Sconnies Speak

Category: feature

  • UW Track Club evolves with changing landscape of athletic facilities on campus

    Students struggle to make due with the Shell’s closure

    Written by: Maddox Durst

    MADISON, Wis. – One of the largest club organizations at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which is known for its consistent success, is facing nowhere to house them. 

    The UW Track Club was founded in 1991, and has produced numerous track & field and cross country athletes for the university and beyond—emerging as a place where college students could continue to run and be a part of a team without having to commit too much time away from academics and other aspects of their college lives. 

    Worries began to accumulate, though, as the indoor recreation center nestled into Camp Randall, known widely as the Shell, was set to close after April 2023. 

    “I was very upset because even including the outdoor season, we probably spent by far the most time in there,” Brenden Dieter, a fourth-year member of the club, said about the Shell. “So, it was a really hard transition out of it.”

    The Shell provided the lone resource for the track club during the winter months in Wisconsin, where performing half of the club’s events is necessary for them to train. 

    Sprinters, jumpers, and throwers were left with no facilities or resources by the time the 2023-24 school year rolled around, and winter began to set in throughout the middle of the academic year. 

    “It just kind of sucks, everyone was really disappointed because in the winter months, we’re training and we’re going to meets in March,” Vice President of sprints, Sam Culwell, said about the Shell’s closure.  “We don’t have the proper facilities to train.”

    To make up for that, the Track Club decided to take on the outdoors over this past winter, sprinkling a mix of a few indoor facilities whenever they could make do. 

    Jordan Ranum, a current medical student at the university, has been part of the club for five years and is experiencing this for the first time. 

    “It’s been rough, every Wisconsin winter is super unpredictable,” Ranum said. “We’ve been training outside in the cold, bundled up, trying not to die on the ice.”

    For these athletes, the indoor option remains available, but not without having to plan around the numerous activities on and off campus. 

    The Track Club has practiced on the McClain Athletic Facility turf, which houses the Wisconsin football indoor practice field. They have also practiced at Verona Area High School, about a 20-minute drive from campus. They aim to work out as a unit at least four times weekly. 

    Both of those indoor options cost money and force the members of the Track Club to plan many of their evenings around practice. At McClain, the club is set to practice between 10:00 p.m. and midnight, which is not accessible for student-athletes with academics to take care of early in the morning. 

    On the other hand, Verona is a drive away, with many members not having a car, requiring car pools, or even requesting an Uber at some point throughout the year. 

    “We’re just trying to make the best with what we can,” Dieter said. “I won’t lie, my fitness has definitely taken a toll and my motivation has taken a toll with not having that facility because I relied on it so much.”

    On Feb. 12, 2024, the UW-Madison Board of Regents announced a plan to create what was proposed in the reconstruction of the Shell. That includes a state-of-the-art football facility and numerous workout areas, surrounded by a three-lane track. 

    While the workout facility will be expanded, the track is thrown to the side, as the newest track being laid down in this building does not meet the regulations for any track & field athletes. 

    During that time, the Wisconsin men’s Track and Field team acquired two indoor Big Ten championships, while placing third this past season behind two of the biggest national brands in the sport, Oregon and USC. 

    Taylor Kesner, a women’s thrower, just won an individual national championship in the weight throw, all while the men’s cross country team has secured seven-straight Big Ten titles during this process. 

    There’s a brand for success, yet this group was forced to practice in Lodi and Whitewater at separate sites, each requiring daily bus trips. 

    “It’s interesting that we have such a successful track program, and have no indoor facilities, especially as a Midwest school with pretty cold winters,” Ranum said. “I feel like it puts UW at a disadvantage for their Division I athletics not to have an indoor facility.” 

    While the university provides those resources for its student-athletes, it leaves the UW Track Club on an island. 

    Training is necessary for the sport, and the escape from the daily stress of school that it creates is vital to multiple people on campus, including Ranum, Dieter, and Culwell.

    Despite it not being in top-tier shape, the Shell was a place where bonds and memories were made, a facility that is going to continue to be challenging to replace in the next couple of years.

    “Just talking about the Shell, it really makes me miss the sense of community we had there,” Ranum said. “When I went to the Shell, I felt like I knew everybody there, you would say ‘Hi’ to everybody. There were still a lot of people who went there, but it still felt like a tight-knit community.”

  • Lead Off

    The Night Mares are building a softball community on and off the field

    Written by: Morgan Feller

    Savanna Rainey’s first season with the Madison Night Mares was a dream come true.

    Late in a game during the Night Mares’ inaugural season, a young Black girl from the Poynette Smash approached Rainey.

    She was worried she wouldn’t get her ball signed — a ritual the local softball team performs after every game — and asked Rainey if she could get it signed before leaving early.

    Rainey, the marketing and operations manager, promised to take the softball into the dugout and have the ball signed by every player. This was a special case, though.

    The young girl wanted Rainey to sign the ball instead of the players.

    “I was like, ‘Wait what?’” Rainey questioned.

    Rainey stood there, puzzled. She asked herself why the girl would want an autograph from someone who wasn’t on the team.

    “She was like, ‘Well, I mean, you’re amazing, you’re awesome, you’re on the field just like they are,’” Rainey says the girl said.

    “‘You deserve to sign it. You’re the reason why this is happening,’” Rainey recalls the girl’s father added.

    Teary-eyed, Rainey signed the girl’s softball. She was left speechless after the exchange with the young player.

    The introduction of the Madison Night Mares, one of four teams featured in the new Northwoods Softball League, couldn’t have come at a better time as the inclusion and popularity of women’s sports is starting to blow up, especially in Madison.

