley Bistro, a convenient dining option for student-athletes tucked in a corner of Camp Randall Stadium just outside the weight room. “And they saw that I was the new guy,” recalled Khalif, who had just been hired from Georgia Tech where he had worked the previous four years in a personnel capacity. Prior to getting his feet wet in recruiting, he had been an assistant coach and defensive coordinator at a Division II program (Savannah State) and a prep head coach (in Newark, New Jersey). “I was standing there with a kid (prospect) and Biegel and Watt went right into a recruiting spiel — unrehearsed,” Khalif went on. “I called it a recruiting spiel. But they were selling the place and talking about their sentiments for it. “And that was the first time I met them. That’s what made it real and authentic.” The chance meeting served as Khalif’s in-

troduction to the UW culture where players are viewed as the program’s best recruiters; a point that has resonated with him during every recruiting cycle since. The latest one culminated on February 3 with the signing of New Jersey tailback Jalen Berger, who elevated the overall recruiting class to No. 25 nationally in the 247 Sports Composite rankings. It’s the highest-ranked class in school history. Or since recruiting sites like Rivals and Scout began flowering and getting a toehold with mass audiences at the turn of the new millennium. Berger, a four-star from Newark, had a lengthy and impressive list of scholarship offers from Power Five programs. Among his finalists were LSU, Penn State, UCLA and his home-state school, Rutgers. A strong influence on Berger’s decision was Jonathan Taylor, a New Jersey native and one of the most decorated running backs to ever come out of Wisconsin, a list that is also lengthy and impressive. “Berger is a JT fan through and through,” Khalif said. “Jonathan was fantastic with him on campus. I don’t know how much they personally stayed in touch outside of it.

“But I do know his affinity towards Jonathan. ▪▪▪▪ eal and authentic. It’s a good starting That’s the thing. He wants to be the next JT. point to tell Khalif’s story. (But) he wants to be Jalen Berger. JB3 can see “Where it starts is … I have … the kids himself walking that path that JT walked.” call it swagger … I like to put the cool in recruitBerger wore No. 3 at Don Bosco Prep (Raming,” said the 53-year-old Khalif, a former firstsey, N.J.) thus the south Jersey baton exchange team All-ACC defensive will revolve around the lineman at Georgia Tech. incoming JB3 and the As a senior (1986), he outgoing JT23, who en“I WAS STANDING THERE WITH A KID joys selling the Wiscon- (PROSPECT) AND BIEGEL AND WATT WENT RIGHT was a captain, the leading tackler and an honorable sin brand. INTO A RECRUITING SPIEL — UNREHEARSED. THEY WERE SELLING THE PLACE AND TALKING mention All-American. “Without a doubt, ABOUT THEIR SENTIMENTS FOR IT. AND THAT “I’ve taken what the players are our best WAS THE FIRST TIME I MET THEM. THAT’S WHAT we’ve considered to be recruiters,” Khalif reafMADE IT REAL AND AUTHENTIC.” blue-collar, run-of-thefirmed. “The REALLY mill, everyday and exgood players who want press it to them as one of the coolest things to recruit are REALLY good. they’re going to experience. I’m elevating it in “Jonathan Taylor was one of our best … and their minds, packaging it in such a way where there have been a lot of other examples of reit shines as opposed to, ‘Here it is.’” ally good players like Chris Orr or even back On personalizing the recruiting process, he to Leon Jacobs that wanted to tell our story to pointed out, “I can hand you a notebook and it the kids.” can have great content in it, but if the cover is not attractive to you then you may never open JALEN BERGER the book. So, I’m trying to make an attractive cover. I’m trying to have an attractive closing. “I want every piece of that to say something to you and impact you and touch an emotion for you while you’re around. I want to be Uncle Saeed and I want it to be difficult for you tell me no. “That matches our family atmosphere here. “That matches the whole connection and vibe that we have as a team culture. “Family don’t want to disappoint family.” Although swagger is not a word that often shows up often in the same breath with head coach Paul Chryst, the head of the Badgers family, Khalif begged to differ, “He’s got swag in his own way and it’s internal. It’s in the locker room, it’s with his coaches, it’s with that interaction.” More specific to his own job assignment, Khalif added, “He (Chryst) understands the

