Tag: wisconsin athletics

Examining the final Olympic roster of Wisconsin Badgers in Paris

Examining the final Olympic roster of Wisconsin Badgers in Paris

A total of seventeen current or former Wisconsin athletes will represent the Badgers at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 from July 26 to Aug. 11.

Following the opening ceremony on Friday, July 26, the 17 Badgers who clinched a bid will compete in seven separate sports. Badger faithful will be able to watch former UW greats take part in rugby, soccer, women’s rowing, men’s basketball, women’s volleyball, track and field, swimming and diving during the event.

The Badgers will be participating in all but one of the competition days during the Olympic window with former soccer star Rose Lavelle kicking things off on Thursday against Zambia.

The track and field pool includes All-American and All-Big Ten cross country selection Mohammed Ahmed (Canada), 2020 Olympian Ollie Hoare (Australia), four-time NCAA Champion Morgan McDonald (Australia), five-time Big Ten champion Adam Spencer (Australia) and two-time track and field Olympian Zach Ziemek (United States).

A total of four former Badgers will participate in women’s rowing. Lauren O’Connor (United States), Grace Joyce (United States), Maddie Wanamaker (United States) and Sophia Vitas (United States) will venture across the pond, each with four years of experience in Madison.

2024 200 Backstroke NCAA Champion and 2024 Big Ten Swimmer of the Championship Phoebe Bacon (United States) will compete in the 200-meter backstroke while 2024 NCAA Championship qualifier Taiko Torepe-Ormsby (New Zealand) will make his Olympic debut in the 50 Freestyle.

Former volleyball legends Lauren Carlini (United States) and Dana Rettke (United States) will sport the red, white and blue on the United States’ 2024 Women’s Olympic Volleyball Team.

Badger forward Aleem Ford (Puerto Rico) will compete in men’s basketball, women’s rugby star Alev Kelter (United States) will also suit up for her third Olympics and incoming Badger Jaden Eikermann Gregorchuk (Germany) will participate in men’s diving.

Local time in Paris is 6 hours ahead ET and 7 hours ahead CT. All events will be available via stream on Peacock.

Wisconsin Athletics reveals new courtside seating options in Kohl Center

Wisconsin Athletics reveals new courtside seating options in Kohl Center

Wisconsin Athletics displayed renderings for new courtside seating options at the Kohl Center in a press release Tuesday.

The construction will be completed in time for the 2024-25 basketball season.

Located adjacent to the rink and hardwood, visuals depict a few extra rows of seating for Badger fans next season. These seats will be located on each side of the ice sheet at the event level of the Kohl Center, per UW Athletics.

“These upgrades will help to create an exciting, new fan experience and drive additional revenue that will support Badger student-athletes across our 23 sport programs,” UW Director of Athletics Chris McIntosh told UWBadgers.com

The renovation will also include high-quality seating surfaces and access to the Krantz Club, an event-level club space, starting in January. Other amenities include parking priorities, inclusive food and drink services and a cash bar.

The renovation arrives shortly after the Kohl Center’s ice sheet dimensions were reduced to NHL proportions in February. This ultimately created extra space between the event level and the playing fields.

Wisconsin’s Kohl Center is home to the both the men’s and women’s basketball teams and men’s hockey team.

Wisconsin athletics among elite group ahead of Olympic Games Paris 2024

Wisconsin athletics among elite group ahead of Olympic Games Paris 2024

Wisconsin athletics will be well represented in France at Olympic Games Paris 2024.

As many as twelve former Badgers will make the trek oversees in search of a gold medal. Only a handful of collegiate programs, including Big Ten rivals Penn State, USC and UCLA, will send at least 10 Olympians to this summer’s games.

Among the recent qualified Badgers are former women’s soccer superstar Rose Lavelle, two-time track and field Olympian Zach Ziemek and current senior swimmer Phoebe Bacon in the 200-meter backstroke.

Former volleyball legends Lauren Carlini and Dana Rettke will sport the red, white and blue for the United States’ 12-woman 2024 Women’s Olympic Volleyball roster this summer while Lauren O’Connor, Grace Joyce, Maddie Wanamaker and Sophia Vitas will search for golds as members of the country’s rowing squad.

All-American and All-Big Ten cross country selection Mohammed Ahmed will represent Canada in men’s track, and current Badger school record-holder Taiko Torepe-Ormsby will swim for New Zealand as well.

Women’s rugby star Alev Kelter will also suit up as the final UW Olympian of 2024.

