The Wisconsin Men’s Track and Field team turned in a weekend of record-setting performances at the Penn Elite and Fighting Illini Invitational and Combined Events, highlighted by historic marks and standout performances from Jalen Williams, Patrick Hilby and Matan Ivri.
Penn Elite — Saturday, Jan. 24
Competing at Penn indoor meet for the first time in more than a decade, the Badgers made program history inside the Ott Center for Track & Field.
Senior Jalen Williams broke records, winning the 400 meters in 46.56 seconds. The time set a meet record and facility record and is ranked as the No. 5 all-time mark in the NCAA Division I. Williams later anchored the 4×400 relay with Patrick Hilby, Andrew Casey and Zion Omotesa, placing fourth and receiving the time of 3:10.83.
Sophomore Hilby continued his strong season by winning the 800 meters in 1:47.36, moving from No. 10 to No. 2 on Wisconsin’s indoor all-time list. The time currently stands as the fastest in the NCAA and Division I this season. Freshman Henry Risser came a close second in 1:48.47, which ranks No. 9 nationally and No. 6 in Division I this year. Freshman Omotesa placed 12th with a time of 1:52.02.
Redshirt sophomore Matan Ivri made history in the mile, finishing third in 3:59.49 to become the first Israeli athlete to run a sub-four-minute mile. This performance marked Ivri’s collegiate mile debut, made him the 13th Badger to break the four-minute barrier and set a new Israeli national record.
The Badger placed four runners in the top nine, redshirt sophomore Liam Newhart in fourth with a time of 4:00.36, redshirt sophomore Andrew Casey in seventh with a time of 4:01.57 and junior Archie Noakes in ninth with a time of 4:03.64.
Noakes added another strong result in the 3,000 meters, finishing second with a personal-best time of 7:51.25. This time ranks No. 13 in Division I this season and No. 9 in program history. Junior Johnny Livingstone placed 11th in a time of 8:00.68.
In the sprints, sophomore Joshua Onwunili continues to set personal records, running the 60-meter prelims with a time of 6.77, qualifying for the final and moving to No. 10 on Wisconsin’s indoor all-time list. He placed fourth in the final with a time of 6.79 and later finished seventh in the 200 meters with a time of 21.63.
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Fighting Illini Invitational and Combined Events – Friday and Saturday, Jan. 23 – 24
Wisconsin also found success in the field events at the UI Armory in Champaign, Illinois, marking their fourth meet of the season.
On Friday, freshman Darius Jones II posted the best heptathlon score by a Badger freshman in program history, finishing fourth overall with 5,679 points. His performance ranks No. 6 in the NCAA this year.
Jones II recorded a personal best of 8.13 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles and finished third. He cleared 15 feet, 5 inches (4.70m) in the pole vault to place fourth and closed the heptathlon with a sixth-place finish in the 1000 meters, posting a time of 2:54.84.
Freshman Jack Schmeling placed sixth in the heptathlon with 4,726 points. He finished sixth in both the 60-meter hurdles, with a time of 9.16 seconds, and in the pole vault, clearing 11 feet, 5 ¾ inches (3.50m) and placed fourth in the 1000 meters with a time of 2:52.16.
On Saturday, redshirt junior Nicholas Godbehere opened his season with a second-place finish in the shot put, throwing 58 feet, 11 1/5 inches (17.97m).
Junior Kyle Clabough placed fifth with a throw of 56 feet, 10 ¼ inches (17.33m). Sophomore Nathan Nelson finished sixth in the pole vault after clearing 15 feet, 6 ¼ inches (4.73m).
What’s Ahead
The Badgers will compete next weekend at the Meyo Invitational, hosted by Notre Dame, scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Jan. 30-31.