Category: Athletics

After five seasons and 100 defeats, the Bobbie Kelsey era as women’s head basketball coach at Wisconsin has come to an end.

After breaking the NCAA single-season shutout record last weekend, Wisconsin women’s hockey goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens has been recognized for her historic season as one of the three finalists for the 2016 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, USA Hockey announced Thursday.

Hours after being named a top-three finalist for the 2016 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, Wisconsin women’s hockey goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens continued receiving honors on Thursday, becoming only the second goaltender in WCHA history to be named the WCHA Player of the Year.

The junior wasn’t the only Badger to take home hardware, as for the seventh time in his career, UW head coach Mark Johnson was named the WCHA Coach of the Year, while seven Badgers earned spots on All-WCHA teams.

The bond between Kevin Schulze and Eddie Wittchow began forming during their high school days in the Twin Cities area when they trained at the same facility during the summer.

The University of Wisconsin football team hopes to practice at Lambeau Field in Green Bay this spring.

When a job search is being conducted, you often hear the expression, “so-and-so interviews really well.”

Carmex, a moisturizing lip balm company based out of Franklin, Wisconsin, will be the title sponsor of the Lambeau Field College Classic featuring the University of Wisconsin and Louisiana State University football teams on Sept. 3.

University of Wisconsin officials, dazzled by the remarkable turnaround engineered by interim head coach Greg Gard and his staff, are preparing to offer Gard a long-term contract to oversee the men’s basketball program.

Five members of the Wisconsin women’s swimming team earned an individual berth to compete at the 2016 Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships, as announced Wednesday by the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Committee.

Maria Carlson, Dana Grindall, Jenny Holtzen, Chase Kinney and Danielle Valley each qualified individually for the women’s championship meet, which will take place March 16-19 in Atlanta, Georgia, at the McAuley Aquatic Center. Georgia Institute of Technology will serve as host.

University of Wisconsin officials are preparing to offer interim head basketball coach Greg Gard a long-term contract, according to a report by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

University of Wisconsin officials are expected to offer interim head coach Greg Gard a long-term contract, according to a report from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

Wisconsin interim coach Greg Gard has never actively campaigned to become the permanent successor to the retired Bo Ryan. The Badgers’ win-loss record sends a strong message without saying a word.

One trait has bound the Wisconsin and Minnesota programs the last 14-plus seasons: Consistency.

As she winds down her fifth losing season as University of Wisconsin women’s basketball coach, Kelsey understands her position is in jeopardy.

Recap of social media endorsing interim men’s basketball coach Greg Gard for the permanent position.

Wisconsin had its worst record in 82 years last season and, despite what some describe as improving play, the team is winding down another losing campaign, with just one conference victory in 16 games. The slide of one of major college hockey’s blue bloods from the top ranks to the basement has frustrated fans and raised questions about what the program needs to do to move forward.

Springfield High School graduate and University of Wisconsin lineman Tyler Marz is fresh off the NFL combine, a week-long job interview and skills test for NFL prospects hoping to impress the various NFL GMs.

Wisconsin women’s hockey sophomore Emily Clark, along with alums Meaghan Mikkelson and Blayre Turnbull, have been selected to Canada’s 23-player roster for the 2016 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship, as announced by Hockey Canada Monday.

Clark will make her second appearance for Team Canada at the 2016 IIHF World Championship, while Turnbull is making her first appearance at the tournament. Mikkelson, a two-time Olympian, will play in her sixth IIHF World Championship.

University of Wisconsin sophomore forward Emily Clark and former Badgers Meaghan Mikkelson and Blayre Turnbull were named to Canada’s roster for the 2016 International Ice Hockey Federation Women’s World Championship, Hockey Canada announced on Monday.

University of Wisconsin women’s basketball senior guard Nicole Bauman received All-Big Ten Conference honorable mention from both the league coaches and media, the Big Ten announced Monday.

It is the second consecutive year that the 5-foot-10 Bauman received honorable mention. She was the only UW player honored.

Texas prep defenseman Max Gildon verbally committed to play for the University of Wisconsin men’s hockey team, he tweeted on Monday.

Gildon, a 6-foot-3, 172-pound defenseman, plays for the U.S. National Team Development Program. He is originally from Plano, Texas.

No, it wasn’t a road victory over a top-10 opponent.

But UW’s win over Michigan on Sunday might have put the Badgers into the NCAA tournament no matter what happens the rest of the way.

It’s weeks like this that the ability to focus on the next task at hand — a strength inside the University of Wisconsin men’s basketball program for years — comes in particularly handy.

Glance too far ahead, and the Badgers might get caught up in the fact that they enter the final week of the regular season with a wide array of possibilities waiting for them at the end of the tunnel.

Reporters in the last few days have tried — with no success – to entice Greg Gard to talk about his role in Wisconsin’s rise in the Big Ten standings and his hope of being promoted from interim to full-time head coach.

Former Badgers quarterback John Stocco is returning to the university. He has been hired as Director of Development in the athletics department. According to a press release, Stocco will focus on “prospect identification, cultivation and solicitation of major gifts to fund student-athlete scholarships and capital projects.”

Wisconsin women’s hockey goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens and forward Annie Pankowski were named top-10 finalists for the 2016 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, the highest individual honor in women’s college hockey, USA Hockey announced Thursday.

It marks the first time that Desbiens and Pankowski earned spots on the top-10 list during their Wisconsin careers.

