Five things to know: 13 Badgers set for the NCAA First Round | Wisconsin Badgers (2024)

NCAA Championship tickets on the line in Fayettville

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 meetas 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 sophom*ore 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: Sophom*ore 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.

4. STAY STEEPLIN': UW's two steeplechasers each qualified for the first round after successful races at the Penn Relays and Big Ten Championships. Sophom*ore Logan Measner won the Big Ten in the event just two weekends ago. The Jackson native crossed the line in 8:40.98 to earn the title. He ranks eighth in the region.

Grad student Ben Nibbelink is the 27th fastest steeplechaser in the region after a season-best of 8:47.93. He backed that up at Big Tens, finishing fourth overall while leading for most of the race and setting a path for Measner's victory.

The duo will race at 5:40 p.m. on Friday.

5. REST OF THE FIELD: Four other Badgers will compete in select events across the week. Jacob Bugella gets the field underway on Wednesday at 9 a.m. in the hammer throw. He ranks 42nd in the region. Jacob Zednik will follow Bugella, competing in the javelin throw at 2:00 p.m. He recently ascended to No. 4 on the UW top 10 list in the event with a throw of 213-3 (65.00m).

Jake Schaefer will round out the throwing crew in the discus on Friday at 1:00 p.m. He comes in with the 30th-best mark after a personal best at the Badger Challenge of 186-0 (56.70m).

Finally, freshman Andrew Casey will make his regional debut in the 800 meters. The Lakeville, Minnesotanative ranks 21st in the country with a time of 1:48.24. He finished sixth at the Big Ten Championships, missing a medal by just milliseconds.