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DAN SANGER

UA SPOTLIGHT MC

UA HIGHLIGHT MC

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S P O T L I G H T

T H AT / / / /

N E V E R U A

S T O P S

H I G H L I G H T

S P E E D / / / /

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value and importance of recruiting but he feels Khalif, who proposed, “Let’s try to get talentlike his best recruiting is taking care of the guys ed kids and develop them and see where that on the team … he doesn’t want to do anything takes us.” for recruiting that doesn’t have a good impact On several layers, he has brought a fresh apon the players here. proach to a conventional Badger theme. “I remember my first year, I had to learn that. “My style is to get into every (recruiting) batI’d go to Coach and say, ‘I think this would be tle,” he stressed. “Assess whether the kid, first cool for recruiting.’ And he’d say, ‘What about of all, can play. Then, does he fit academically? our guys? What do you think it will be like for All I want to know from a coach (the 10 asour guys?’ If it’s good sistants and Chryst) is for the players here, whether you like him then it’s good for reor not. We don’t look “I REMEMBER MY FIRST YEAR, I HAD TO cruiting.” for what his ratings LEARN THAT. I’D GO TO COACH AND SAY, ‘I THINK Khalif was welland stars are. THIS WOULD BE COOL FOR RECRUITING.’ AND aware of Wisconsin’s “We’re just trying to HE’D SAY, ‘WHAT ABOUT OUR GUYS? WHAT DO YOU long-established idendetermine, ‘Do you like THINK IT WILL BE LIKE FOR OUR GUYS?’ IF IT’S tity as a developmental him?’ Second, “Does GOOD FOR THE PLAYERS HERE, THEN IT’S program — which has he fit us?’ And if he fits GOOD FOR RECRUITING.” thumbed its nose at us then I’m going to recruiting rankings — ask the question — and especially as an operation that has flourished I don’t care who else has been recruiting him; by taking three-stars, two-stars no-stars and he can be a nationally recruited kid — my first developing them into contributors and stars in question is, ‘What’s your interest in Wisconmany cases. sin?’ “That’s who we are because that’s the way “And based on their response to me, it tells we work, not that we want to take lesser talme how hard to continue to drive and build ented kids and make them better; whoever we that relationship and tee it up for the coach get, we want to get them better,” rationalized so when it’s time for the coach to get involved

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JENSEN GEBHARDT

WARREN HERRING

in the communication, the interest level had already been gauged.” Expanding on the process, he later said of the prospects, “I keep them alive and warm while our coaches are competing during the season. We have intentional communication where the guys are in a routine communicating. If a parent has a one-off question, I’m usually there for their contact.” NCAA rules prevent Khalif from punching up a recruit on his cell. But he’s a Twitter junkie. “It’s starts online, but I’m a face-to-face guy,” he said. “I like to touch people. I like to smile at them. I like to see how they respond to me. But I’m also going to touch them where they are – in their hand-held. Some of that turns into a FaceTime. But initially it starts by direct message or text.” To makes things happen in his office, Khalif relies on the support that he receives from his recruiting team, which includes two assistants, Warren Herring, a former UW defensive lineman; and Jensen Gebhardt, a former D-II quarterback. Mackenzie Zanow is the on-campus recruiting coordinator.

“I couldn’t have done any of this without the group and the addition of Mackenzie to kind of help steer us as far as our database management is concerned,” said Khalif, who’s always on the lookout for matches on and off the field. “Warren and Jensen are doing a bang-up job evaluating. “And then we have the student volunteers. I’ve got a little task force that is unique to this place. We didn’t do that before. We started with some students with really sharp minds and if you teach them and train their eyes on what to see, they bring back some really good, talented kids.” Speaking to Zanow’s role — she was a former student volunteer in the recruiting office and a recent UW grad — Khalif said, “What she’s freeing me up to do is watch more film. I like that.” There’s no task that is too big, or too small, for Khalif. “One of the things with my role on campus,” he said, “I don’t sit back and direct people to do it. I’m involved. I’m driving the vehicle. I’m at the hotel checking them in. I’m at all the meals. I’m spending that time with them to get to know them … so you can see what their reactions are.”

▪▪▪▪ against people and he was in there scrapping. o that’s Khalif’s story in a nutshell. Last I was not letting him off campus without an week, he sat in his Camp Randall office offer. I took him upstairs to Coach Chryst, and next to a dry erase board that featured Coach Chryst wanted to hear from the posithe mug shots of each player in the 2020 tion coaches. recruiting class. Looking up at the board, he “What did you think? What did you see? shared some of the stories behind their reAnd when he finally got the confirmation from cruitment. them, the kid was already in the car on the way “A really good story for me was the way to Iowa to another camp. When we got agreeCade McDonald earned his scholarship,” he ment that the kid was worth an offer, Coach said of the 6-foot-7, called and told him, 250-pound defensive and the kid hung up lineman from Hudson on him. “I DON’T SIT BACK AND DIRECT PEOPLE TO High School. “When “He hung up beDO IT. I’M INVOLVED. I’M DRIVING THE VEHICLE. he came to camp, we cause he was crying I’M AT THE HOTEL CHECKING THEM IN. I’M AT ALL were actually lookbecause he got his ofTHE MEALS. I’M SPENDING THAT TIME WITH ing at two other kids fer. He called back and THEM TO GET TO KNOW THEM.” in-state to consider committed. That was scholarshiping. But we awesome. He turned wanted to see them perform. around and didn’t go to Iowa. He earned it the “Cade wasn’t on our radar and he outperWisconsin way. He came in, he grinded and formed everybody in camp at the defensive the coaches agreed on him. He was a nice fit. line position and he was competing against I’m excited about his upside.” Jack Nelson (a five-star from Stoughton) and Looking back at the board, Khalif brought up Trey Wedig (a four-star from Kettle Moraine); Jordan Turner, a linebacker from Michigan. some of the top guys (offensive linemen) that “Mom is a graduate from here (Wisconsin), we’re happy about. but his dad is a Purdue guy,” he said. “I think he “He must have taken triple reps of evwas a Purdue lean the whole time. But we hit erybody else because we kept lining him up it off with his dad. Just seeing his family and

