Canadians Meghan Agosta and Sarah Vaillancourt are among the three finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award as the top player in NCAA Division I women’s hockey.
Agosta is a junior forward with Mercyhurst College and Vaillancourt is a senior forward at Harvard University. The third finalist is University of Wisconsin goaltender Jessie Vetter.
In each of Bo Ryan’s first seven seasons as the coach of the Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball team, one of his players was named to the All-Big Ten Conference’s first team.
That string ended this season as senior forward Marcus Landry was named to the coaches’ All-Big Ten second team and the media’s All-Big Ten third team, the conference announced Monday night.
Five players scored goals and senior goaltender Jessie Vetter stopped 15 of 18 shots to lead the University of Wisconsin women’s hockey team to a 5-3 victory over Minnesota in the WCHA championship game on Sunday in Minneapolis.
The University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team came into Senior Day on Sunday needing a victory to finish fourth in the Big Ten and lock up a first-round bye in the conference tournament. Not only did the Badgers get that “W” with an 85-61 victory over Indiana, each of their four seniors had his chance to star.
Itâ??s remembered fondly as one of the epic moments in the history of the University of Wisconsin menâ??s hockey program.
On Feb. 11, 2006, the Badgers staged their first outdoor game of the modern era, playing Ohio State in the Frozen Tundra Classic at Lambeau Field in Green Bay.
Those who were there remember how the weather cooperated â?? bright sunshine for the opening faceoff, steady temperatures in the upper 20s and no precipitation â?? how the 40,890 in attendance enjoyed themselves against the backdrop of â??Jump Aroundâ? and Lambeau Leaps, and how UW came away with a 4-2 victory.
When college basketball players move on, as they inevitably do, it usually is not the points and rebounds or even the wins and losses that you remember.
Itâ??s the person.
In that sense, University of Wisconsin forwards Marcus Landry and Joe Krabbenhoft â?? who along with walk-ons Kevin Gullikson and Morris Cain will play their final home game Sunday night against Indiana â?? have left an indelible impression on those who follow UW menâ??s hoops.
The Madison area and the University of Wisconsin are full of hockey history.
Much of that legendary history traces back to the late “Badger” Bob Johnson. He was the man known for the phrase “it’s a great day for hockey” and was an icon worldwide in the game of hockey.
Johnson was the UW hockey coach from 1966 to 1981 and lead them to become three-time national champions — 1973, 1977 and 1980 — before winning a Stanley Cup in 1991 in Pittsburgh.
The blue “Washburn W” is disappearing from the university’s campus, a victim of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s “Walking W.”
The Washburn University Book Store conducted a sale last week that cleansed it of most of the T-shirts, coffee mugs and other paraphernalia bearing the blue W that UW-Madison contended in a lawsuit was too similar to its trademarked red W. Because of the lawsuit, all of the old W-branded items have to be removed from the bookstore by Monday.
For just the second time in program history, the Wisconsin Badgers will be playing in the semifinals of the Big Ten Conference women’s basketball tournament.
Seventh-seeded UW pulled off the first upset of the Big Ten Tournament by knocking off No. 2 seed Michigan State, 56-50, in a quarterfinal game Friday at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
While the revised draft of a document addressing the role of the University of Wisconsin Athletic Board is currently under legal review, university officials have expressed both confidence and outrage about its contents.
Greetings from Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, where the Wisconsin Badgers women’s basketball team has defeated Northwestern 60-51 in a Big Ten Conference tournament first-round game Thursday.
Itâ??s a good thing Barry Alvarez was better at constructing a defense on the football field than he is at constructing one in the court of public opinion.
Last week, Alvarez, the University of Wisconsinâ??s football coach-turned-athletic director, offered a laughable defense for the Athletic Departmentâ??s Exceptional Achievement Award Policy in the wake of criticism from faculty who think the easily achieved performance bonuses are just another way to funnel money to coaches without making their salaries appear to be extravagant.
Washburn University is ahead of schedule in pacifying the University of Wisconsin-Madison over the use of a stylized letter “W.”
An agreement resulting from a trademark infringement lawsuit by UW-Madison called for all items bearing Washburn’s blue version of the letter — similar to UW’s red W — to be removed from the Washburn University Book Store by next Monday.
A draft of a document outlining the role of the University of Wisconsin Athletic Board is circulating among board members, pending return to a university committee for review.
A familiar face is officially back with the University of Wisconsin football program.
Badgers coach Bret Bielema announced Monday that he has hired former assistant Henry Mason as the director of football player personnel and external relations, a newly created position.
The bracketologists must think the members of the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee have soft hearts.
How else can you explain why ESPN’s Joe Lunardi and CBS Sportsline’s Jerry Palm both have Wisconsin playing its first-round NCAA Tournament game in Philadelphia? That’s just a stone’s throw from Chester, Pa., which is UW coach Bo Ryan’s hometown.
