Several current and former Badgers competed at the U.S.A. Track and Field Outdoor Championships throughout the weekend at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.
Wisconsin senior-to-be Alonzo Moore finished sixth in the triple jump Saturday, with a leap of 52 feet, 6 inches, the best mark among returning collegians. Nike’s Walter Davis won at 56-3 ¼.
Matt Tegenkamp, who recently exhausted his eligibility at Wisconsin, placed sixth in the 5,000 meters Friday at USATF. Tegenkamp, now competing as a professional for Nike, finished in a personal-best time of 13 minutes, 25.36 seconds, faster than the school record of 13:30.90 he set while at UW. Current Badger juniors Chris Solinsky and Tim Nelson finished 10th (13:37.55) and 19th (14:08.40), respectively, in the same race.
Former Badger Isaiah Festa finished 12th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 9:02.94 on Friday, while 2000 Wisconsin graduate Matt Downin took third in the 10,000 meters in 28:34.65 on Thursday. Josh Spiker, who just completed his eligibility at Wisconsin, just missed qualifying for the finals in the 1,500 meters after taking 13th overall in 3:42.23 in the preliminary race Thursday. The top 12 advanced to the finals.
Junior Demi Omole tied for 15th overall in the 100-meter dash Friday, finishing fifth in his heat in 10.25 seconds, but he did not qualify for the finals, as only the top nine runners advanced.
On the women’s side, senior-to-be Melissa Talbot did not finish the heptathlon Sunday, after standing in 13th place with 3,202 points after Saturday’s competition. On Saturday, Talbot finished the heptathlon 200 meters in a personal-best time of 23.94 to finish second in that race. Talbot, though, did not compete in the javelin and the 800 meters Sunday.
Two former Badgers competed in the women’s 1,500 meters: 1999 graduate Jenelle Deatherage took eighth in 4:11.02, while 2003 graduate Bethany Brewster finished 12th in 4:28.41. Nike’s Treniere Clement won in 4:06.73.