MADISON, Wis. – Thirteen men from the UW track & field team will compete at the NCAA West First Round on May 22-25 at John McDonnell Field in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
The group gets underway on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. with field events in the morning followed by track in the afternoon. Fans can follow the action on ESPN + or on social media via @BadgerTrackXC.
The top-12 finishers in each event will advance to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, June 5-8, at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
Here are five events to watch this weekend:
1. BEST IN THE WEST: Jason Swarens checks into the regional meet as the top shot putter in the field. The Terre Haute, Indiana, native set a season-best mark of 65-9 ½ (20.05m) at the Badger Challenge in April, good for fifth best in the NCAA. He looks to continue his momentum at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.
Swarens will be accompanied by Kyle Clabough, a sophomore from Illinois. Clabough holds the 20th farthest mark in the region this season, launching a 60-8 (18.49m) put at the Badger Challenge.
2. HURDLING UP THE PODIUM: Sophomore Giovanni Wearing will race in the 110-meter hurdles, with the first round starting Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. He holds the ninth fastest time in the region at 13.41, a mark set in the semifinal race at the 2024 Big Ten Outdoor Championships. In the Big Ten finals, Wearing crossed the line second in 13.98. The Virginia native also won gold in the 60-meter hurdles back in February at the 2024 Big Ten Indoor Championships.
If Wearing qualifies for Friday’s quarterfinals, he’ll race at 6:15 p.m. with a chance to punch his ticket to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
3. DISTANCE DOMINANCE: Wisconsin will have a stacked group competing in middle-distance events, especially the 1500 meters, which features four Badgers. Adam Spencer, the Australian 1500 national champion, highlights the group. He’s coming off a win in the 800 meters at the Big Ten Championships, his fourth individual conference title.
Jackson Sharp, Joe dosReis and Pierce Seigne will all also take to the track alongside Spencer. Sharp, has only run the 1500 twice this season but holds a top-20 time of 3:41.02 from the Stanford Invitational. Seigne ranks 30th in the region at 3:42.06, while dosReis is 42nd after a great race at the Wake Forest Invitational, where he…
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