But Lunardi and Palm have different opinions of where the Badgers will be seeded.
Wisconsin Badgers guard Alyssa Karel has received All-Big Ten honorable mention honors in voting by both the conference coaches and media, the Big Ten announced Monday night.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Two days, two dramatic finishes, two Big Ten Conference titles for Gwen Jorgensen.
The senior lost the lead late but recovered to win the 5,000 meters on Sunday, becoming just the third Wisconsin Badgers runner to sweep the distance titles at the league indoor track and field meet.
The feat had been accomplished previously by only Kathy Butler — who swept the titles each year from 1995-97 — and Anji Kujak in 1998.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Scott Rice provided the Wisconsin Badgers their first individual Big Ten Conference men’s swimming title since 1999, claiming the 200-yard butterfly Saturday night.
The University of Wisconsin football team’s 2008 season fell far short of expectations, by almost any standard.
The Badgers were ranked as high as eighth in both major polls after starting 3-0 and had aspirations of a Big Ten Conference title and a Bowl Championship Series berth. But they stumbled to a 7-6 finish, including 3-5 in the conference, and were beaten by Florida State 42-13 in the Champs Sports Bowl.
Yet that didn’t prevent the football coaching staff from earning $263,492 in bonuses, including $100,000 for coach Bret Bielema, as part of the Athletic Department’s Exceptional Achievement Award Policy, which was passed by the Athletic Board in 1994.
Under the policy, UW coaches received nearly $700,000 in bonuses during the 2007-08 school year. The bonuses were paid to head coaches and assistants in 17 of the 23 men’s and women’s sports.
Mark Hoegh’s love for University of Wisconsin-Madison athletics has grown ever since he laced up his football shoes for the Badgers in the early 1950s.
The Oshkosh resident has given of his time, money and fundraising talents through the years to give back to the school that gave him an athletic scholarship.
The University of Wisconsin is banking on Camp Randall Stadium to draw a world-record crowd next year, but not for football.
The university has tendered a formal contract to the University of Michigan for an outdoor hockey game to be played at the 80,321-seat stadium Feb. 6, and the Wolverines are expected to accept the offer, Michigan associate head coach Mel Pearson said Thursday afternoon.
Former UW-Madison football player Leonard Taylor Jr. was found competent to stand trial Wednesday after having made death threats against Athletic Director Barry Alvarez.
Marcus Landry is by no means the best basketball player in the country, but what some players have in skill, Marcus Landry has in passion and drive.
Former University of Wisconsin football player Leonard Taylor, who was charged with stalking and telephone harassment late last year after allegedly threatening to kill UW Athletic Director Barry Alvarez and others, was ruled mentally competent to stand trial Wednesday and then immediately waived his right to a preliminary hearing.
As badger fan Margaret Hiebing sues three UW-Madison police officers after she was tasered at camp randall last fall, she no longer faces a disorderly conduct ticket.
The ticket against Hiebing, 54, has been dropped. That follows the dane county district attorney’s decision not to charge Hiebing criminally.
In a perfect world, University of Wisconsin women’s basketball coach Lisa Stone says she would like to build a roster of players solely from the state of Wisconsin.
As the father of AAU girls basketball in the state, Keith Noll heartily endorses that goal.
But in the real world, they both know it’s not going to happen.
The University of Wisconsin Athletic Board unanimously approved a reduced athletics budget for the 2009-10 academic year Friday but opted to maintain current ticket prices.
There was no mention in Jerry Vogt’s obituary about the true love of his life or his home away from home, which were one in the same.
It’s understandable because there’s only so much room in those things. Vogt’s vast legacy had so many high notes that it’s hard to reach them all in a modest swatch of agate type in the newspaper.
Vogt had a 20-year love affair with the University of Wisconsin men’s basketball program, which took him from being one of the “Faithful 5,000” at the old Field House to having a courtside location at the Kohl Center.
A Madison woman who was shocked with a Taser and arrested at a UW football game after police said she caused a disturbance, filed a federal civil rights lawsuit Friday against three UW-Madison police officers, claiming the officers used excessive force.
Margaret Hiebing, 54, who attended the Oct. 11 game with her 65-year-old husband, a retired longtime Madison advertising executive, said she did nothing to warrant the response she received from police after complaining someone else was sitting in her seat.
Once she regained her seat at Camp Randall Stadium, she alleges, police dragged her away and up a flight of stairs before using the Taser on her, according to the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court.
A Madison woman who was shocked with a Taser and arrested at a UW football game after police said she caused a disturbance, filed a federal civil rights lawsuit Friday against three UW-Madison police officers, claiming the officers used excessive force.
