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Ellenwood Named Big Ten Field Athlete of the Year

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Georgia Ellenwood

After winning the Big Ten Conference and NCAA title in the heptathlon, Wisconsin women’s track and field senior Georgia Ellenwood has been named the Big Ten Women’s Field Athlete of the Year.

The U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Great Lakes Region Field Athlete of the Year, Ellenwood captured the Badgers’ first NCAA title in the heptathlon last week and was the only Big Ten Conference female student athlete to win a title at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.  The Langley, British Columbia, native scored 6,146 points despite rainy conditions at Historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

Her NCAA performance followed up a record-breaking showing a the 2018 Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships.  Ellenwood scored a conference record 6,173 points, the best score by a collegian this year in the heptathlon to win her third career Big Ten title.  That score ranks No. 5 on Canada’s all-time list, No. 10 on the NCAA all-time list and No. 12 in the world this year.

The announcement marks the second time in the last three years a Badger has earned the honor as Kelsey Card was named the Big Ten Women’s Field Athlete of the Year in 2016.

 

Badgers Banged Up On Defensive Front

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Garrett Rand

Wisconsin’s defense returns only four starters from a year ago and now they’re facing time without two key defensive ends.

Junior Garrett Rand suffered an Achilles injury during summer workouts and is facing the possibility of missing the entire 2018 season.

Another defender that figured into UW’s plans is redshirt sophomore Isaiahh Loudermilk, who underwent knee surgery this spring and could be looking at missing time as well.

Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in River Falls, “Isaiahh is going through (rehab) and we’ll see where he is at with it.  Isaiahh has been doing more, which is good.”

“Garrett will be further away.  I haven’t gotten the official update.”

The Badgers are looking to replace three senior ends from last season, Alec James, Conor Sheehy and Chikwe Obasih.

Rand played in 28 games during his first two seasons and still has his red shirt available.

 

ACC/Big Ten women’s matchups announced Monday

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The matchups for the ACC/Big Ten Women’s Basketball Challenge were announced on Monday.  The annual challenge is offering 14 games for the fifth consecutive season.

The challenge takes place over two days in late November, beginning Wednesday, Nov. 28th, and continuing the following night.

Last year’s Challenge proved to be one of the most competitive in the event’s history, with 10 of the 14 games decided by 10 points or fewer, including four games decided by one point, with the ACC ultimately prevailing by a 10-4 count.  Last year, Maryland, Penn State, Rutgers and Wisconsin registered wins for the Big Ten.

The Big Ten sent six schools to the NCAA Tournament in 2018, as Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska and Ohio [Read more…]

Former Badgers land on College Hall of Fame ballot

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Two former Wisconsin Badger football greats are among those on the ballot for the 2019 College Football Hall of Fame class.

Defensive back Troy Vincent and offensive lineman Joe Thomas, are both on the ballot.  Vincent has been up for consideration on the ballot since 1027, but Thomas is new to the list.

Thomas just retired following an outstanding career with the Cleveland Browns, a career that will likely land him a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  He was taken with the third overall pick of the 2007 NFL draft.  Thomas was selected to 10 Pro Bowls and seven first-team all-pro selections.  At Wisconsin, he won the 2006 Outland Trophy for the nation’s best offensive lineman, was a unanimous All-American in 2006 and twice was named first-team all-Big Ten.

Vincent was drafted as the seventh-overall pick by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1992.  He played 16 seasons in the NFL, including five Pro Bowl appearances.  Vincent finished second in voting for the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the nation’s top defensive back.  He is currently the executive vice president of football operations for the NFL.

A total of 76 players and six coaches from major college football will be considered for the Hall of Fame this year.  The latest class of about 15 players and coaches will be announced January 7, the day of the College Football Playoff national championship.

 

Big Ten Hockey Schedule is out

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The Big Ten released the 2018-19 men’s hockey schedule on Tuesday, and 21 of Wisconsin‘s 34 regular-season games will take place against teams that played in the 2018 NCAA Tournament, including 12 against teams that took part in the 2018 NCAA Frozen Four.

The 2018-19 season opens at the Kohl Center on Oct. 12 when Boston College visits for a weekend series in Madison.  It marks the first of five non-conference weekends for the Badgers, including the first four weekends of the season.

After Boston College, UW travels to Clarkson and St. Lawrence for the Oct. 19-20 weekend.  A home series with Michigan Tech follows (Oct. 26-27), before the Badgers visit North Dakota (Nov. 2-3).

Wisconsin jumps into the Big Ten Conference season on Nov. 9-10 against border-rival Minnesota at the Kohl Center.

The Badgers will also close Big Ten play on March 1st and 2nd against Michigan.

