Wisconsin
Third Olympic berth puts former Wisconsin track and field standout Zach Ziemek in exclusive company
Wisconsin hockey great Meghan Duggan impressed by current Badgers
Duggan, the 2011 Patty Kazmaier winner, returned to campus this week to deliver the keynote address during the spring commencement ceremony Saturday.
MADISON – 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.
The 31-year-old placed second in the decathlon at the U.S. Olympic Trials at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, to qualify for the Olympics for the third time.
He will be the first former Badgers men’s track and field athlete to compete for the United States in three Olympics. He finished seventh at the Rio Games in 2016 and took fifth at the Tokyo Olympics, which were held in 2021 due to the pandemic.
According to UW records, steeplechase runner Evan Jager (2012, ’16) and distance runners Matt Tegenkamp (2008, ’12) and Steve Lacy (1980, 84) are the only other men in program history to compete for the United States in more than one Olympics.
Suzy Favor Hamilton (1992, ’96, 2000) is the only former Wisconsin women’s track and field athlete to compete in three Olympics.
However, the overall record for Olympic appearances by a former Badger belongs to distance runner Mohammed Ahmed, who will make his fourth appearance for Canada next month.
As for Ziemek, he comfortably qualified for the Games. The top three finishers advanced to Paris. Ziemek, who totalled 8,516 points, finished 132 ahead of the third-place finisher, Harrison Williams, and 305 points ahead of the fourth-place finisher, Devon Williams.
Ziemek, a five-time All-American who competed at UW from 2012-16, had six top-three finishers in the 10 events, one more than Michigan State’s Heath Baldwin, who took first with 8,625 points.
Following the Tokyo Olympics, Ziemek won a bronze medal at the 2022 World Championships but did not finish at the World Championships in Hungary last year due to injury.
“It hasn’t hit me quite yet,” he said in an interview with Runnerspace. “Obviously the main goal all season and after Budapest last year (and) mainly since 2021 is to get to this Olympics and put myself in gold medal position.”
More: Late surge earns Wisconsin swimmer Phoebe Bacon spot on U.S. Olympic team in 200 backstroke
About 1,000 animal welfare activists who tried to gain entry on Saturday to a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin were turned back by police who fired rubber bullets and pepper spray into the crowd and arrested the group’s leader.
It was the second attempt in as many months by protesters to take beagles from the Ridglan Farms facility in Blue Mounds, a small town about 25 miles (about 40 kilometres) southwest of Wisconsin’s capital, Madison.
Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in a video statement that 300 to 400 protesters were “violently trying to break into the property” and assault officers. He said protesters have ignored designated areas for peaceful protest and blocked roads to prevent emergency vehicles from entering.
“This is not a peaceful protest,” Barrett said.
The sheriff’s department said a “significant” number of people were arrested out of about 1,000 protesters at the site but did not give an exact total as they were still being processed as of the afternoon.
Protesters tried to overcome barricades that included a manure-filled trench, hay bales and a barbed-wire fence. Some protesters did get through the fence but were unable to enter the facility, where an estimated 2,000 beagles are kept, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde reflects on early March Madness exit
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde said the Badgers ‘thought we could do so many things’ in the NCAA Tournament before it ended abrupty with an upset loss.
Wisconsin men’s basketball has added a sharpshooting wing via the transfer portal.
Miami (Ohio) transfer Eian Elmer has signed with the Badgers, the team announced April 18. The 6-foot-7 wing will join UW with one year of eligibility remaining.
Elmer averaged a career-high 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 49.8% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range in 2025-26. His production helped the RedHawks go 32-2 and earn an at-large NCAA Tournament bid.
“We are really excited to add another excellent addition to our spring signees,” UW coach Greg Gard said in a release. “Eian brings a wealth of experience and scoring punch as a 6-7 wing. … A terrific shooter, his skillset and production fit excellently into our plan as we build out next year’s team. Throughout our evaluation process, our staff loved his size, power and skill and truly believe he will thrive in our system.”
Elmer is Wisconsin’s third transfer portal addition since the end of the 2025-26 season, joining former George Washington guard Trey Autry and former Hofstra forward Victory Onuetu. UW also added Australian guard Owen Foxwell.
The additions of Autry, Onuetu and now Elmer leave Gard’s staff with three more roster spots to fill ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The Badgers are looking to replace much of their production from a 2025-26 team that went 24-11. Nolan Winter is expected to be the team’s only returning starter after John Blackwell and Aleksas Bieliauskas entered the transfer portal and Nick Boyd and Andrew Rohde exhausted their eligibility.
MILWAUKEE – Friday’s severe storms have passed. And with that, the threat of any severe weather has also passed for the immediate future as no storms or rain are expected for several days.
However, plenty of damage remains across southeastern Wisconsin as of Saturday morning, in addition to the ongoing flooding threat.
Several area rivers are at flood stage, and there are multiple river flood warnings in effect.
FOX6 Weekend WakeUp on Saturday begins at 6 a.m.
On the scene in the morning
What we know:
Farmstead damage in Franklin
FOX6’s Hayley Spitler is in Franklin on Saturday morning, April 18, getting a daylight look at the damage from last night’s storms.
Storm damage in Caledonia
Friday’s storms left quite the mark across southern and southeastern Wisconsin, including at L and L Farms and Greenhouse in Caledonia.
FOX6 Weather Extras
Local perspective:
Meanwhile, FOX6Now.com offers a variety of extremely useful weather tools to help you navigate the stormy season. They include the following:
FOX6 Storm Center app
FOX LOCAL Mobile app
FOX Weather app
Maps and radar
We have a host of maps and radars on the FOX6 Weather page that are updating regularly — to provide you the most accurate assessment of the weather. From a county-by-county view to the Midwest regional radar and a national view — it’s all there.
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School and business closings
When the weather gets a little dicey, schools and businesses may shut down. Monitor the latest list of closings, cancellations, and delays reported in southeast Wisconsin.
FOX6 Weather Experts in social media
The Source: Information in this post was compiled by the FOX6 Weather Experts.
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