Badgers LB Jordan Turner Partners With The Road Home Dane County to Give Back

#Badgers inside linebacker Jordan Turner has partnered with The Road Home Dane County to give back:

Madison, Wisc. – With the new school year just around the corner, Badgers inside linebacker Jordan Turner has partnered with The Road Home Dane County to help collect donations of backpacks, school supplies, or other monetary contributions for families in need this fall.

The Road Home hopes to provide up to 500 backpacks filled with school supplies to children who’ve recently escaped homelessness and have moved into more stable housing.

“Throughout the course of my childhood, I have benefited greatly from the generous support and encouragement I received from my community, whether it be purchasing popcorn for my Cub Scout Troop, raffle tickets for my Pop Warner Youth Football team, or backpacks and school supplies as I started a new school year. Now it’s my turn to help give back in a big way! Together, we can put 100 students in the Madison, Wisconsin area in a position to succeed and get ready for a great year of school,” said Turner in a press release.

The Road Home will distribute Backpacks to the students at the “Families Moving Forward” school supply event on Saturday, August 13, from 12:00 noon – 2:00 pm at Brittingham Park located at 829 W. Washington Ave, Madison, WI 53715.

The Road Home Dane County is an organization that seeks long-term solutions to homelessness by helping families find and maintain stable, affordable housing.

If you’d like to help Turner in his efforts to help local children this school year, click the link below to donate and show support:

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion, and analysis. You can also follow Dillon Graff on Twitter @DillonGraff.

Former Badgers TE Travis Beckum part of UW Athletics Hall of Fame class

A former Badgers TE will be inducted into the UW Athletics Hall of Fame this fall:

Last week, the University of Wisconsin announced it is inducting 11 new members into its Athletic Hall of Fame for the class of 2022.

The class will feature nine former UW athletes, one administration member, and a special service member.

Among the notable athletes who will enter the UW Hall of Fame this fall is former Badgers tight end Travis Beckum, who played for the program from 2005-08.

In 2007, Beckham earned first-team All-American and All-Big Ten honors after catching 75 passes for 982 yards and six touchdowns.

The former third-round NFL draft pick of the Giants still holds Wisconsin tight end records for receptions (159) and receiving yards (2,149).

You can read the entire list of inductees from the press release below:

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion, and analysis. You can also follow Dillon Graff on Twitter @DillonGraff.

Johnny Davis named University of Wisconsin Male Athlete of the Year

Johnny Davis is going to need a bigger trophy case:

On Wednesday morning, the UW Athletic Department announced that former Wisconsin basketball star Johnny Davis was named the 2021-22 Male Athlete of the Year Award.

As a sophomore, the 6-foot-5, 196-pound guard averaged 19.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.2 steals – helping lead the Badgers to a share of the Big Ten regular-season title.

He was just the fourth Badgers player to finish the season averaging at least 19 points per game in the last 30 years.

The La Crosse, Wisconsin native, was also named the Big Ten Player of the Year, Lute Olson National Player of the Year, and a consensus first-team All-American before declaring for the NBA draft.

Last week, the Washington Wizards selected Davis with the 10th pick in the first round of the 2022 NBA draft.

You can read the entire UW press release below:

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion, and analysis. You can also follow Dillon Graff on Twitter @DillonGraff.

Wisconsin partners with Opendorse to launch NIL program for student-athletes

Wisconsin Athletics is partnering with industry leader Opendorse to launch the ‘YouDub’ program, giving student-athletes an opportunity to

Wisconsin Athletics is partnering with industry leader Opendorse to launch the ‘YouDub’ program, giving student-athletes an opportunity to capitalize on their own name, image and likeness.

“College athletics is entering a new era and we are excited to embrace the opportunities that will come with changes in student-athletes’ name, image and likeness rights,” UW Deputy Director of Athletics Chris McIntosh said in a press release. “At our core, we exist to prepare student-athletes. Our approach to preparing them for success in the NIL arena will be no different than our commitment to setting them up for success on the field of play, in the classroom and in life beyond their time at UW. Partnering our outstanding staff with Opendorse, the industry leader, provides our student-athletes with tremendous educational and brand-building resources to grow their opportunities and maximize their potential in terms of NIL.”

The partnership coincides with the ongoing movement to pass legislation to allow college athletes to profit off of their name, image and likeness. The state of Wisconsin is yet to propose such a bill, though it is a fast-growing initiative throughout the country.

