CONTENTS APRIL 12, 2017 ▪ VOLUME 7, ISSUE 34 DAVID STLUKA

THE BEST OF THE VERY BEST Up against Olympic gold medalists, All-American volleyball setter Lauren Carlini was honored and humbled to just be a finalist for the AAU Sullivan Award. But never count a Badger out … BRANDON HARRISON FEATURES FOOTBALL IN [FOCUS] LOSING THE WAIT The week's best photos

Transfers Chris James and Nick Nel- BY THE NUMBERS son practiced patience even more Facts and figures on UW than football in their first year at UW, but now they are ready to play. WHAT TO WATCH Where to catch the Badgers

LUCAS AT LARGE ASK THE BADGERS Best campus walking spots ROOKIES NO MORE BADGERING Visiting Madison in the offseason, Coach Kelcy McKenna (Tennis) Wisconsin alums Joel Stave and Alex ICON SPORTSWIRE Erickson look back at their first year as professionals in the NFL. INSIDE WOMEN’S HOCKEY U.S. wins fourth World title -SCROLL FOR MORE- INSIDE TRACK & FIELD Badgers shine in Arizona Wisconsin Athletic Communications Kellner Hall, 1440 Monroe St. Madison, WI 53711

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© 2017 Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. All rights reserved worldwide. LUCAS AT LARGE BY MIKE LUCAS ▪ UWBADGERS.COM SENIOR WRITER Stave, Erickson no longer NFL rookies MATT GDOWSKI / ICON SPORTSWIRE

Alex Erickson

uarterback Joel Stave with people you’re friends with, from A.J. McCarron but returned and wide receiver Alex too.” a punt 80 yards for a score. QErickson were back Another former UW wide re- “First one of the year,” Erickson where it started — they were ceiver, Jared Abbrederis, has said of the return, “it was a good fine-tuning their throwing and been working out at times with way to get going.” catching after a Wisconsin prac- Erickson and Stave. After three The Vikings and the Bengals tice. The alums weren’t trying seasons with the Green Bay held two days of joint practices to turn back the clock at the Packers, the 26-year-old Ab- in Cincinnati before the exhibi- McClain Facility as much as they brederis is getting a fresh start tion which gave Stave and Er- were getting in some work be- with the Detroit Lions. “It’s nice ickson more than enough time fore reporting to their National to have guys to work out with,” to catch up on things before Football League teams; Stave to said Stave, the winningest quar- going their separate ways as NFL the and Er- terback in school history, “guys rookies. “We stayed in contact ickson to the Cincinnati Bengals. who are focused on the same throughout the year, too,” said “It’s nice to get back (to Mad- thing that I am.” Erickson, who along with Stave ison) and get around guys who In a twist of fate, Stave and Er- was originally a walk-on at Wis- know you,” said the 24-year-old ickson, both of whom were free consin. “We stayed updated with Erickson, who left with the sixth- agents, made their pro debuts on each other just like friends do.” most receptions (141) in school the same field last August in the Toiling on practice squads for history, including 77 during his 2016 preseason opener between three different franchises, Stave senior year in 2015. “It’s a long the and the lived out a challenging first- offseason, so any time you can Bengals in Cincinnati. Stave com- year odyssey through a string get back on the field and get the pleted 8 of 13 passes for 76 yards of releases and tryouts, not an routes going again, it’s always with a pick. Erickson not only uncommon path for undrafted good. And it’s always fun to do it caught a 3-yard touchdown pass players. “You just have to be

LUCAS AT LARGE PAGE 1 OF 3 LUCAS AT LARGE BY MIKE LUCAS ▪ UWBADGERS.COM SENIOR WRITER

ready for whatever is thrown at was on my way to Seattle.” tract with the Chiefs. Has he you,” reasoned Stave, who got The Seahawks signed Stave to answered the question yet? Can his degree in civil engineering. “I their practice squad on Oct. 26. he play in the NFL? “A lot of it bounced around a little bit. You “They bring you in for a week is just the belief that you can just have to kind of enjoy the — more to look at you than any- — having that conviction. ‘I can ride.” Potholes and all. thing — but it was good, I got play in this league,’” he said. “It’s Shortly after the NFL draft to see Russ again,” Stave said of just a matter of finding a good last April, Stave signed as a free former UW Russell fit. You have to bounce around agent with the Vikings and saw Wilson. “He has always been until you find someone who likes considerable action during the very focused, very confident. you.” preseason. Before the fourth He’s a good leader and he loves The Bengals had to like what and final exhibition, quarterback to compete. He was the same they got out of Erickson, who Teddy Bridgewater suffered a guy there as he was here.” was the only college free agent season-ending injury and the to make their season-opening Vikes went out and acquired roster. He went on to lead the “A LOT OF IT IS JUST THE veteran Sam Bradford. Stave was NFL in kickoff return yardage. BELIEF THAT YOU CAN — HAVING cut from the roster on Sept. 3 “Last year was kind of a tale of THAT CONVICTION. ‘I CAN PLAY IN and signed the next day to the two seasons for me,” Erickson THIS LEAGUE,’” STAVE SAID. “IT’S practice squad. said. “The first half of the year JUST A MATTER OF FINDING A “I learned a lot from Norv, I we really struggled on special GOOD FIT. YOU HAVE TO BOUNCE thought he was a good coach,” teams and the return game. The AROUND UNTIL YOU FIND Stave said of Minnesota’s offen- second half we really found our SOMEONE WHO LIKES YOU.” sive coordinator, Norv Turner. niche and had success. “I got a chance to watch Sam “People say that it’s a men- Bradford. He hasn’t gotten a lot The Seahawks released Stave tal game in the NFL with how of praise throughout his career. on Nov. 1. “I don’t try to figure it much they throw at you and But he throws it really well and all out,” he said. how much you have to learn and he’s very accurate. It was amaz- The Chiefs signed Stave to adjust to the different style of ing how quickly he picked stuff their practice squad on Nov. 9. play and how fast it is. For me, it up. He was really professional “I really liked the ,” was mental because I was play- and that was some good stuff I he said of Alex Smith, Nick Foles ing a little different role than I took from him.” and Tyler Bray. “All three of had been. Special teams was the The Vikings released Stave on them were really good guys and bulk of my role (with the Ben- Oct. 25. “A lot of it can just be a lot of fun to spend time with. gals) whereas here at Wisconsin, timing and what’s going on with Guys (veterans) are not always I played very little special teams.” their personnel,” Stave said of the nicest to rookies. But both Erickson had two career kick- their decision. “You kind of look of them (Smith and Foles) really off returns for the Badgers. Both for who’s a little more disposable, went out of their way to make came during his senior year who’s not really doing a whole me feel comfortable.” when he also returned punts lot and I was one of those guys, During the offseason, Foles (7.3 average) for the first time. “I so out you go. I wasn’t thrilled returned to the Philadelphia had a lot of learning and catch- about it. But you can’t sit around Eagles. In mid-January, Stave ing up to do,” he said, “with get- and complain. Later that night I signed a reserve/future con- ting experience back there and