Big Ten Tournament play starts the weekend of March 8-10 and runs for three weeks.  NCAA Regional play runs the weekend of March 29-31.  The 2019 NCAA Frozen Four runs April 11-13 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y.

 

Wisconsin falls in NCAA Softball Tournament

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The Wisconsin women’s softball team is out of the NCAA Tournament after losing a pair of regional games on Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

The Badgers, after beating Oregon State 9-3 on Friday, lost to Alabama 9-1 and Oregon State 5-1 to see their season come to an end.

Wisconsin made the NCAA Tournament field for the second straight season and finished with a 29-23 overall record.

The Badgers were one of five Big Ten teams to earn spot in the NCAA Tournament field, but all five of those teams lost.  The Badgers were the last team to make the tournament field.

Big East and Big Ten Announce Matchups for Gavitt Tipoff Games

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The Big East and Big Ten Conferences have announced the matchups for the fourth annual Gavitt Tipoff Games, with eight men’s basketball contests set for Nov. 13-16, 2018.

The Gavitt Tipoff Games features games matching the best of the Big East and Big Ten Conferences and is named in honor of Hall of Famer Dave Gavitt, founder of the Big East and basketball visionary.

Among the 16 participating schools, six played in the NCAA Tournament last year and three played in the NIT.  The NCAA Tournament teams are:  Creighton, Michigan, Ohio State, Seton Hall, Villanova and Xavier.  The three NIT squads are Marquette, Nebraska and Penn State.

The 2018 matchups follow: [Read more…]

Badger Womens Golf Fail to Qualify for Nationals; Curtis Qualifies Individually

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Wisconsin’s Gabby Curtis (File Photo)

Despite having home course advantage, the Wisconsin Badgers womens golf team came up short in its quest to reach the NCAA National Tournament this week.

The women’s team had to deal with windy and wet conditions that forced a shotgun start to the third day of the tournament Wednesday, and couldn’t make up enough ground to move into the top six spots at University Ridge. The top six finishers moved on to the NCAA national tournament.

However, the ninth place finish by the Badgers was their best in a regional since 2014, and their 54-hole total of 874 was its second best this season. Their season scoring average of 292.25 was nearly four strokes better than the school record of 296.16 set last year.

Individually it was a great day for UW Senior Gabby Curtis. She shot a bogey-free-4-under 68 to finish fourth and became the first Badger since 2001 to qualify individually. Curtis tied the 54-hole school record, with a 209 (-7), which was the best finish of her career and her fourth career top 10. She will break Kris Yoo’s school record for rounds played at 138.

Curtis will head to Stillwater, Oklahoma and take part in the NCAA Championships May 18-23 at Karsten Creek Golf Club. She is the second Badger to ever advance to the NCAA championships as an individual.

Six Badgers receive All-Big Ten awards

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Kelsey Jenkins

The Big Ten Conference awarded six Wisconsin Badgers Big Ten honors on Wednesday, the most the program has ever had in a single season.

Senior Kelsey Jenkins was named to the All-Big Ten first team, senior Brooke Wyderski and Freshman Haley Hestekin were named to the All-Big Ten second team, while Hestekin and fellow freshman Taylor Johnson earned spots on the All-Freshman team.  Sophomre Kaitlyn Menz was named to the All-Defensive team and senior Samantha Arents was recognized as the team’s Big Ten Sportsmanship honoree.

Jenkins earned a spot on the All-Big Ten first team for the third time in her career.  The senior standout finished the regular season first in the league in batting average (.420) and on-base percentage (.578).  Her stellar on-base percentage also ranks fifth nationally.  The second baseman also racked up a team-high 42 runs, 55 hits, and 44 walks this season.  She is the program’s all-time leader in career runs (179) and walks (180) and has started in every game in her for years as a Badger.  Jenkins was also named Justin’s World of Softball Big Ten Player of the Year.

The Badgers host the Big Ten Women’s softball Tournament starting Thursday at Goodman Diamond.  Wisconsin (27-10, 11-9 Big Ten) finished 7th in league play and will face Purdue in the opening round at 11 a.m. Thursday.

Wisconsin slips to 10th in NCAA Women’s Golf Regional

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Wisconsin’s Gabby Curtis (File Photo)

The Wisconsin Badger women’s golf team slipped from sixth to tenth after two rounds of the NCAA Regional at University Ridge golf course in Madison.  The Badgers are six shots behind sixth place Illinois heading into Wednesday’s final round.

The top six teams advance to the National Championship later this month.

First round co-leader Gabby Curtis shot a 2-over-74 and shares seventh place individually at three-under par.  Lexi Harkins fired a three-under 69 and is tied for ninth at two-under.

Rain and thunderstorms are in the forecast for today.

The top six teams from the regional advance to the NCAA Championships in Oklahoma City.

In addition, the top three players not on advancing teams also advance.