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CADE McDONALD

JORDAN TURNER

JACK NELSON

Khalif said of the linebacker from Chandler, Arizona — unable to suppress a smile at the thought of what a kid from the desert was thinking. “He was here on our coldest day in history and he made a commitment.” Back to the board, he picked out Cole Dakovich, a tight end from Waukesha Catholic Memorial. “I don’t know where he’s going to play but wherever he plays, he’s going to be really a good player for us,” said Khalif. “He plays basketball and just watching his body from the time he got his scholarship offer and committed to where it is now, it just seems his upside will be over the top. “I think the steal in the class was Devin Chandler,” Khalif said of the NICK HERBIG & CHRIS ORR wide receiver from Huntersville, North Carolina. “We weren’t taking the way they interacted with us on campus any more wide receivers. But we really liked his brought him in. tape, loved his character, and he made a com“I know it wasn’t an easy decision especialmitment while the coaches were on the road. ly when your dad graduated from somewhere “Coach (Ted) Gilmore and Coach (John) Setelse. But for him to make that decision for us tle came off the road a day each. But it was over them (the Boilermakers) was a big deal.” our players who spent the time with him, and Turner, McDonald they all loved him, and and Nelson are among he made connections the seven mid-year with them. And I think “ALL QUALITY KIDS, NOT ONE OF THEM WOULD enrollees. I SAY, ‘I DON’T KNOW HOW HE’S GOING TO MAKE IT ultimately that’s what Another is linebackmade him decide to be IN OUR LOCKER ROOM.’ OUR LOCKER ROOM er Nick Herbig from here. DECIDED ON A LOT OF THESE GUYS.” Honolulu, Hawaii. “Cam Large is anoth“He’s got grit and a er one that our players bite to him that I think matches this place,” said recruited,” Khalif said of the tight end from Khalif, singling out his recruiting coaches, InPomfret, Connecticut. “He ended up making oke Breckterfield and Bobby April. “Once he his way here on his own and spent time with got here on his official visit with his parents, Graham (Mertz) and (Hayden) Rucci and Ferg he was very laid back. It helped we had great (Jake Ferguson). He fit right in like he had been weather and were able to eat outside in the here forever.” sun.” His eyes were drawn to the board again and That contrasts to Malik Reed’s visit in early linebacker Kaden Johnson from St. Paul, Min2019. “He was here during the polar vortex,” nesota.

“

“I always felt that he was ours to lose,” he said. “He’s an interesting story. He came to our spring game with his sister and mom and we offered. I remember he and his sister in the corner huddled, tearing up, because this was a special offer for him. “We set the bar high, we said, ‘OK, wherever you go, they’ve got to match this feeling that you have (for Wisconsin).’ I wasn’t surprised, but I was proud and happy to get him.” Some may have been surprised that Berger landed on Wisconsin’s board. “I really connected to his family,” said Khalif. “They played it very tight. He wasn’t a big communicator. But you can see his personality through his social media. He was the kind of kid who would do dance contests and challenge other schools or teams through Instagram. “I know our guys liked him a lot. If I’m not mistaken this would be one that Graham Mertz was really instrumental … staying in touch and communicating and talking about having a future together.” Khalif’s board also shines a light on the preferred walk-ons, long a Badger lifeline. “They’re huge,” he said, “and it’s getting tougher because the state is starting to be recognized more and more for talent. A lot of guys who historically would have been walk-ons are getting scholarship offers and it’s forcing us to

MAX LOFY & PAUL CHRYST

make earlier and quicker decisions on them.” Khalif believes there’s often a misconception associated with walk-ons. “They are kids that we have identified as really good players,” he said. “They may not be better than some of the other ones on the board, but it’s not that they are not as good. They set the baseline for the hard work that this program is recognized for … walk-on does not mean less talented.” Summing up all the players on the board, he said, “I’m excited about the whole lot of them …This year’s recruiting class is a perfect complement to last year’s recruiting class (ranked No. 29 nationally). To the person, they all feel like they will make a difference in competing and winning championships here.” Moreover, he enthused, “All quality kids, not one of them would I say, ‘I don’t know how he’s going to make it in our locker room.’ Our locker room decided on a lot of these guys.” Family don’t want to disappoint family.

2020 signing day central: full list of signees behind the badgers podcast featuring saeed khalif

TOM LYNN

1999-2000: WNIT title capped dream season for women’s hoops

Recent reunion celebrated 20th anniversary of Badgers’ championship BY ANDY BAGGOT ▪ UWBADGERS.COM INSIDER

t’s said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So, too, apparently is aging. When members of the 1999-2000 Wisconsin women’s basketball team gathered recently in Madison to celebrate the program’s singular championship moment, some divergent impressions came to life. Who changed the most? “I don’t feel like anybody changed at all,” said Jessie Stomski, one of the most decorated, accomplished players in program history. “We look a little older, but it’s weird. Stepping back in time, it felt the same. “Nobody really stands out as changing all that much. I was more struck by how everything feels the same.” Even the Kohl Center, where the Badgers first began playing in 1998, “still looks like a very modern, new building,” Stomski said. That’s where 11 former players, coaches and support staffers from 20 years ago came together to reminisce about the time Wisconsin reigned as Women’s National Invitational Tournament champion. But another standout from that squad, LaTonya Sims, had a completely different thought on who changed the most.