LUCAS AT LARGE PAGE 2 OF 3 LUCAS AT LARGE BY MIKE LUCAS ▪ UWBADGERS.COM SENIOR WRITER

STEVE SANDERS and punt returns (28 for 195 yards, 7.0, long 24) — he got limited reps as a slot receiver and caught six passes. Drawing a comparison between the college and pro systems, he noted, “The playbook is a little bigger, the verbiage in the huddle is a little longer, but the routes and con- cepts are very similar.” There was an understandable adjustment to the athleticism in the secondary. “The defensive backs in the NFL are unbeliev- able,” he said. “The windows are very small and the ball the quar- terbacks are throwing are usually where they need to be, so it’s bang-bang. It’s just a matter of MAX SIKER MAX fine-tuning your techniques and getting in and out of cuts a lit- tle better and making contested catches.” Erickson and Stave are anxious Joel Stave for Year 2 of their NFL jour- neys. “I want to keep growing making the right decisions. That helped me out when I first got and developing and be ready to was the biggest thing for me there.” make plays when the opportu- — decision-making on the back The 29-year-old Tate ended up nities come,” Erickson said. That end because those plays are a in Buffalo after his release by the also holds true for Stave, who lot more important than people Bengals. In his absence, Erickson was more pragmatic about his think.” picked up what he could about situation, however more tenu- In training camp, Erickson beat the return game from Pacman ous. “The best-case scenario is out the incumbent return spe- Jones. He also studied the prac- to play 10 to 12 years and then cialist Brandon Tate, who was tice habits of Cincinnati’s top I’m done and I’m 35,” he pointed the Bengals’ all-time leader in receivers, A.J. Green and Bran- out. kick and punt return yardage. don LaFell. “Just being a sponge But if his dream of playing pro “The NFL is a production busi- around those guys was a good football doesn’t necessarily play ness and you want to make an experience,” Erickson said, “and out that way? impression every time you get I’m excited to get back and con- “I can go be an engineer the ball in your hands,” he said, tinue that.” whenever I want afterwards,” he referencing his touchdown re- In addition to Erickson’s spe- conceded. turn in the preseason opener. cialty work — kickoff returns (29 It’s always nice to be holding a “He (Tate) was a guy who always for 810 yards, 27.9, long 84) trump card. ▪

LUCAS AT LARGE PAGE 3 OF 3 ASK THE BADGERS

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO WALK? ON CAMPUS? JACK MCLAUGHLIN JACK MCLAUGHLIN DAVID STLUKA

ELAN KOENIG MELISSA PICK COURTNEY FREDRICKSON R-Fr. ■ Men’s Soccer Fr. ■ Women’s Tennis Fr. ■ Women’s Basketball Los Angeles, Calif. Albuquerque, N.M. Minnetonka, Minn.

“My favorite place to walk “My favorite place to “The Terrace. I love sitting on campus is definitely walk on campus is on by the water when it’s down Bascom Hill on a Park Street right near warm out and doing home- sunny day. It’s really nice Science Hall. If you look work there or getting some to be able to look down straight forward, you see lunch. I grew up on Lake the hill and up State Street Lake Mendota, if you Minnetonka back home, so all the way to the Capitol.” look to the right, you see I constantly love to be on the Capitol and State the water or near it.” Street, and if you look to the left, you see Bascom Hill. In this spot, all of my favorite parts of Madison can be seen at once!” BADGERING

COACH KELCY McKENNA

Well before Kelcy McKenna became the women’s tennis coach at Wisconsin, she was a legend. Growing up in North Bend, Or- egon, she was a two-time state player of the year in volleyball and was so good at tennis that she lost only one set on the way to an 88-0 record and four state titles. McKenna wound up focusing on tennis in college, where she became an All-American in singles and doubles at Arizona State. After coaching stops in Marshall and New Mexico, McKenna pursued the job at UW and did so having never visited Madison before. Her inaugural season with the Badgers has been rougher than she’d like — 4-12 overall, 0-6 in the — but she has a top-25 recruiting class for next season and a lot of energy for the project. McKenna spoke recently about her coaching influences, her introduction to Madison and what kept her humble growing up. Interview by Andy Baggot: Why coaching? “I just loved being able to give back to a sport that’s given me so much. My major was elementary (educa- tion) and you’re in those eight-hour days with your little kids and you’re pretty set with the standards you’re required to teach. So I loved the balance of coaching, which is teaching with creativity. … I love the timeline that you have your athletes for. It’s a really big time of growth and it’s also a time of them having indepen- dent thought and all these pieces of their collegiate puzzle.”

