The Gateway to Sacramento:
For Badgers, Pieces are Falling Into Place

This feature is the first of a seven-part series highlighting the athletes, coaches, and teams that will attend the NCAA Mideast Track & Field Regional Championships on May 25 and 26, held at Audrey J. Walton Stadium in Columbia, Mo.

Wisconsin is one of seven Big Ten squads in the Mideast Region and will compete against Mizzou and several SEC schools among others. In total, there are 93 women's and 74 men's teams in 13 states that comprise the Mideast Region.

By Meaghan Hayden
Missouri Media Relations Student Assistant

After winning the Big Ten's first ever NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championship title and crowning its coach USTFCCCA Division I Coach of the Year, the Wisconsin men's track team travels to Columbia, Mo., for the NCAA Mideast Track and Field Regionals on May 25 and 26 looking to continue their momentum gained from the indoor season.

In 24 years as the Badgers' coach, Coach Ed Nuttycombe's teams have taken home 22 Big Ten Titles between indoor and outdoor track and he's been honored with 18 Big 10 Coach of the Year awards. It is not surprising then, that he also is the first coach in Big Ten history to have a team win the National Indoor Championship.

"I was not aware of that until after it had happened and was brought to my attention," Coach Nuttycombe said about being the first. "I've coached a long time, and it's nice to finally win it all. It takes a lot to win a championship. You have to have the quality athletes healthy and ready to run all at the same time, and sometimes it takes a little luck."

One of the major contributors to Wisconsin's success in recent years is Senior Chris Solinsky who garnered national champion honors indoors at 5000 meters earlier this year. At the Mideast Regional in 2006 in Knoxville, Tenn., Solinsky finished the 5000 meters in third behind Josphat Boit of Arkansas and Tonny Okello of Southern Alabama. However, it was Solinsky who walked away as NCAA Outdoor Champion in that same event last year in Sacramento and is back this season to defend his title.

"He's one of the toughest competitors I've ever seen," Nuttycombe said of Solinsky. "One of his greatest assets is he's such a team player even though we're in individual sports; he prides himself on carrying his weight and getting the job done."

Solinsky accounted for 18 total team points at the NCAA Indoor Championships, accomplishing an effective "double", placing second in the 3000-meter run to add to his 5000-meter title.

Senior Demi Omole also possesses the skills Wisconsin will need to compete at its highest level at Regionals. Omole was one of the reasons Wisconsin won the Indoor Championship this year, finishing second in the 100 meter dash, Omole ran a close second at 2006 Regionals and came in third in the national-championship race. Nuttycombe believes Omole will perform well again this year at Regionals.

"Demi has been very consistent. He's been on the national scene from the very beginning," Nuttycombe noted. "He doesn't want to let himself down, doesn't want to let his coaches down, doesn't want to let his teammates down, and he always finds a way to rise to the occasion."

Omole currently possesses the leading clocking in the region, having run 10.22 two weekends ago, and is fourth currently in the nation. Challenging Omole at regionals, among others, will likely be Middle Tennessee State's Orlando Reid (10.31), LSU's Richard Thompson (10.31) and Trindon Holliday (10.35), all having run under 10.35 this season.

In addition, Omole has qualified for the regional in the 200-meter dash, owning the eighth-fastest time in the nation (20.81). Omole stands third in the region with two Tennessee freshmen Evander Wells and Kyle Stevenson owning faster times this season. Wells has the nation's leading time of 20.43.

Not concerned with the pressure of winning the NCAA Indoor title affecting the team's mindset heading into Regionals, Nuttycombe instead insists his team is "excited about getting the opportunity to be in that position. We know we're going to be one of the top ten teams if we perform well. It's who really has the best day, who can put the pieces together."

Along with Solinsky and Omole scoring big for the Badgers at the NCAA Indoor Championships, decathlete Joe Detmer placed fifth in the heptathlon at the NCAA Indoor Championships. In addition, Wisconsin's distance medley relay was third. The decathlon is not part of NCAA-regional competition and the DMR is only an indoor event.

If the Badgers can again assemble their pieces as they have so often in the past, the Mideast Regionals promises to be a time for yet another Wisconsin celebration.