“We all have,” she said, explaining how being immersed in sports “teaches you the concept of change and I think we’ve all changed a little bit to a lot in our own ways.” The 1999-2000 season was arguably the best in the history of Wisconsin Athletics and women’s basketball did its part. A season after losing in the WNIT finals and a season before a return to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1997-98, the Badgers pieced together a memorable story. They finished 21-12 overall — seven of those losses came to teams ranked in the Associated Press’ top 20 — closing with five straight victories in the WNIT. A year after enduring a three-point loss to Arkansas in the WNIT final, Wisconsin won the title with a 75-74 triumph over Florida before a crowd of 13,006 at the Kohl Center. The WNIT championship fit nicely on the school’s mantle that season, joining the NCAA Final Four berth in men’s basketball, a Big Ten Conference title and Rose Bowl victory in football, a runner-up NCAA finish for men’s cross country, and a Western Collegiate Hockey Association crown in men’s hockey to name a few.

Sims, now a software consultant based out icans. Those four, along with guard Kelley of Racine, Wisconsin, thanked the National W Paulus, averaged in double-figures in points. Club for organizing the reunion, which coinSims and Stomski were Big Ten Freshmen of cided with a Big Ten matinee with Nebraska at the Year who were later named first-team allthe Kohl Center. The Badgers fell 72-71. league. Moore was a first-round WNBA draft Among the returnees was Jane Albright, who pick who finished as the program’s career leadcoached at Wisconsin from 1994 to 2003 and er in assist and steals. built the program into a “I think we had all drawing card. It ranked the pieces,” Sims said. in the top 10 national“We went out there and “IT REALLY IS A FAMILY, ESPECIALLY AT ly and led the Big Ten played hard every game. THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN. I’M SURE in attendance four conIt just wasn’t in the cards OTHER COLLEGES ARE LIKE THAT, BUT JANE secutive seasons. The for us to get to the NCAA REALLY DID CREATE A REALLY GOOD 1999-2000 squad drew tournament.” FAMILIAL ATMOSPHERE FOR US.” an average of 7,732 per Stomski, a lawyer home game. based in Minneapolis, “I think now in hindsight we can all look said the reunion was her first visit to the Kohl back and see the incredible impact she had on Center since her final collegiate game in Febthe Wisconsin women’s basketball program,” ruary of 2002. She said a highlight was havStomski said of Albright, who was not retained ing her two young daughters, Sloan and Sasha, after her only losing season in 2002-03. take part. Albright subsequently coached at Wichita “That, to them, was very meaningful,” StomsState and Nevada before retiring as a coach in ki said. 2017. Sims said Albright kept referencing JANE ALBRIGHT the Badger family concept at the reunion. “It really is a family, especially at the University of Wisconsin,” Sims said. “I’m sure other colleges are like that, but Jane really did create a really good familial atmosphere for us.” A highlight for Sims, a forward who led the 1999-2000 club in scoring and rebounding, was seeing fans of the day travel from outside the state to join in the get-together. “It was great seeing who was cheering for us,” she said. “To have that following was amazing.” Talent was in abundance for the Badgers in 1999-2000. Sims, Stomski, center Nina Smith and guard Tamara Moore were prep All-Amer-

“

TOM LYNN

INSIDE MEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE (14-10, 7-6) Home events in bold. All times CT. Jan. 3

at #5 Ohio St. W, 61-57

Jan. 8

Illinois

Jan. 11

at #20 Penn St. W, 58-49

Jan. 14

#17 Maryland W, 56-54

Jan. 17

at #15 Michigan St. L,

Jan. 21

Nebraska

W, 82-68

Jan. 24

at Purdue

L, 51-70

Jan. 27

at #18 Iowa

L, 62-68

Feb. 1

#14 Michigan St. W, 64-63

Feb. 5

at Minnesota

Feb. 9

Ohio State

Feb. 15 at Nebraska

THIS WEEK Wisconsin (14-10 Overall, 7-6 B1G) is idle until the weekend when the Badgers travel to Nebraska for a Saturday contest at 1:15 p.m. UW is 11-4 against the Huskers since Nebraska joined the Big Ten in 2011.

GOOD TO KNOW With a Big Ten career record of 52-35, head coach Greg Gard has equaled John Erickson (52-74) for third place on Wisconsin’s all-time list. Gard reached the 52-win mark in 39 fewer games than Erickson (126).

LAST TIME OUT The Badgers used a 16-0 surge to close the first half and run away with a 7057 win over Ohio State on Sunday at the Kohl Center. Brevin Pritzl led UW with a season-high 19 points, while D’Mitrik Trice dished out a career-best 8 assists.

NEED TO KNOW Wisconsin’s game at Nebraska tips at 1:15 p.m. (CT) on Saturday on BTN. All radio broadcasts can be heard on the Badger Sports Network. Follow @BadgerMBB on Twitter for updates.