Your parents, Matt and Patti, were your coaches growing up. Did you have a particular experience that drew you to the profession? “I was always a question-asker. If you were to speak to my collegiate coaches, they would probably say I was incessant with the amount of questions that I asked. Why are we doing this? Why this? Why that? Just having those dialogues really allowed me to have the whole picture of what they actually did, because so often when you see a coach, a lot of what you see is on the court for this amount of time, but what do they do behind the scenes. My coach was very gracious that she allowed me to ask those questions to get a feel for what it was like. Somewhere in those four years there’s an ah-ha moment, but I couldn’t tell you exactly when it happened.” Teaching seems to run in your family. Your dad teaches in high school. Your mom teaches first grade. Your husband, Matt, also teaches high school. Does it come naturally to you to instruct your student-athletes? “I think I really enjoy learning, so any time I can acquire new information or new knowledge or be able to communicate the same information to someone so they understand it as well, I think that was an interest- ing challenge for me. From a young age I was always around a gym or tennis courts because my older sister played and my parents coached. I was always around different mixes of people from different backgrounds and it was always really cool to me how sport brought them all together. It didn’t matter what someone’s day was like. When they were on a court, a field, a pitch — whatever it was — they had a common ground. I loved that.”

With all that success, how did you stay humble in high school? “I think you always know there’s someone better. … It was great for our high school. It’s awesome to be part of a small town because it feels like you are part of an even bigger family than just outside your four walls. When you know there’s always somebody better out there, you always want to work harder, you always want to find a way to continuously improve. When you have an older sister (Stacy) who can beat you con- sistently, I think it makes you feel like she’s always going to be a little bit better. It wasn’t necessarily about the wins and the losses to me. It was about constantly getting better. That was more imperative.”

Was that a difficult moment when you came to the crossroads of your tennis and volleyball careers? “Yes and no. I loved volleyball on a number of levels, but I also wanted to play tennis at a really high level. I think my opportunities in tennis were significantly more than they would have been in volleyball.”

You grew up in Oregon and played college tennis in Arizona. You said you’d never been to Madison prior to your initial visit for this job. What was the appeal of Wisconsin? “Man, it was a multitude of things. One was definitely my initial conversation with Marija (Pientka, the UW associate athletic director who oversees men’s and women’s tennis) and hearing the passion that she has for the Badgers having been here as an athlete (a former tennis player) and working here full-time. I thought, ‘If someone loves this school so much that they’ve stayed and built a career and raised a family here, it must be someplace special.’ There were a lot of other pieces — the history of Nielsen (Tennis Sta- dium) and also the ability to continue to build and grow the program — that were definitely appealing. The nature of the Big Ten and how it’s a total experience for student-athletes. They really value the growth of the person, the growth of the athlete and the growth of the student. It’s the student-athlete experience as it should be. Understanding that (UW administrators) are going to give you every resource you can imagine to help you be successful.”

You coached at Marshall and New Mexico prior to UW. Is this a place for you for the long haul? “I think this was a place where my husband and I felt like we could be at home. That was really important. In our future we’d like to have a family and there are different, I guess, ways to do that, but we always felt like Wisconsin, Madison specifically, could be our home for a long period of time. This tennis program is something that will continue to grow exponentially as we continue to evolve in terms of our skill set and the people that we have.”

What’s the cultural adjustment been like for you, West Coast to the Midwest? “You always hear about the people in the Midwest, how nice they are and how gracious they are. You don’t really understand what that means until you live here. People allow you to go ahead of them when you’re driving. People hold the door for you. People say ‘Please’ and ‘Thank you.’ The people in New Mexico were incredibly gracious as well, but I think it’s a different level. … People enjoy life. It’s been a wonderful expe- rience so far.” Have your families come to visit you yet? “They have. My parents love the Farmers’ Market. His parents love the football games. It’s been a fun ex- perience.”

What’s your read of the athletic culture at UW? “It’s a culture of excellence. They demand it in every person that they hire. They consistently demand it in the most positive way possible. I love that.” ■ MARK MCQUEEN Up against six Olympic gold medalists, Wisconsin’s four-time All-American volleyball setter Lauren Carlini was honored and humbled to just be a finalist for the AAU Sullivan Award. But never count a Badger out …

auren Carlini’s first visit to NewYork City turned all of whom were on hand for the presentation. The out to be sensationally memorable. other six — Kayla Harrison (judo), Laurie Hernan- L The Wisconsin volleyball standout arrived dez (gymnastics), Ashley Johnson (water polo), Kyle there Monday focused mainly on a fun, touristy to- Snyder (freestyle wrestling), Aly Raisman (gymnas- do list. tics) and Ginny Thrasher (target shooting) — own She returned home Wednesday with more valida- Olympic gold medals. tion that she’s one of the greatest student-athletes Carlini showed up without a prepared speech in UW history. because she didn’t think she’d win. She ad-libbed Carlini received the prestigious Sullivan Award, pretty well. given annually to the top amateur athlete in the “I’m honored to be a part of this group,” she said of U.S. since 1930, during a ceremony Tuesday night her fellow finalists. “Everyone knows them as amaz- at the New York Athletic Club. ing athletes, but they are even more amazing people. A four-time All-America setter and 2020 Olympic “I hope in three years that I get what every single hopeful, Carlini is the first-ever volleyball player — one of these guys have — an Olympic gold medal.” man or woman — and first UW product to be so Carlini is the second UW student-athlete to be a recognized. Sullivan finalist, but the first woman. In the process, Carlini added her name to a list Ron Dayne, the Heisman Trophy-winning tailback of American sports legends — Bonnie Blair, Missy for the Wisconsin football team in 1999, was nom- Franklin, Eric Heiden, Bobby Jones, Carl Lewis, Pey- inated in 2000 when Olympic wrestling champion ton Manning, Michael Phelps and Wilma Rudolph Rulon Gardner won the award. among them — to receive the award. Dayne’s legacy at the school — he set the NCAA “It’s a crazy, crazy list of people,” Carlini said. “It’s career rushing record while playing for the Badgers definitely humbling to be among them.” from 1996 to ’99 — is such that he might be in a Carlini was chosen from a group of seven finalists, class by himself.