Margaret Hiebing, 54, who attended the Oct. 11 game with her 65-year-old husband, a retired longtime Madison advertising executive, said she did nothing to warrant the response she received from police after complaining someone else was sitting in her seat.
The old line about first killing all the lawyers doesn’t apply to Madison’s Don Becker.
Becker has quietly become one of the most charitable givers in town.
The Big Ten Network has certainly taken its share of lumps over the last two years.
Sometimes, that abuse has been merited. Most notable was BTN’s role in the virtual blackout for customers within its targeted customer base, by way of its game of chicken with the cadre of cable companies that cover Big Ten territory.
But once that issue was resolved, and the hard feelings eased, it’s been hard not to view BTN as a win-win for fans.
The unrelenting downturn in the economy is a hot-button issue in college athletic departments, the same as at your kitchen table.
“Everybody you talk to, that’s the topic of conversation,” says Mike Cleary, executive director of the 6,500-member National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics. “I don’t care how big and how wealthy they are, this is going to impact everybody.”
Many Division I athletic departments have increased their spending at a higher annual rate than their universities have in recent years. Now, many are looking at decreases. That’s a fundamental change. NCAA President Myles Brand worries some schools could eliminate less-visible sports.
Commonly known as being cold-blooded and in need of some sunshine, the world’s ectotherms may be struggling to keep cool in the future.
The finding raises concerns about how animals that regulate their body heat using air temperature will cope in a warmer world predicted by climate change.
Writing in this week’s issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a team of Australian and U.S. researchers say the impact of climate change on ectotherms will depend on how global warming-induced changes in habitat alter the ability to access shade.
For the study, Warren Porter, of the University of Wisconsin’s Department of Zoology, and the University of Sydney’s Rick Shine studied the effects of climate change on a small Australian lizard known as the heath monitor (Varanus rosenbergi).
The University of Wisconsin has hired a new director of football operations, naming former assistant athletic director for football operations at Mississippi State, Brad Pendergrass to the post.
Pendergrass worked at Mississippi State for five years, first as the assistant to the head coach, then as the coordinator of football operations. He was promoted to Assistant Athletic Director for football operations in June, 2008.
When College GameDay came to Madison last weekend, The Badger Herald was able to catch up with Reese Davis, Digger Phelps, Hubert Davis and Jay Bilas to discuss University of Wisconsin basketball, the Big Ten and the fans who packed the Kohl Center for the broadcast Saturday morning.
In their most recent issue, Forbes Magazine named Madison the third best college sports town in the nation.
University of Wisconsin-Madison professors will get their 30 minutes of fame on the Big Ten Network with the premiere of a new show called “Office Hours.”
The half-hour show will make its debut on Thursday, Feb. 19, at 4 p.m., hosted by UW-Madison political science professor Ken Goldstein.
The topics on the talk show will include stem cell research, politics, and the economy.
Marcus Landry and Joe Krabbenhoft didn’t just talk a good game. They both played good ones and led the Wisconsin men’s basketball team to a 55-50 victory over No. 24 Ohio State on Saturday night in front of a raucous crowd of 17,230 at the Kohl Center.
Despite the tough economy, the Big Ten Network turned a profit for the first time in the final quarter of 2008.
Signing all those deals with cable companies like Charter, Comcast and Time Warner for last football season set up BTN, a join venture of the 11 Big Ten universities and News Corp.’s Fox.
The profit will mean more money for the Big Ten universities, which are guaranteed a certain amount of money and share any profits as well.
The economic downturn is becoming a leveling force between some NCAA Division I athletics departments and their universities at-large. Arizona State, Clemson, Maryland and Utah State are in the middle of mandatory furlough programs that apply to all school personnel, including coaches.
And Harvard on Tuesday will begin offering buyouts to roughly 10% of its 16,000 non-faculty employees, including those in athletics who meet the eligibility criteria.
They finally found a way to wake up the student section at the Kohl Center.
It took Digger Phelps and Rece Davis bopping to “Jump Around,” Bob Knight dancing with Bucky Badger, and television cameras zooming in and out to send a charge through the University of Wisconsin students who made up most of the crowd of 2,384 that took part in the “ESPN College GameDay” production Saturday morning at the Kohl Center.
Madison ranks #3 on the list.
Both the state capital and a legendary party city, Madison is one of the Midwest’s best college towns. While on the courts and playing fields, the Badgers mustered an 18th ranking in the Director’s Cup, Madison performed stronger in our quality of life rankings:
The co-pilot of U.S. Airways light 1549 that safely splashed down in New York’s Hudson River was honored Saturday night at the Kohl Center.
Orgeon’s Jeffrey Skiles took the court during the first half of the Badgers-Buckeyes baskbetall game. UW Athletic Director Barry Alvarez presented Skiles with a game ball.