RELATED STORIES (Click to read)

▶ Lucas: Alumni offer perspective for today’s Badgers

55-67

L, 52-70 W, 70-57 1:15 p.m.

Feb. 18 Purdue

6 p.m.

Feb. 23 Rutgers

12 p.m.

Feb. 27 at Michigan

6 p.m.

Mar. 1

Minnesota

5:30 p.m.

Mar. 4

Northwestern

Mar. 7

at Indiana

DARREN LEE

▲ TAP TO WATCH - 2000 Final Four Team 20-Year Reunion

L, 70-71

8 p.m. 11 a.m.

View full schedule/results » SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT:

▶ Behind the Badgers Podcast: Final Four heroes ▶ Party Like It's 2000: Badgers run past Buckeyes

INSIDE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE (11-13, 3-10) Home events in bold. All times CT. Dec. 12 Alabama State W, 85-67 Dec. 20 Prairie View A&M W, 68-42

LAST WEEK Wisconsin hosted Minnesota for the second Border Battle of the season on Feb. 6, ultimately losing to the Golden Gophers 64-73. Sunday the team traveled to Columbus to face Ohio State and fell 74-82. GOOD TO KNOW The game against Purdue this week is the annual Play4Kay

Think Pink game. The team will be wearing special pink uniforms and fans are encouraged to wear pink for breast cancer awareness. Abby Laszewski led the Badgers in scoring over both games last week. Against Minnesota she tied her career high of 25 points, then set a new career high of 26 points at Ohio State. NEED TO KNOW Fans can watch both games this week streamed live on BTN+ and follow the Badgers on Instagram and Twitter (@BadgerWBB) for live game updates. Listen to the live broadcasts on 100.9 with Jon Arias or streamed live on iHeart.com.

RELATED STORIES (Click to read)

▶ Celebrations in Champaign

L, 61-64

Dec. 31 at Purdue

L, 61-72

Jan. 4

Penn State

W, 71-65

Jan. 9

at Nebraska

L, 50-65

Jan. 12

at Michigan St. L, 52-69

Jan. 16

Michigan

L, 56-68

Jan. 19

#22 Iowa

L, 78-68

Jan. 22

at Minnesota W, 72-62

Jan. 25

Nebraska

Jan. 30

at #20 Indiana L, 65-75 OT

Feb. 2

at Illinois

Feb. 6

Minnesota

L, 64-73

Feb. 9

at Ohio State

L, 74-82

L, 71-72

TOM LYNN

THIS WEEK The Badgers (11-13 Overall, 3-10 B1G) will be hosting Purdue on Thursday at 7 p.m. then head to Iowa on Sunday for a 2 p.m. tip-off. These are two of the five remaining regular-season games for the team.

Dec. 28 Rutgers

W, 73-64

Feb. 13 Purdue

7 p.m.

Feb. 16 at #17 Iowa

2 p.m.

Feb. 19 #10 Maryland

7 p.m.

Feb. 22 #19 Northwestern TBA Feb. 27 at Rutgers

TBA

View full schedule/results » SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT:

▶ Badgers fall in Bloomington ▶ Time runs out on Badgers’ rally

INSIDE MEN’S HOCKEY SCHEDULE (10-17-1, 5-14-1-1) Home events in bold. All times CT. Jan. 1 vs. U.S. Under-18 Team (Exhibition) W, 3-2

Plymouth, Mich.

Jan. 10

#8 Ohio State

L, 2-4

Jan. 11

#8 Ohio State

W, 5-2

Jan. 17

#20 Michigan St. L, 0-4

Jan. 18

#20 Michigan St. W, 3-1

Jan. 24

at Notre Dame

W, 6-4

Jan. 25

at Notre Dame

L, 2-5

Jan. 31

Minnesota

L, 2-6

Feb. 1

Minnesota

L, 2-4

Feb. 7

at Michigan

L, 4-8

Feb. 8

at Michigan

L, 3-5 7 p.m.

Feb. 15 #9 Penn State

7 p.m.

Feb. 21 #10 Arizona State 7 p.m. ▲ TAP TO WATCH - Wisconsin Hockey || Ep 21 || Calming Influence

THIS WEEK Wisconsin (10-17-1, 5-141-1 B1G) plays its final Big Ten home series of the year when ninth-ranked and Big Ten-leading Penn State (189-3, 10-7-3 Big Ten) visits for a Friday-Saturday set at the Kohl Center. Both games begin at 7 p.m. LAST WEEK Wisconsin dropped both games to the Michigan by scores of 8-4 and 5-3.

GOOD TO KNOW Four Badgers who played over 10 games without a goal, scored last weekend for the Badgers including Jack Gorniak (14 games), Linus Weissbach (14), K’Andre Miller (12) and Dylan Holloway (11).

Feb. 22 #10 Arizona State 7 p.m. Feb. 28 at #13 Ohio State 5 p.m.

GREG ANDERSON

Feb. 14 #9 Penn State

Feb. 29 at #13 Ohio State 7 p.m. View full schedule/results » SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT:

NEED TO KNOW Friday’s game streams on BTN+, while Saturday airs on FOX Sports Wisconsin. Both can be heard on 1310 WIBA, the Badger Sports Network and the iHeartRadio app.

