Category: Athletics

University of Wisconsin-Madison Director of Athletics Chris McIntosh has signed a five-year extension that runs through June 30, 2029. “Chris is an extremely effective leader at a time of unprecedented change across the collegiate athletics landscape,” Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin said in a release. “In the midst of this shift, he continues to position the Badgers for long-term success in the top tier of college sports. I’m thrilled he’ll continue to be a Badger and look forward to his leadership in the years to come

The University of Wisconsin-Madison announced on Thursday that Director of Athletics Chris McIntosh has signed a five-year extension. Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin said McIntosh has been a great leader as the collegiate athletics landscape continues to change.

As the summer calendar quickly turns toward August, University of Wisconsin-Madison students are gearing up for the new football season.

The old joke about rowing, Lauren O’Connor said, is that it’s the only sport to have roots as a form of corporal punishment.

“You could go to prison, or you could row on the boats that were taking people across the ocean and doing this really, really hard labor,” she said.

O’Connor, who is from the village of Belleville — population 2,591 — is one of four women from the University of Wisconsin-Madison who will be competing in rowing at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

Lavelle was a four-year starter for the University of Wisconsin from 2013-16. She earned Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Year honors as a freshman in 2023 after scoring six goals and seven assists across 19 appearances.

Northwestern is building a new stadium to replace the drab Ryan Field, but that move left the program unhoused for this season and next. The solution in Evanston is a hybrid schedule in which the football program will host games at Martin Stadium, its soccer and lacrosse facility on Lake Michigan, and play November games at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The Badgers game against Northwestern on Oct. 19 is one of two Big Ten games at Martin Stadium.

UW student athletes at the event include: Riley Mahlman, recently ranked as one of the best tackles in college football and teammate Kerry Kodanko; Brooke Kuffel, a primary outfielder for the Badgers with four home runs in a three game span this year, the women’s softball team; and, Drew Stover, goalkeeper, with the women’s soccer program.

Professionals from Upland Hills Health Orthopedics and Therapy and Wellness Department will be available for questions. There will also be breakout sessions where athletes can interact with their favorite University of Wisconsin athletes, including, Kerry Kodanko and Riley Mahlman from UW Football, Nolan Winter from Wisconsin Men’s Basketball, Drew Stover from UW Women’s Soccer and Brooke Kuffel from UW Softball.

Work is underway to reduce the size of the ice sheet at the Kohl Center, a change that will allow the Wisconsin athletic department to create more premium seating in the 26-year-old arena.

Tony Granato, an avid fisherman, would probably be amused by the aphorism offered by the accomplished essayist, naturalist and poet Henry David Thoreau, a goal-seeker, if not a goal-scorer.

Wisconsin Athletics provided an update Tuesday on plans to create additional space and seating at the Madison sports arena. Construction is now underway on the new seating, which will be available starting with the 2024-25 season.

On Tuesday, Wisconsin Athletics revealed details and renderings for innovative premium seating option for the upcoming 2024-25 season.

Construction for the Kohl Center’s new and improved premium seating is underway but some longtime ticket holders say their game day experience and seats will change this upcoming season because of it.

Zach Ziemek earned a return trip to the Olympics on Saturday and put himself in a class by himself when it comes to athletes who have come through the University of Wisconsin men’s track and field program.

University of Wisconsin-Madison volleyball player Sarah Franklin received a nomination for the Best College Athlete in the Women’s Sports category at the 2024 Excellence in Sports Yearly Awards (ESPYS).

It is an Olympic trifecta for former Badger track and field legend Zach Ziemek as he becomes just the second U.S. athlete to qualify for the Olympics three times.

Inspired by Katie Ledecky in 2012, seeing was believing for a young Bacon. “I went to the same grade school as her,” Bacon said. “It just blew my mind. She could be an Olympian, and it  just pushed me into thinking, maybe I could be an Olympian.”

The University of Wisconsin star, who was the national player of the year last season, suffered an apparent ankle injury midway through a five-set loss to the Dominican Republic and did not return.

Campers walked in for their morning practice Wednesday to find the Badger swimmer and two-time Olympian in the pool.

Katie Ledecky and Phoebe Bacon have been “buddies’’ for decades. Or since Ledecky was in grade school and Bacon was in kindergarten and they were part of a “buddy’’ system.

List includes multiple former UW-Madison student athletes.

The returning American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Americans are two of 14 college players who will represent the United States at the NORCECA Women’s Final Six Pan American Cup next week in the Dominican Republic.

This continues to be Phoebe Bacon’s year.

The University of Wisconsin swimmer qualified for her second Olympic Games on Friday night with a second-place finish 200-meter backstroke at the USA Swimming Trials at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Zach Ziemek earned a return trip to the Olympics on Saturday and put himself in a class by himself when it comes to athletes who have come through the University of Wisconsin men’s track and field program.

A BadgerExtra source said Thursday morning that director of player personnel Max Stienecker will be getting a new title and the Badgers will look to hire a new director of player personnel.

“It’s such a cool atmosphere sitting in the stands. It really got me excited for this summer,’’ said Healy, the UW coach for 14 years. “I could see what a draw that is going to be.’’

The proposal to build University of Wisconsin athletic facilities on part of Camp Randall Memorial Park has been scrutinized by veterans groups and officials who see the land as sacred.

Dana Rettke, the 2021 national college player of the year, and Lauren Carlini, a four-time All-American, were named to the 12-player roster Wednesday. They are two of the four first-time Olympians on the team.