LAUREN CARLINI: THE BEST OF THE VERY BEST PAGE 2 OF 4 He helped lead UW to consecutive Big Ten Con- dent-athlete, “I can’t tell what type of impact, what ference titles, two Rose Bowl victories and set re- my legacy will be at Wisconsin,” she said. “It will be cords that still stand. interesting to think about.” “He’s the man,” Carlini said, smiling, when the Before leaving for New York, Carlini talked about subject of Wisconsin legacies was broached. enjoying a casual journey with her parents, Tony What about Carlini? and Gale, and UW coach Kelly Sheffield. She came to Madison as the top recruit in the na- She’s a self-described foodie, so when she arrived tion and helped guide the Badgers to four straight in the Big Apple she was on the lookout for some- NCAASweet 16s — including the national title match thing on the Zagat menu. in 2013 — as well as a “Anywhere that I Big Ten championship can go to get world- in 2014 and the first “I FEEL LIKE I’VE LEFT AN IMPRINT ON THE class food I’m more No. 1 ranking in pro- VOLLEYBALL PROGRAM,” CARLINI SAID, “SO I’VE than happy to do that,” gram history. KIND OF THOUGHT ABOUT THAT AND MY LEGACY Carlini said. “I’m going In addition to Big HERE AND WHAT I BROUGHT TO THIS TEAM.” to have a really great Ten Player of the Year meal.” in 2014, Carlini was Also on Carlini’s ac- a three-time academic All-Big Ten selection and tivity list was a visit to the Freedom Tower and the earned academic All-America honors in 2016. Empire State Building, but her top priority is seeing “I feel like I’ve left an imprint on the volleyball the 9/11 Memorial. program,” she said, “so I’ve kind of thought about Carlini just turned 22, so she was 6 when the ter- that and my legacy here and what I brought to this rorist attacks took place in 2001. team.” “But I remember it happening,” she said. But as far as her overall presence as a UW stu- Carlini’s father is a firefighter in Itasca, Illinois. DAVID STLUKA DAVID STLUKA

LAUREN CARLINI: THE BEST OF THE VERY BEST PAGE 3 OF 4 The fact that 343 firefighters were among those killed when the World Trade Center towers were destroyed on Sept. 11 surely added meaning to the visit. “It’s always imprinted in my mind,” Carlini said of that moment nearly 16 years ago. Prior to leaving Madison, Carlini took inventory of previous Sullivan Award winners and was blown away. “It’s astounding to see the list of athletes and how great they are and how great their careers and leg- acies are,” she said. Carlini had a similar view of her fellow finalists. “At first I was like, ‘I don’t know if I deserve to be on this list,’” she said. “Everyone has gold medals and has been in the Olympics at least one time. “I’m the only one on the list that’s not been an Olympian. That’s my goal in life: To become an Olym- pian and to win a gold medal, the first gold medal for the United States’ women’s volleyball team.” Carlini was nominated in part by fan voting, which speaks to her popularity in the volleyball communi- ty. “It shows how great of fan support that we have here as well as at home with my friends and family, too,” she said of Badgers followers, who routinely packed the UW Field House for matches. “I’m very grateful for that.” Carlini is in the stretch run of her time at UW. She’s taking 15 credits to secure her degree in re- tailing and consumer behavior, all with an eye to- ward graduation May 13. She’s also taking part in early-morning workouts with the Badgers, in part to keep her game sharp, but also to share insights with her projected suc- cessor, true freshman setter Sydney Hilley. Following graduation in May, Carlini will make her way to the U.S. national team training site in Cali- fornia and move to Europe — hopefully Italy — to begin her professional career. She plans to follow a path that leads her to the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. “I’m honored to be the first volleyball player to win this award,” Carlini said as part of her accep- tance speech. “I hope that this starts gaining popu- DAVID STLUKA larity for the sport. “Volleyball’s growing and gaining popularity, so I hope this kind of keeps it going.”

LAUREN CARLINI: THE BEST OF THE VERY BEST PAGE 4 OF 4

AFTER SPENDING SIX DAYS A WEEK ALONGSIDE THEIR NEW TEAMMATES LAST SEASON, TRANSFERS CHRIS JAMES AND NICK NELSON ARE READY FOR THEIR CHANCE TO STEP ON THE FIELD ON SATURDAYS, TOO.

NICK NELSON

n the week leading up to a road game, the said James, “and seeing it all unfold on Saturdays routine didn’t change appreciably for tail- was actually pretty cool to watch. Me and Nick were Oback Chris James, a transfer from Pitt; or in the same situation. We were like, ‘Man, I think I cornerback Nick Nelson, a transfer from Hawaii. could play right now.’ But we can’t. You know what Both carried out their assignments on the scout I’m saying? team in preparation for the opponent. Both took “That forced both of us to be in a different posi- pride in the role they played. Both reassured each tion. Rather than being players, it was almost like other about their future in the program. we were number one supporters since we were on That was the extent of their participation through the team but couldn’t play. We had to understand Thursday. Since they were ineligible to compete or our roles as a teammate and we had to help those travel, they were left behind to “wing it” when the guys (get ready).” Badgers left town. This spring, James and Nelson have been ready- “I hated it,” Nelson said, “because I was at home ing themselves for playing time. Nelson has stepped eating wings when they were playing.” into the void left by the graduation of Sojourn Shel- He wasn’t alone. James was one of his roommates. ton and has been working with the first team at “We sat at our place and ordered some wings,” cornerback opposite Derrick Tindal. Meanwhile, James confirmed, “and wished we were there.” James has been sharing turns at tailback with Brad- There in the Big Ten was East Lansing, Ann Arbor, rick Shaw as they seek to replace the productive Iowa City, Evanston and West Lafayette. tandem of Corey Clement and Dare Ogunbowale. “We used to talk about it as, ‘Hey, just another “The year off allowed me to work on my craft,” redshirt chronicle night,’” James said. James said. “I really didn’t see it as a year off, since Like a diary, everything was recorded and filed it was more of a year of work. I was watching a real away. good team play and, every single day in practice, I “We were part of the game plan during the week,” got to go against the number one defense that was