RELATED STORIES (Click to read)

▶ NHL Badgers: Brian Elliott records 40th career shutout ▶ Badgers welcome fans to 2020 hockey brunch

INSIDE WOMEN’S HOCKEY SCHEDULE (26-3-1, 16-3-1) Home events in bold. All times CT. Dec. 6

#10 Minn. Duluth W, 4-3

Dec. 7

#10 Minn. Duluth W, 5-2

at Battle at the Burgh, Pittsburgh:

THIS WEEK The No. 2 Badgers (26-3-1, 16-3-1-0 WCHA) host their final regular-season home series this weekend as they welcome No. 6 Ohio State to town. Puck drop on Saturday, which is Senior Day, at LaBahn Arena is at 2 p.m. while Sunday’s contest, the sixth Fill the Bowl game at the Kohl Center, also starts at 2 p.m. LAST WEEK UW earned a split on the road at Minnesota State, defeating MSU 5-1 on Friday before suffering a 3-1 setback on Saturday afternoon.

GOOD TO KNOW The Badgers look to match their NCAA women’s hockey attendance record on Sunday of 15,359 set at the 2017 Fill the Bowl game. UW will also recognize the efforts of first responders and military personnel at this year’s Fill the Bowl.

vs. Robert Morris W, 3-1

Jan. 5

vs. #3 Northeastern W,

Jan. 10

at Bemidji State W, 3-2

Jan. 11

at Bemidji State

Jan. 24

#2 Minnesota

W, 5-4

Jan. 25

#2 Minnesota

W, 3-0

Feb. 1

St. Cloud State

W, 5-0

Feb. 2

St. Cloud State W, 11-1

Feb. 7

at Minnesota St. W, 5-1

Feb. 8

at Minnesota St.

4-3 OT

L, 2-3

L, 1-3

Feb. 15 #6 Ohio State

2 p.m.

Feb. 16 #6 Ohio State

2 p.m.

KAI MARTIN

▲ TAP TO WATCH - Mark Johnson Press Conference – Feb. 10, 2020

Jan. 4

Fill the Bowl — Kohl Center

Feb. 21 at #8 Minn. Duluth 7 p.m. Feb. 23 at #8 Minn. Duluth 2 p.m. Feb. 28-Mar. 1 WCHA First Round View full schedule/results » SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT:

NEED TO KNOW Saturday’s game is sold out, but tickets still remain for Fill the Bowl on Sunday. Fans can watch the games on BTN+ ($) or FloHockey ($) and can listen to Saturday’s game on 100.9 FM and Sunday’s game on 1310 WIBA.

RELATED STORIES (Click to read)

▶ Fast start leads Badgers to 5-1 win over Minnesota State

▶ Watts, Bowlby and Blesi earn WCHA weekly honors ▶ “Fill the Bowl” to recognize First Responders and Military

INSIDE WRESTLING SCHEDULE (10-5, 3-5) Home events in bold. All times CT. Nov. 23 at #18 Utah Valley W, 31-13 Dec. 1

at #1 Iowa

L, 3-32

Dec. 7

at Cougar Clash

Edwardsville, Ill.

Dec. 19 Kent State

Results »

W, 42-6

Dec. 29-30

at Midlands Championships Results »

▲ TAP TO WATCH - Chris Bono Press Conference – Feb. 10, 2020

LAST WEEK The Badgers dropped two matches at home, falling to No. 2 Penn State, 29-10, on Friday before being edged by Michigan State, 19-17, on Sunday. Bonus points gave the Spartans the win on Sunday as MSU won two matches to earn extra points.

GOOD TO KNOW Freshman Eric Barnett (4-0) and redshirt senior Seth Gross (5-0) are undefeated at home this season. Gross defeated No. 3 Roman Bravo-Young of Penn State, 6-5, on Friday, while taking down Garrett Pepple of Michigan State with a 13-2 major decision. NEED TO KNOW Sunday’s dual vs. Michigan at 3 p.m. in the Field House airs live on Big Ten Network. Fans can also follow @BadgerWrestling on Twitter and Instagram for updates on the team all week.

RELATED STORIES (Click to read)

▶ Wicked cool: No. 4 Badgers best No. 7 Boilermakers, 27-14

Hoffman Estates, Ill.

Jan. 10

at #3 Minnesota L, 14-20

Jan. 12

#7 Nebraska W, 25-18

Jan. 17

#3 Ohio State L, 13-24

Jan. 31

at Indiana

Feb. 2

at #7 Purdue W, 27-14

Feb. 7

#2 Penn State L, 10-29

Feb. 9

Michigan State L, 17-19

W, 27-12

Feb. 16 #17 Michigan

3 p.m.

Feb. 20 Northern Iowa

8 p.m.

KASSIE DUNNIHOO

THIS WEEK No. 4 Wisconsin (10-5, 3-5 B1G) wraps up the regular season with two home duals over the next 11 days. No. 17 Michigan (6-4, 5-2) comes to town this Sunday for Alumni Day as the Badgers will recognize former team members at halftime.

Mar. 7-8 at Big Ten Championships

Piscataway, N.J.

