66 // VARSITY February 6, 2014
INSIDE
TRACK & FIELD
A big stage awaits the
Badgers in the Big Apple
UW travels to New York to compete at Armory
BY AJ HARRISON @BADGER_TRACK
A
fter spending its first
three weekends at
meets in the Midwest,
Wisconsin heads east to New
York City to compete in the Ar-
mory Collegiate Invitational,
held at the Armory this Friday
and Saturday.
The meet will be a home-
coming for Wisconsin Direc-
tor of Track & Field and Cross
Country Mick Byrne, who
spent more than 20 years as a
coach at Iona. Byrne is looking
forward to taking the Badgers
to the Big Apple.
"Our team is very excited
about it," Byrne said. "A lot of
our kids haven't been to New
York City, which blows my
mind being a New Yorker. I am
excited to show the city off to
our team. If the trip with our
cross country team two years
ago is anything to go by, the student-ath-
letes will be star-struck with the city"
"It is an educational trip as much as it
is an athletics trip."
Besides taking the team to New York,
Byrne is excited about the level of com-
petition the Badgers will face at the meet.
More than 100 colleges and universities
will run at the meet, including Arkansas,
the No. 1 men's team in the country.
"We are excited to take the team to a
meet of this caliber," Byrne said. "There
are a lot of major programs that will
compete. The Armory is a great facility
that features a fast track. Overall, we be-
lieve it will be a fantastic meet."
A trio of All-Americans will make their
season debuts on the men's side in New
York, as Mohammed Ahmed, Reed Con-
nor and Austin Mudd will compete for
the first time this indoor season.
"Each of them are going to compete in
a couple of events this weekend," Byrne
said. "We want them to get their racing
legs under them. We want them to get
the spikes back on and be competitive."
For the women's squad, this marks the
second time in four years that UW will
compete at the meet. Wisconsin ran at
the Armory in 2010. Byrne hopes that
the women's squad seizes the opportu-
nity it has competing on the big stage.
"The women's squad is young, but we
have great leaders in Courtney Walden,
Laura McGinnis and Deanna Latham,"
Byrne said. "Those three are competing
well, and with some of our distance run-
ners, we are looking forward to see how
they do against a high level of competi-
tion. I think they are up for the challenge."
SCHEDULE
COMING UP
Feb. 7 Armory Collegiate 8:30 a.m.
Feb. 8 Armory Collegiate 7:30 a.m.