The first words Dick Vitale uttered as a college basketball analyst for ESPN were: “It should be a classic matchup. College basketball excitement, enthusiasm.”
The date was Dec. 5, 1979. The place was Alumni Hall at DePaul University. The teams were the host Blue Demons and the visiting University of Wisconsin Badgers.
Vitale and the ESPN “College GameDay” crew are to be at the Kohl Center on Saturday for another Wisconsin game, when UW takes on Ohio State.
….He’s overcome a lot of things throughout his career. He’s taken on the challenge of being not only a student-athlete, but a student-athlete-husband-father. I don’t think any of us appreciate that enough, to have a wife and three small children that also occupy big chunks of his time. That Marcus has been able to balance it might be the best storyline of all: going to school, playing at a high level of competition, and being the head of a family. So a lot of credit goes to Marcus and his wife for being able to pull it off.
When told of Marcus Landry’s impending membership in the 1,000-point club, University of Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan first responded, “That’s the first I’ve heard of it.”
It’s understandable. Coaches usually don’t pay much attention to such things. Besides, Landry doesn’t classify as a prolific scorer. His 12.9-point average this season is his highest mark as a Badger, and his four-year average is just 8.9 points per game.
The Wisconsin Badgers came to town and absolutely wrecked the party.
Thanks to a fantastic start to the season and a stop by the Philadelphia Phillies’ World Series trophy tour, Penn State drew its largest crowd in eight years. Most of the 14,686 who filled the Bryce Jordan Center were hoping to see one of the most explosive basketball teams in the Big Ten do what it does best.
University of Wisconsin coach Lisa Stone had hoped to remain mum, prepare her team for a critical Big Ten Conference women’s basketball game Sunday at Purdue and in time help Mariah Dunham find a new program to call home.
However, that was before the junior forward from Watertown High School, who was dismissed from the UW team on Wednesday for repeated violations of team rules, publicly labeled the dismissal unfair and said she had no inkling her status with the team was in jeopardy.
Junior Mariah Dunham was dismissed from the University of Wisconsin women’s basketball team for repeated violations of team rules, Coach Lisa Stone announced Wednesday.
Today Dunham spoke to us in an exclusive interview about her side of the story. (Video.)
One conversation last spring convinced University of Wisconsin defensive coordinator Dave Doeren the Badgers had a realistic chance to sign then-junior Kraig Appleton, one of the top wide receivers in the Midwest.
Appleton, from East St. Louis, Ill., proved to Doeren he was familiar with UW’s penchant for running the ball and how he could flourish in that offense.
The University of Wisconsin women’s basketball team, which Sunday suffered its worst loss of the season and has lost its last four games, suffered another hit Wednesday.
UW coach Lisa Stone announced that junior forward Mariah Dunham, who has started 13 of 20 games this season and is one of the more versatile players on the roster, has been dismissed for violating team rules.
Mariah Dunham’s days as a Wisconsin Badger are over.
Dunham, the second leading scorer and rebounder on the UW women’s basketball team, was dismissed from the team Wednesday by coach Lisa Stone for repeated violations of team rules.
Junior forward Mariah Dunham was dismissed from the University of Wisconsin womenâ??s basketball team for repeated violations of team rules, coach Lisa Stone announced yesterday.
The announcement comes after Dunham was suspended indefinitely on Feb. 1 before the teamâ??s game at Michigan following an off-the-court incident.
Mariah Dunham’s career at the University of Wisconsin is over.
Badgers women’s basketball coach Lisa Stone has dismissed the junior forward from the team, she announced Wednesday afternoon in a statement.
The University of Wisconsin men’s basketball coach didn’t try to sugarcoat the dire situation or the mediocre record: 11-9 overall and 3-5 in the Big Ten. Asked about his team’s position in regard to a potential NCAA tournament berth, he conceded, “It’s not an enviable one. It’s not one I wanted to be in at this point.”
Sorry, Badgers fans, this isn’t some bizarre nightmare. Your team is in ninth place in the Big Ten.
Wisconsin’s freefall through the conference continued Saturday night with a 66-63 loss to Northwestern in which the Badgers’ defense was once again exposed.
“How are things in Calgary, anyway? It’s a beautiful day here. Sun’s shining. About four degrees. Hockey tonight. Hockey tomorrow. Hockey next week.
“Things are great. Couldn’t be better.”
The last name. That persuasive, invasive, effervescent optimism pumping fresh oxygen into deflating lungs. Even the area code on the phone — 608, for Madison, Wisc. It’s all very much an H. G. Wells/Time Machine moment.
Four candidates have emerged for the job of athletic director at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
The four include Vince Sweeney, currently senior associate athletic director for external relations at UW-Madison, and George Koonce Jr., a former Green Bay Packers player and currently senior associate athletic director at Marquette University.