Here’s what Wisconsin Athletics had to say about the partnership in a press release yesterday:

Through YouDub, student-athletes will have access to Opendorse Ready, the market-leading NIL education resource providing custom brand value assessments, live consultation sessions with industry leaders and on-demand access to the NIL Masterclass, an education series featuring experts on brand building, monetization and financial literacy from leading experts at Instagram, Twitter, the Players’ Tribune, Overtime and more.

UW student-athletes also will be equipped with Opendorse Social, the brand-building platform utilized by thousands of athletes throughout college and professional sports to provide for easy access to photo and video content and simplified publishing to student-athletes’ social media channels.

Along with Opendorse Monitor, a tool that serves to protect UW student-athletes and their brands, these offerings will enhance the ongoing efforts and programming of UW’s Brand Engagement and Career & Leadership staffs to support and educate student-athletes in areas including communication skills, brand building, financial literacy and entrepreneurship.

“Wisconsin’s standing as a premier academic and athletic institution was incredibly clear throughout the search process that led to this partnership,” Opendorse CEO Blake Lawrence said. “Their team left no stone unturned, refusing to maintain the status quo or ‘check the box.’ The program’s commitment to build a program with a foundation of industry-proven products and resources will benefit Badger student-athletes for years to come. We’re proud to align with another program that puts athletes at its center, with a clear commitment to support and educate them as they embark on the new era.”

All UW student-athletes will have access to live educational sessions and their personal social media and brand value assessment through Opendorse Ready this summer.

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion and analysis.

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The Wisconsin community reacts to reports of AD Barry Alvarez retiring in June

Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez is set to step down and retire on June 30, according to a report from the Milwaukee Journal

Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez is set to step down and retire on June 30, according to a report from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Jeff Potrykus.

The date will mark the end of his masterful 32-year career with Wisconsin Athletics, first building a football power from scratch and then bringing Wisconsin Athletics as a whole to national prominence.

Related: Wisconsin Athletics releases a touching tribute to AD Barry Alvarez

His impact on the University of Wisconsin, on the state and on the people he worked with and coached is undeniable.

Many of those people took to Twitter today to express their thanks and congratulate the Wisconsin athletic director on a Hall of Fame-worthy career.

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WATCH: Wisconsin Athletics releases a touching tribute to AD Barry Alvarez

Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez is set to step down and retire on June 30, according to a report from the Milwaukee Journal

Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez is set to step down and retire on June 30, according to a report from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Jeff Potrykus.

The news doesn’t come as a surprise, as initial reports surfaced a few weeks ago of the 74-year-old Alvarez’s intention to retire before the upcoming school year.

But it will take some time to set in. It’s safe to say nobody has been as important to the Wisconsin Athletic Department over the last 30-plus years, or maybe in its history than Barry Alvarez.

Wisconsin Athletics released a touching tribute to their soon-to-be-former athletic director, providing anecdotes from many of his 32 years with the program.

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion and analysis.

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An open letter from Wisconsin AD Barry Alvarez on financial struggles during COVID-19

The Badger AD addresses Wisconsin fans during this difficult time

Wisconsin athletics, as is consistent with athletic departments around the country at all levels of collegiate athletics, are preparing to take massive revenue hits during an altered fall sports season. Wisconsin Athletic Director Barry Alvarez alerted Badger fans on the specific challenges that Wisconsin is facing during the COVID-19 pandemic in a release earlier today.

A fall season that will likely be played without fans or with very limited fans, and has already been limited to only conference games, is in jeopardy and will leave universities trying to find money that simply is not there.

“To this point, we have taken many steps over the past few months to minimize the impact of a cancelled winter postseason and spring season,” said Alvarez. “We have instituted pay decreases for our top 25 earners and workshare furloughs for all employees, put a freeze on almost all hiring, restricted travel, limited to essential-only spending and announced the delay of the South End Zone renovation project. These steps have allowed us to avoid the tough decisions other schools have already had to make, like eliminating sports or laying off employees. We have taken many steps, but we will have to do much more.”

Alvarez laid out specifics in terms of the amount of money Wisconsin was preparing to lose this fall. “Our fall season will look nothing like we are accustomed to,” said Wisconsin’s AD. “Due to the current challenges, we are facing a potential financial revenue loss of more than $100 million from our $140 million budget.”

All we can do now is hope that schools at all levels around the country will find ways to keep programs alive this fall.