Mar. 19-21

at Big Ten Championships

Minneapolis

View full schedule/results » SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT:

▶ Badgers drop weekend opener to No. 2 Penn State, 29-10 ▶ No. 4 Badgers fall at home to Michigan State, 19-17

LIFE CHANGES.

YOUR FINANCIAL PLAN SHOULD, TOO.

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PROUD PARTNER OF WISCONSIN ATHLETICS

INSIDE SOFTBALL SCHEDULE (4-1, 0-0) Home events in bold. All times CT. at FAU First Pitch Classic, Boca Raton, FL:

Feb. 7

vs. Indiana St.

L, 1-2

at FAU

Feb. 8

vs. Bethune-Cookman W,

vs. NIU

Feb. 9

vs. Bethune-Cookman W,

W, 5-1 8-0

W, 8-1 4-0

at ACC/Big Ten Challenge, Chapel Hill, NC:

LAST WEEK In their first action of the 2020 season, Wisconsin went 4-1 on the weekend in the FAU First Pitch Classic. After a long rain delay, the Badgers were edged by Indiana State in a 1-2 loss Friday night, but were able to bounce back and beat FAU, 5-1. The team would go undefeated the

4 p.m.

Feb. 15 vs. Louisville

1:30 p.m.

rest of the weekend with a 8-0 win over Bethune-Cookman on Saturday, followed by a 8-1 win against NIU and lastly with a 4-0 win against Bethune-Cookman on Sunday. GOOD TO KNOW After the opening weekend of the season, Kayla Konwent leads the Badgers in hitting with a .615 batting average and having eight hits in 13 atbats. Freshmen Abby Herbst and Fiona Girardot proved to be solid pieces to the offense as well, recording two doubles and a home run for Girardot and a double and three RBIs for Herbst.

at #25 UNC

TOM LYNN

THIS WEEK The Badgers (4-1, 0-0 B1G) will travel to Chapel Hill, North Carolina to compete in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Game play starts on Friday against Louisville at 4 p.m. UW plays two games on Saturday, the first against Louisville at 1:30 p.m. and the second against UNC at 4 p.m. Wrapping the tournament, Wisconsin will play Sunday against UNC at 12:30 p.m.

Feb. 14 vs. Louisville

4 p.m.

Feb. 16 at #25 UNC 12:30 p.m. at Palm Springs Winter Classic, Palm Springs, CA:

Feb. 21 vs. #1 Washington 8 p.m.

vs. San Diego St. 10:30 p.m.

Feb. 22 vs. UC Davis

2 p.m.

5 p.m.

vs. #3 UCLA

Feb. 23 vs. #2 Oklahoma 11 a.m. View full schedule/results » SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT:

NEED TO KNOW You can follow the Badgers as they travel to North Carolina this weekend on social media @BadgerSoftball.

RELATED STORIES (Click to read)

▶ UW defeats the Wildcats

▶ Wisconsin goes undefeated day two ▶ Badgers split games to start 2020 season

INSIDE MEN’S TRACK & FIELD SCHEDULE Home events in bold. Jan. 17-18 at Larry Wieczorek Invitational Results »

Iowa City, Iowa

Jan. 24

at Jack Jennett Open Cedar Falls, Iowa Results »

Jan. 31-Feb. 1 at Jack Johnson Classic

Minneapolis

Results »

Jan. 31-Feb. 1 at Indiana Relays

THIS WEEK No. 21 Wisconsin has athletes heading to three different meets. Sprinters and field athletes head to Nashville, Tennessee, to compete in the Music City Invitational Friday-Saturday. Select distance athletes head to Seattle to compete in the Husky Invitational on Friday-Saturday, while other distance runners head to the Iowa State Classic in Ames, Iowa from Friday-Saturday. LAST WEEK The Badgers sent athletes to New York City, Ripon, Wisconsin, and South Bend, Indiana, to compete in three meets last weekend. Senior Olli Hoare secured a second-place finish at the prestigious Millrose Games. The senior from Australia was able to finish four places high-

er than last year, running a season best in the mile with a time of 3:56.47. At the Red Hawk Invitational in Ripon, the Badger throwing squad of Tucker Wedig, Austin Glynn, Jamar Manning and Dan Ufearo swept the top-four spots in the weight throw. GOOD TO KNOW With two weeks remaining until the Big Ten Indoor Championships, Hoare leads the conference in the mile list in 3:56.47 and Zach Lorbeck ranks second in the heptathlon with 5,675 points.

Bloomington, Ind. Results »

Feb. 7-8

at Meyo Invitational South Bend, Ind. Results »

Feb. 8

at Red Hawk Invitational Ripon, Wis. Results » at Millrose Games New York City Results »

Feb. 14-15 at Husky Invitational

Seattle

Feb. 14-15 at Music City Invitational

Nashville, Tenn.

Feb. 22

at Alex Wilson Invitational

South Bend, Ind.

View full schedule/results » SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT:

NEED TO KNOW Results for Music City Invitational will be on Flash Results. FloTrack will cover the Iowa State Classic. Results for the Husky Invitational will be available here.