CHRIS JAMES & NICK NELSON: LOSING THE WAIT PAGE 2 OF 6 doing some amazing things on Saturdays. So, it was Dixon still remembers the impact that Nelson had a blessing to even take reps against those guys. I on the scout team. know it helped me get better as a player.” “When Nick was practicing, he made everything Nelson felt the same way, especially since Shel- look so easy,” he said. “There was a point in camp ton was such a willing mentor. when he was undefeated as far as getting caught “I actually still hang out a lot with Sojourn,” said on. I think it was 15 straight (passes) that he didn’t Nelson. “We’ll still watch film together. The other get caught on. For a couple of days, he was on a day, we were watching the little stuff that he does. crazy streak. Nick is a game-changer.” He’s smaller, so his feet Dixon also had a few are quick. If I can apply run-ins on the practice that to my game, I can “HE GAVE US A REALLY GOOD LOOK,” field with the 5-foot-10, get so much better. I al- SHELTON SAID OF JAMES. “AND I WAS 216-pound James. ready feel like I got better PREPARED FOR “ MOST OF THE TEAMS “I knew that he was a mentally (since August). baller when he had to be THAT WE WERE GOING AGAINST BECAUSE That’s a big part of it, our scout team running WE WERE GOING AGAINST THAT SAME along with the weights. back last year,” he said. TYPE OF (PHYSICAL) BACK THAT HE IS.” I got stronger and faster “He gave us a really good and learned new tech- look. And I was prepared niques.” for most of the teams that we were going against Nelson has also been watching a lot of film with because we were going against that same type of safety D’Cota Dixon, a team leader. (physical) back that he is.” “I’ve been kind of talking to him about some of Although their timelines now intersect, James, the things that I have been taught,” Dixon said. “I’ve 21, and Nelson, 20, took much different paths to talked about having a lot more awareness as a foot- Madison — as different as the cultures and climates ball player, about going over the film and picking in Pittsburgh and Honolulu. “But they’ve definitely up tendencies, about knowing concepts and forma- meshed with all the guys on the team,” Dixon said. tions and things like that.” “Everybody has embraced them.”

CHRIS JAMES

CHRIS JAMES & NICK NELSON: LOSING THE WAIT PAGE 3 OF 6 who was coaching the DBs at the University of Hawaii, reached out to Coleman to see if he had any prospects and Coleman put him on to Nelson. Without visiting the Honolulu campus, Nelson verbally commit- ted on the phone to Hawaii head coach Norm Chow. It was nearly 5,000 miles from home, but Nel- son was lured by the chance to play right away. “Once I took the visit,” Nelson said, “I loved it.” As a true freshman, Nelson started eight games at cornerback for Jones (who summarily left the Hawaii program in January to join Paul Chryst’s first-year staff at Wisconsin). As a sophomore, Nel- son started all 13 games for the Rainbow Warriors and finished with 53 tackles and 15 passes de- fended. Nelson got his first taste of Big Ten football that season. With-

▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ in a two-week window, Hawaii lost 38-0 at Ohio DAVID STLUKA ormer UW secondary coach Daronte’ Jones State and 28-0 at Wisconsin. Taiwan Deal, another was Nelson’s link to Wisconsin. Maryland product (Capitol Heights), rushed for 147 F “He’s from the same area as me,” Nelson yards and two scores for the Badgers while Nelson said. had nine tackles. Jones is from Capitol Heights, Maryland. Nelson (Deal was also one of Nelson’s roommates last is from Glenarden. They’re five miles apart. fall.) But the real D.C.-area connection was between “Playing at Ohio State and playing here gave me Jones and Melvin Coleman, who coached the de- confidence that I could play against anybody,” said fensive backs at Suitland High School (Forestville, Nelson, who was definitely impressed by “Jump Maryland) in 2013. Jones and Coleman were foot- Around” and the night-game atmosphere at Camp ball teammates at Morgan State. Coleman’s best Randall Stadium. “That spring, I felt like I was ready player at Suitland was Nelson, then a senior cor- to be closer to home.” nerback. It made it easier for Nelson to transfer given that Doubling as a receiver — his 20 catches were the Jones had moved on and Chow was fired after the second most on the team — Nelson was the MVP 10th game of the 2015 season. As it turned out, Jones in leading Suitland to a state runner-up finish. At stayed on the move. After one season at Wisconsin, midseason, while wearing a forearm-length cast to he departed for the National Football League and protect a fractured thumb, he picked off two pass- an assistant’s job with the Miami Dolphins. es, cradling both interceptions to his body. At first, Nelson wasn’t familiar with Jones’ replace- Nelson, though, didn’t attract much recruiting traf- ment as the UW secondary coach. fic. Temple initially expressed interest. North Caro- But it didn’t take him long to find out all that he lina Central and North Carolina A&T offered. Jones, needed to know.

