INSIDE
TRACK & FIELD
BY AJ HARRISON
@BADGER_TRACK
SCHEDULE
COMING UP
Jan. 17 Badger Indoor Open 3 p.m.
Jan. 18 vs. Missouri
10:30 a.m.
Long time coming: UW
hosts first dual in 26 years
Badgers welcome Missouri to The Shell on Saturday
he last time the Wisconsin track and field
program competed in
a dual meet back in 1988,
George __ Bush was president,
the original Die Hard movie
came out and longtime Wisconsin track and field coach
Ed Nuttycombe was starting
his ___ year at Wisconsin.
This Saturday, the Badgers
will host Missouri in a dual
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VARSITY January 16, 2014
meet at the Camp Randall Memorial Sports Center, ending
the 26 year dual drought. Director of track and field Mick
Byrne says the dual concept
is something that is making
a comeback in the track and
field community.
"It's a concept that is growing throughout the country
and you are going to see more
and more of it," Byrne said.
"I'm excited about that, it's the way our
sport is going, short, scored, two hour
meets where you can set out the arena
and get people excited about it."
The meet begins at 10:30 with field
events, while the women's mile kicks off
the running events at 11 a.m. Besides the
meet being shorter than an invitational,
Byrne thinks fans will enjoy the fact the
meet has a clear team winner.
"At the end of the day there is a team
score," Byrne said. "People can relate to
that, as opposed to a straight invitational
meet, nobody wins, people win individual events but it is not as exciting as an
overall team event. If you have two or
three teams the meets are a lot shorter,
you can get people to come out on Saturday afternoon or Friday night for a two
hour meet.
"It is the way forward in terms of marketing our sport."
UW OPENS SEASON WITH BADGER INDOOR OPEN
● Prior to its dual on Sautrday, UW will
host the Badgder Indoor Open on Friday. Field events start at 3 p.m. while
running events start at 4 p.m. Admission to both meets this weekend is
free.
MEN'S SQUAD RANKED FOURTH IN PRESEASON RANKINGS
● The men's track and field squad enters its first weekend of competition
ranked fourth in the U.S. Track & Field
and Cross Country Coaches Association computer rankings. The Badgers
are the highest-ranked Big Ten team,
as the conference has five teams in the
top-12.