RELATED STORIES (Click to read)

▶ Oh how SWEEP it is: Hoare, Monson secure honors

▶ Hoare secures silver at prestigious Millrose Games ▶ Distance dominates day one

STEPHEN MALLY

EVERY BOUNCE PASS, BOARD AND BADGERS WE’RE THERE. ™

CH. 84

INSIDE WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD SCHEDULE Home events in bold. Jan. 17-18 at Larry Wieczorek Invitational Results »

Iowa City, Iowa

Jan. 24

at Jack Jennett Open Cedar Falls, Iowa Results »

LAST TIME OUT Wisconsin concluded a memorable three-meet weekend on Saturday. Alicia Monson ran the 3000 meters at the prestigious Millrose Games, finishing sixth in a competitive field with a time of 8:53.69, the fastest time in the NCAA this season. Josie Schaefer threw a personal best of 56 feet, 6 3/4 inches to win the shot put at the Red Hawk Invitational. Destiny Huven continued her break-out freshman season by advancing to the finals in the 60-meter hurdles, running a person-

al best time of 8.40 to finish fourth in the race. Wisconsin’s 4x400-meter relay squad consisting of Ali Dorn, Haley Lubow, Gabby DesRosiers and Bianca Stubler placed second with a time of 3:40.82 at the Meyo Invitational. GOOD TO KNOW Schaefer, Huven and the members of the 4x400 relay all had near record-setting days at their respective meets last weekend. Schaefer’s shot put moved her into second place on UW’s all-time indoor performance list. Huven moved into second in the 60-meter hurdles, just .11 seconds off of the school record. The 4x400 relay ranks second on the top indoor performers list, less than two seconds away from the school record.

Jan. 31-Feb. 1 at Jack Johnson Classic

Minneapolis

Results »

Jan. 31-Feb. 1 at Indiana Relays

Bloomington, Ind. Results »

Feb. 7-8

at Meyo Invitational South Bend, Ind. Results »

Feb. 8

at Red Hawk Invitational Ripon, Wis. Results » at Millrose Games New York City Results »

Feb. 14-15 at Husky Invitational

Seattle

Feb. 14-15 at Music City Invitational

Nashville, Tenn.

Feb. 22

at Alex Wilson Invitational

South Bend, Ind.

Feb. 22

at Panther Tune-Up

Milwaukee

DAVID STLUKA

THIS WEEK No. 23 Wisconsin has athletes heading to three meets. Sprinters and field athletes head to Nashville, Tennessee, to compete in the Music City Invitational Friday-Saturday. Select distance athletes head to Seattle to compete in the Husky Invitational on Friday-Saturday, while other distance runners head to the Iowa State Classic in Ames, Iowa from Friday-Saturday.

View full schedule/results » SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT:

NEED TO KNOW Results for Music City Invitational will be on Flash Results. FloTrack will cover the Iowa State Classic. Results for the Husky Invitational will be available here.

RELATED STORIES (Click to read)

▶ Oh how SWEEP it is: Hoare, Monson secure honors

▶ Monson posts fastest 3000-meter NCAA time this season ▶ Huven’s Huge Day: freshman leads the way for Wisconsin

INSIDE MEN’S TENNIS SCHEDULE (7-3, 0-0) Home events in bold. All times CT. Jan. 10-12 at Miami Invitational Miami Results » Jan. 18

Illinois State Chicago State

W, 6-1 W, 6-1

Jan. 24

DePaul

W, 5-2

Jan. 26

North Dakota W, 4-0 Northern Illinois W, 4-0

Jan. 31

Princeton

L, 1-6

Feb. 1

Green Bay IUPUI

W, 5-2 W, 7-0

Feb. 6

Marquette

L, 2-4

Feb. 11

#1 USC

L, 1-6

Feb. 14-17 ITA National Championships ▲ TAP TO WATCH - Danny Westerman Press Conference – Feb. 10, 2020

LAST WEEK UW fought to the end last Thursday night against Marquette, but dropped a 4-2 decision at the Nielsen Tennis Stadium.

GOOD TO KNOW The Badgers are hosting the ITA National Men’s Team Indoor Championship this weekend at Nielsen Tennis Stadium for the first time since the late 1970s. NEED TO KNOW UW will play Friday and Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and will have a third guaranteed match on Sunday. Fans can watch video streaming of the matches on UWBadgers.com and follow updates on Twitter (@BadgerMTennis).

RELATED STORIES (Click to read)

▶ In-state defeat: Badgers fall to Marquette, 4-2 ▶ Badgering: Rob Krill 54

▶ ITA Championship Central

Wright State 5:30 p.m.

Mar. 8

at Minnesota

12 p.m.

Mar. 13

at Nebraska

5 p.m.

Mar. 18

at SMU

Mar. 22

Iowa

Mar. 28

at Northwestern 12 p.m.

TBA 12 p.m.

View full schedule/results » SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT:

DAVID STLUKA

THIS WEEK Wisconsin (7-2, 0-0 B1G) has a big week approaching, starting on Tuesday as the Badgers welcome top-ranked USC to town for a 6 p.m. match. Following Tuesday’s matchup, the Badgers will host the 2020 Oracle ITA Division I National Men’s Team Indoor Championship, which starts on Friday and wraps up on Monday.

Mar. 6