CHRIS JAMES & NICK NELSON: LOSING THE WAIT PAGE 4 OF 6 “Once they told me who Coach (Jim) Leonhard was, I said, ‘I’m going to Wisconsin,’” recalled Nel- son, who deferred to his dad for the background “THESE GUYS WORK HARD AND THAT’S check on Leonhard, a 10-year NFL vet. “My dad EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED,” JAMES SAID. was telling me, ‘It’s Jim Leonhard. He played with “ “AFTER THE FIRST COUPLE OF DAYS, THEY Darrelle Revis.’ I said, ‘OK, I need to be around him.’” SAW HOW HARD I WAS WORKING AND EV- Nelson has already profited from Leonhard’s ERYTHING CLICKED. FOR ME, SEEING THEIR knowledge and coaching approach. WORK ETHIC, IT MADE ME THINK, ‘THESE “He’s just so smart,” Nelson said. “The thing I like ARE THE GUYS I WANT TO BE AROUND.’” the most about Coach Leonhard is that he coaches you based off your build. If you’re a guy who’s built like Revis (5-11, 198), he’ll let you watch tape on ames admitted that he wasn’t sure how he Revis. If you’re a bigger guy like Richard Sherman would be received by his new UW teammates. (6-3, 205), he’ll let you watch Sherman.” J “When I first came here, I was kind of ner- The 5-11, 207-pound Nelson is a fan of Revis and vous,” he said. “I was thinking, ‘Here you are; you’re Marcus Peters (6-0, 196). not a freshman, but you’re also the new guy on the Besides Shelton, he’s also a big fan of Tindal, who team.’ I was trying to figure out, I guess, my social has 20 career starts for the Badgers. “We clicked status. The first day I came into the weight room, when I first came on my visit in the spring,” Nelson guys were screaming and throwing weights around.” said. “I’d seen his dancing videos on Instagram. I A smile broke across his face. introduced myself to him and ever since then we’ve “I thought, ‘Aw, man, I’m going to fit in perfectly,’” become cool.” James said. “These guys work hard and that’s exact- Nelson, for now, has been concentrating on ly what I wanted. After the first couple of days, they cleaning up his techniques. “I’m still learning and saw how hard I was working and everything clicked. I’m still getting out of my comfort zone — mixing it For me, seeing their work ethic, it made me think, up against a small receiver or a bigger receiver,” he ‘These are the guys I want to be around.’” said. “The best advice Sojourn has given me is, ‘Stay James has always been a weight-room warrior. focused.’ That’s the main thing.” Before his senior year of high school — Notre Dame ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ Prep in Niles, Illinois — he posted a workout video

CHRIS JAMES & NICK NELSON: LOSING THE WAIT PAGE 5 OF 6 that went viral with millions of views. After rushing self. “That’s what the coaches have taught me, that’s for 4,220 yards and 53 touchdowns as a three-year how my grandmother has raised me,” said James, starter, James showed up on many recruiting lists. who was raised by Audrey Davis after his mom died Seven Big Ten schools offered scholarships, in- from complications during surgery when he was 4. cluding Michigan State, Iowa and Wisconsin. But “I can’t worry about the season right now.” it became a numbers game with the Badgers, who Instead, he’s just concerned about the next prac- veered in another direction, and James wound up tice. And, then, the one after that. being a member of Chryst’s second recruiting class James credited his mindset to watching Clement at Pittsburgh. and Ogunbowale interact. “I just loved how those As a true freshman, James was the complemen- guys really worked off each other,” he said. “They tary piece to James Connor, who earned first-team pushed each other every single day. It was cool to All-America honors after rushing 298 times for watch them do their thing. I’m not going to lie, I 1,765 yards and 26 TDs. Appearing in all 13 games, learned a lot from them.” James had 87 carries for 437 yards and four scores. And now, he has got the best of both worlds. His top effort was 122 yards against Syracuse. “I’m much closer to home,” James said, “so my Everything changed at Pitt in 2015. Chryst re- family can come out and see me.” turned to Madison as the UW head coach. Replac- He has three siblings, not to mention all those ing him was Michigan State defensive coordinator brothers-in-arms, including Nelson. Pat Narduzzi. Conner injured his knee in the season “Plus,” James enthused, “I’m around a great group opener and was sidelined for the year. He was later of guys who love to work hard.” diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. On the Panthers depth chart, James was an afterthought (53 rushes for 253 yards). Confidence had become an issue. But he felt rejuvenated after transferring to Wis- consin. “When I got the opportunity to come here, I couldn’t say no,” said James, who was reunited not only with Chryst, but run- ning backs coach John Settle and offensive coordinator Joe Rudolph. “It’s all the guys that recruited me and knew me since I was 17 years old. They’re just wearing red now.” His confidence is coming back. During last Friday’s practice, James caught a pass in the flat and made the cornerback miss in the open field to tack on extra yardage. The corner was Nelson, who had an inter- ception during the scrimmage. Both trans- fers should be impactful additions in 2017. “I’m trying to minimize mistakes … I’m just trying to polish my skills,” said James. “I’m taking it day by day, whether it’s trying to get that little edge, whether it’s trying to stay a little later after practice, whether it’s trying to learn the playbook a little more, because it’s the mental aspect now.” By design, he’s not getting ahead of him-

CHRIS JAMES & NICK NELSON: LOSING THE WAIT PAGE 6 OF 6 INSIDE WOMEN’S HOCKEY BY A.J. HARRISON ▪ UW ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS MICHAEL CAPLES

U.S. wins fourth world championship Former Badger Hilary Knight scores USA’s overtime game-winning goal