Wisconsin has posted a job opening looking for a men’s basketball coach, a sign that interim coach Greg Gard is one step closer to becoming the permanent successor to Bo Ryan.

Shake Sarah Nurse’s family tree and an elite athlete will fall off of most every branch.

The UW-Madison athletic department officially posted the position for a head men’s basketball coach.

The position lists applications are due by March 3, 2016 and the start date is March 8, 2016.

Greg Gard is currently the interim coach after Bo Ryan retired in December.

Interim UW basketball head coach Greg Gard may have a chance to remove the interim label from his title very soon.

The freshman season in any sport generally is a trying experience even in the best of circumstances. But when it is accompanied by persistent and painful losses, it can become overwhelming.

The University of Wisconsin athletic department has officially posted a job opening for the men’s basketball head coaching position.

University of Wisconsin officials on Friday officially posted the opening for the position of men’s basketball coach.

Brooke Ferrell earned her second Big Ten Conference Player of the Week honor after earning co-medalist honors at the Westbrook Spring [Golf] Invitational Feb. 21-22 in Peoria, Ariz. The Big Ten Conference office today announced the shared honor with Michigan State’s Sarah Burnham.

The United States’ roster for the 2016 International Ice Hockey Federation Women’s World Championship has a Wisconsin flair as six Badgers, one current and five former, make up more than one fourth of the 23-player roster that was announced Wednesday by USA Hockey.

UW sophomore Annie Pankowski will join former players Hilary Knight, Meghan Duggan, Brianna Decker, Jessie Vetter and Alex Rigsby in defending the gold medal won by Team USA last year.

At the Kohl Center is where Gregory Orwin reports to work.

“My job is the hydration specialist. I’ve been working here for nine years and I’m definitely enjoying it,” Orwin said.

At practice and at games, Gregory can be seen behind the Badger men’s basketball team’s bench, keeping the Wisconsin players fueled.

Video: News 3 catches up with former Badger and current NBA player Frank Kaminsky.

At one point in the season, repeating as champion of the Big Ten Conference would have been out of the question for the University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team.

The Wisconsin football program has turned to one of its own to complete its coaching staff for the 2016 season.

Head coach Paul Chryst on Saturday announced the addition of Jim Leonhard as the Badgers’ defensive backs coach. Few could be considered more knowledgeable on the ins and outs of the position than Leonhard, a 2015 inductee to the UW Athletic Hall of Fame who was one of the most successful players to ever patrol the UW secondary.

Former Badger football star Jim Leonhard is Wisconsin’s new defensive backs coach. Head coach Paul Chryst announced Saturday that Leonhard, a 2015 inductee into the UW Athletic Hall of Fame, would join the Badgers’ coaching staff.

Leonhard, who played safety for the Badgers from 2001-04, will replace Daronte Jones. Leonhard began his UW career as a walk-on in 2001 and went on to earn All-Big Ten honors three times; became the first sophomore to win the Badgers’ team MVP award since 1947 and matched UW’s school record with 21 interceptions during his career; played 10 years in the NFL with six different teams and retired after the 2014 season.

If Wisconsin goes on to secure a berth in the NCAA Tournament field next month, the Badgers’ improbable come-from-behind victory over Illinois Sunday night at the Kohl Center no doubt will have played a huge role.

CBS analysts Doug Gottlieb and Seth Davis went head-to-head Sunday debating which of three Big Ten bubble teams – Wisconsin, Ohio State and Michigan – has the best chance of securing an NCAA tournament berth.

Ranked: No. 6. UW-Madison is a land-grant university considered by many to be one of the best public colleges in the country. The school offers 132 distinct undergraduate degrees over 25 broad fields of study with the most popular majors being economics and biology.

Pat was deeply fulfilled by her career at the University of Wisconsin Athletic Department, first as an administrative assistant, but ultimately as an academic affairs guide for student athletes and contributor in myriad ways that aren’t found in a job description.

Rose Lavelle of the Wisconsin women’s soccer team has been named to the U.S. Under-23 Women’s National Team roster that will travel to Croatia and play three matches in the eight-team Istria Cup, which runs from March 2-7.

If I’ve heard the question once, I’ve heard it a million times: What does University of Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez do to earn $1 million-plus per year? Well, we’ll find out because Alvarez is going to earn every penny of his salary over the next two months. In his 12 years in charge of UW’s athletic fortunes, Alvarez’s plate has never been as full as it is right now.

The Badgers once again are playing the tough, physical brand of basketball that was their calling card under Ryan. Players have improved individually and are starting to click collectively. And they are doing it within the framework of the swing offense Gard installed when he took over.

Burke had an assist in UW’s 4-0 win over Minnesota State on Saturday and added a goal and four assists in Sunday’s 8-1 win. She became the third Badgers defenseman and 19th player in program history to reach 100 career points.

On game days, student managers such as Alex Hayden can be spotted setting out chairs at timeouts or making sure water bottles are ready for players when they get to the bench. At practices, the managers keep stats and have their towels ready to wipe up sweat on the court. They’re not doing it to get rich, mind you. First-year managers are unpaid, while veterans receive an hourly salary that begins at minimum wage with slight increases based on experience.

(Video) Rose Lavelle is a key piece of the Badger women’s soccer team. She has excelled in her time at Wisconsin and was recently given an incredible opportunity.

For the second straight year, former Badgers head coach Bo Ryan is a finalist for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The organization named Ryan one of 14 finalists for induction this year.