ADISON, Wis. — In the gold medal game tournament’s most valuable player as well as one of of the 2017 IIHF Women’s World Champi- the top three players of the tournament. Decker tal- Monship between the United States and Can- lied a tournament-leading 12 points from three goals ada, it was former Wisconsin star Hilary Knight who and nine assists in five games. stole the show. Two-time Olympian and former UW captain Meghan With the game deadlocked at 2-2 in overtime at Duggan captained the U.S., while former Wisconsin the USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Michigan, Knight netminder Alex Rigsby earned a win in net for the U.S. scored the game-winning goal to lift the U.S. to its against Finland, who ultimately finished third. fourth-straight IIHF world championship crown. A trio of Badgers also shined for Canada, as current “We’re usually up in Canada or over in Europe, and Badger Emily Clark scored a pair of goals for Canada we get a lot of the boos,” Knight said live on TSN after and was named the team’s player of the game in the her game-winning effort. “So to have the cheers is a gold-medal tilt against the U.S. The Saskatoon, Sas- pretty good feeling.” katchewan, native played on Canada’s top line during A native of Sun Valley, Idaho, Knight ended the tour- the final two games of the tournament. nament with four goals and five assists. Meaghan Mikkelson started several games for Can- Knight wasn’t the only Badger to shine during the ada on defense, while former UW captain Blayre week-long tournament in Michigan as her linemate Turnbull scored a goal and often was out on the ice and former Badger Brianna Decker was named the for Canada during penalty-kill situations. The 2017 IIHF World Championship was one of the final international events before the 2018 Win- ter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. Both the U.S. and Canada will select their preliminary rosters for the Olympics this summer before whittling the rosters down to 21 players. ■ INSIDE TRACK & FIELD BY A.J. HARRISON ▪ UW ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS A.J. HARRISON

Badgers shine in the sun in Arizona Wisconsin enjoys stellar performances out west at Jim Click Shootout

ADISON, Wis. — Despite dealing with 90 and are great for our sport.” degree temperatures, the Wisconsin track Leading the way for Wisconsin was Ebony McClen- Mand field teams put up outstanding- per don and Emma Haugen. McClendon tied the school formances in Tucson, Arizona, at the 2017 Jim Click record in the 100 meters, crossing the line in 11.55 Shootout. seconds before finishing the 200 meters in 23.32 sec- The UW women took home the team title, topping onds. Her time in the 200 meters would have been Big 10 rival Iowa along with TCU, Oklahoma State, the school record but there was too much wind for Northern Arizona and host Arizona. her mark to count. “Any competition is about a winner or a loser,” UW “I’m really happy, especially with the 100 meters,” Director of Track and Field Mick Byrne said. “It’s awe- McClendon said. “I’ve been looking to break 11.70. some that we came out on top. We beat some schools I’m a little upset about the 200 meters, but I told that are very strong in their conferences. We have to Coach (sprints coach Kareem Jackson) that I plan on have more of this in our sport, each meet has to be breaking 22 seconds in Arkansas in two weeks.” meaningful. Haugen finished second in the high jump with a “The invitationals with hundreds of teams are great, leap of 5 feet, 10 3/4 inches, which ranks fourth in and specific meets for distance like Stanford last week program history. and the Triton Invitational for the throwers, are great. “A great performance by Emma,” Byrne said. “I But meets like this one are about the overall program watched a couple of her jumps and she came close to breaking our school record, just clipping the bar at in the discus with his toss of 189-11. An honorable 6-1.” mention All-American in the discus last year, McDon- On the men’s side, Wisconsin took third with 103 ald ranks 10th in the country this year in the event. points as three Badgers moved up the program’s top- Fellow thrower Riley Budde set a personal best in the 10 list. hammer throw with a heave of 215-4, which also ranks Lorenzo Larry won the 100 meters in 10.34, mark- third in school history behind All-Americans Michael ing the third win in the discipline this year. His time Lihrman and Scott Erickson. was the fifth-fastest in the nation last weekend and UW is off from competition next weekend before ranks seventh in school history. tackling a pair of meets the following week. A group “That was a great run by Lorenzo,” Byrne said. “That of Badgers will head to San Diego for the Triton Invi- was a stacked field, and he went out and came away tational, April 21-22, while another group will head to with the win and a personal best.” Fayetteville, Arkansas, for the John McDonnell Invita- Josh McDonald moved up to No. 3 in school history tional the same weekend.■ INSIDE SOFTBALL BY KELLI GRASHEL ▪ UW ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS DAVID STLUKA

▲ TAP TO WATCH - Three Takeaways before the Badgers hit the road to face the Boilermakers Home wins propel UW into tough weeks Fresh off successful series, Wisconsin returns to road vs. Purdue

ADISON, Wis. — It was a good weekend to narrow the score. The sophomore pinch hit a for the Wisconsin softball team as the single on a bunt with one out and then stole sec- MBadgers clinched their first home series ond in the next at bat. She eventually crossed home of the season over Iowa. And they did so in excit- plate with junior Kelsey Jenkins, who slammed out ing fashion, giving the nearly 2,500 fans who came a moon shot, to lead the Badgers’ late rally. to Goodman Diamond during the weekend some But Miller and Scherle weren’t done leaving their thrilling softball to watch. mark on the series just yet. Miller recaptured the The victories were made a little sweeter by the lead, 2-1, for Wisconsin in the bottom of the third Badger roster’s Iowa natives making some crucial inning in the series finale with a two-RBI dinger. In moves in the games. Senior Taylor Berry, a native one of the most critical at bats of her career, Scher- of Muscatine, Iowa, started the action in UW’s first le knocked in an RBI single to keep the game tied at game by knocking in an RBI double, the second of 5-5 in extra innings. The Badgers were able to walk her career, to open up the scoring for the Badgers. off in the 10th inning courtesy of a Brooke Wyder- Fellow senior Chloe Miller, a native of Bettendorf, ski double that scored Jenkins. Iowa, capped off the Badgers’ 8-1 win with a two- “It was a lot of fun. Everyone stepped up, every- run homer that soared over the left field fence. one worked together, our seniors really led us and Wisconsin dropped the series’ second game, 4-3, Kate did a great job on the mound. A bunch of us but Gabby Scherle (Slater, Iowa) helped rally the just tried to stick it out, gut it out and we did it,” Badgers back into the game during the fifth inning Wyderski said. One of the biggest hometown heroes of the controversial play calls. Through it all, the Badgers weekend was freshman Kaitlyn Menz. The Waukee, learned a lot about themselves and a lot about what Iowa, native worked her butt off in the series. She it takes to grind it out and finish off a Big Ten series. made an appearance in every game and threw a “It just showed us that we could fight and that total of 18 innings and well over 300 pitches. She was what we said going into the last game,” Healy picked up the opening weekend win and earned added. “Iowa had so much fight all weekend and I the cherry on top with her 16th win of the season thought they just out-gutted us in the second game in the series’ tiebreaking finale. and we said if it’s not a matter of talent, sometimes “After 10 innings I said to the team ‘That’s it, she’s it’s a matter of how hard you want it and how hard done her job. She’s a freshman, she gave you 10 you’re going to play. tough innings, it’s time to win the game’ and they “I thought the team just showed a ton of heart took it seriously, so good for them,” head coach today and I love that side of it. There were so many Yvette Healy said. ups and downs and close calls and everybody kept It was a challenging weekend overall with some their composure. There were a ton of things that miscues and tough pitching, in addition to some could’ve taken the wind out of their sails and this drama sprinkled in due to Iowa coach ejections and team stayed really tough.” ▪ INSIDE MEN’S TENNIS BY PATRICK HERB ▪ UW ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

▲ TAP TO WATCH - Building Badgers: Danny Westerman Top-ranked Badgers elevating play, goals Off to one of the best seasons in years, Wisconsin now aiming higher

ADISON, Wis. — Coming into the season already matched last year’s overall win total and ex- – year two under head coach Danny Wes- ceeded the previous season’s conference win mark. Mterman – the Wisconsin men’s tennis team Ranked 29th in the country, Wisconsin currently sits had its sights set on returning to the top half of the tied for third in the Big Ten standings. Big Ten standings and positioning itself for an NCAA “We finished last season ranked in the mid-50s na- tournament bid. With four regular-season match- tionally and we all saw that making the NCAA tourna- es remaining, Westerman and company have found ment could be a legitimate goal,” Westerman added. themselves readjusting their aspirations. “At the beginning of this year we felt like if we could “We are very excited with what we’ve done, but end the season in the top 30 we would probably be midyear once we’ve had some success like we’ve had, an NCAA tournament team. Now that we’re in the you have to re-adjust your goals and strive for more,” top 30, we have to maintain that, but we also have a Westerman explained. “I think last Sunday when we chance to do even more.” played (No. 15) Michigan, we realized what the next THE WEEK AHEAD tier is, that top-20 tier. We’re close and we still have No. 29 Wisconsin faces another tough weekend of a legitimate shot to get there. We had a good talk play in the Big Ten. Coming off a tough loss to the No. right after that match and it’s time to understand that 15-ranked Michigan Wolverines, the Badgers look to we’re not just happy to be there and we have another get things back on course against Penn State and No. level, another piece to strive for.” 2 Ohio State. Wisconsin faces Penn State at 3 p.m. At 14-4 and 5-2 in the Big Ten, the Badgers have (CT) on Friday and Ohio State at 11 a.m. on Sunday. THE BIG 4-0 The Nittany Lions are 13-8 overall and 4-4 in the Wisconsin opened Big Ten play with four consec- Big Ten. Penn State has been in tight match after tight utive wins, marking the team’s first 4-0 conference match as three of their last four losses have come by start since 1992. That season, the Badgers went on a single point. to a 7-3 Big Ten record, finishing fifth in the league. Wisconsin faces Ohio State on Sunday – one of the Now 5-2 this season, the Badgers have already sur- top programs in all of college tennis. The Buckeyes passed last season’s Big Ten win total (3) and equaled have been dominant in the dual season, accumulat- the program’s most conference wins since going 5-5 ing a 22-3 overall record and a Big Ten-best 7-0 re- in 2011. cord. Ohio State is also undefeated on its home turf. With four Big Ten matches remaining, Wisconsin is looking to tally six conference wins for the first time WINNING FEELING since going 7-3 in 2010. ■ At 14-4, Wisconsin has already tied last season’s win total. With four regular-season matches remain- ing, the Badgers have a chance to put together one of the most successful season’s in recent memory. Over the last 20 years, Wisconsin has reached 14 wins just seven times, including this season and last season’s mark of 14-9 in Danny Westerman’s first year as head coach. Most wins, Single Season, Last 20 Years Year Overall Big Ten 2010 21-9 7-3 2008 18-10 8-2 2007 16-11 6-4 2009 16-11 4-6 1998 15-10 6-4 2016 14-9 4-7 2017 14-4 5-2 INSIDE MEN’S ROWING BY PAUL CAPOBIANCO ▪ UW ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

Badgers’ rowing starting with a bang UW ready to race ‘really tough weekend’ after canceled opening races

ADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin men’s row- the next morning. Except for us in 2008, only those ing team’s varsity eight is ranked No. 10 in two programs have won national championships since Mthe country in the latest USRowing Colle- 2006. giate Poll. That is down one spot from the preseason “Not only are these programs loaded with interna- rankings. tional stars, they all have won a lot lately and that usu- The Badgers were supposed to race No. 17 Syracuse ally begets even more success. Having said that, this is last Saturday in Chicago, but the Orange got mixed up a better group than the past few years and these guys in all the travel problems across the country and their are looking forward to racing the best.” flight cancelations prevented the Badgers from begin- While UW’s top boats get tested among some of ning their 2017 season. the nation’s best crews, UW will also play host to Min- Instead, the Badgers will travel to the Stanford Invite nesota and MSOE Saturday on Lake Mendota. In what in Redwood Shores, California, and jump right into has become an annual event, the three schools are what will be among their toughest weekends of the tentatively scheduled to race on the home course be- season. The Badgers race No. 1 and defending nation- ginning at 9 a.m. ■ al champion California, as well as No. 2 Washington at the event. “There are tough weekends and then really tough ones, this is the latter,” head coach Chris Clark said. “We race Washington on Friday afternoon and Cal