    After duking it out with the Mankato Habaneros late in the season, the Night Mares finished in second place with a 25-17 record. Although they weren’t crowned champions in their first season, the capital’s team will be remembered for knocking it out of the park by fostering a community in Madison.

    Rainey played a key role in the team’s success in a community with strong ties to successful women’s sports teams already, and the aspiring Night Mares aim to continue to create new audiences to foster a unique sports culture in Wisconsin.

    As a Black woman, Rainey is passionate about increasing representation in softball, which is a sport lacking diversity.

    “What I really care about is making sure that I’m able to see other young little girls that look like me that might have never had the opportunity to see something like this,” she says.

    Rainey articulated the importance of influencing young softball players — something she missed out on during her playing days.

    It got so bad that she eventually hated the sport she once loved.

    She now makes it her goal to give players and young girls what she didn’t have: a supportive coach figure to look up to and a revolutionary softball team.

    “If I would have had this as a kid, you would just think opportunities are endless,” Rainey says when describing the impact the Night Mares have on young girls who play softball. “And not that opportunities weren’t endless when I was a kid, but we just didn’t have anything like this at the time.” 

    The softball star on the Poynette Smash wasn’t the only athlete who was inspired by the Night Mares’ inaugural season.

    Bryn Hommowun, a seventh-grade softball player for the Sun Prairie Savage, was lucky enough to practice with the Night Mares.

    “It was really cool to see older girls that also played softball and it was really cool to see a competitive team come,” Bryn says. “It was really cool to see another older girl’s team that plays, that is now pretty well known out of Madison, come to help us learn.”

    Sharing the field with the Night Mares wasn’t the grandest field the 13-year-old stepped on though.

    Bryn’s team was lucky enough to throw out the first pitch during the first home game of the inaugural season.

    Erin Hommowun, Bryn’s mom, was elated to see her daughter throw out this first pitch — something she never got to do as a young Little League Baseball player.

    “To watch my daughter have opportunities, not only to play competitive softball with really supportive women so early, but then to be able to watch older women who have grown up in the game, is amazing,” Erin says. “I feel like this whole community has just done better for girls in sports. And so it really meant a lot to our whole family.”

    UW Softball star Hilary Blomberg, who had the league’s second-best batting average, assisted at the Little League team’s practices.

    “I was helping one girl hit, and I was like, oh my God, she’s good. She just needs to use her legs,” Blomberg says, as she recalls a practice with the Sun Prairie Savage. “I was helping her on the side, and sure enough they were hitting live off their own pitchers, and then the next time she went up, she hit her first-ever home run.”

    Carly Oliver, a National Fastpitch Coaches Association Gold Glove second baseman from the University of the Cumberlands in Kentucky, reflects on her connections with fans and teammates and the lessons she learned from the Night Mares’ games.

    After seeing a dog retrieve a bat during her first team meeting at a Mallards’ game, she was worried the Night Mares were like the Savannah Bananas, a popular baseball team from Savannah, Georgia, with circus-like antics and funny dances during games.

    She had no idea what she had gotten herself into.

    Once the season was in full swing, Oliver says the fun games taught her a valuable lesson.

    “Even if you’re having a bad game, you still have to be that role model, you still have to put a smile on your face and interact with the fans,” Oliver says. “That I think is gonna help some of these players when they go back to school, be like OK, at the end of the day, this is just a game.”

    One of her biggest takeaways on the playing field, though, was her impact on not only little girls but little boys as well.

    “The biggest thing for me was when a little boy would come through a line and they would just look at you like you hung the moon,” Oliver says. “Growing up as a young female athlete, we had those baseball players that we were like, oh, he’s really good, but you don’t see the other way around a lot.”

    Samantha Rubin, the Mallards and Night Mares general manager, is proud the softball team gained such loyal fans after one season.

    Rubin and Rainey had lofty expectations for attendance records, but after cross-referencing how they stacked against other teams, they dusted the competition. 

    According to the league’s website, the team averaged 1,250 people every game, 78% higher than the next team in the Northwoods Softball League.

    Not only did the Night Mares dominate attendance among their softball peers, the team also outdrew 14 Northwoods League Baseball teams in average attendance, more than half of the Northwoods League Baseball teams.

    What makes this attendance feat even crazier is the front office only had six months to prepare after the initial thoughts of hosting a softball team in Madison surfaced.

    “Not many people, especially at my age, have the opportunity to not only run a summer collegiate baseball team, that’s basically a minor league team, but to also launch a team,” Rubin says. “There’s nothing out there like Northwoods League softball, there’s nothing out there like the Night Mares and there are other summer collegiate softball leagues, but they don’t do the fun.”

    Rubin is paving the foundation for other leagues as the first female general manager of the Mallards and only one of four female general managers in the Northwoods Baseball League.

    According to Rubin, exceptional softball players all over the Madison area travel to other cities to play in more competitive leagues. It’s her goal to change the landscape of Madison softball by creating a youth softball league in 2025 to increase the sport’s popularity.

    This is just the beginning of Night Mares softball and the growth of women’s sports.

    “Being able to work around such awesome people, that just love what they do and love sports and love being around their job is awesome,” Rainey says. “Especially seeing this on the field and transpire to what it has been, and I can’t wait to see what it will be in the future.”

  • ‘Confidence is earned’: How LOVB Madison bounced back in their first season

    By Gabriella Hartlaub

    Six weeks into its inaugural season, the Professional Volleyball team LOVB Madison found itself at a crossroads. One of six clubs to participate in the first season of League One Volleyball (or LOVB), LOVB Madison is a team steeped in the volleyball culture that starts with the Wisconsin Badgers Women’s Volleyball team. Only the Badgers won a national championship in 2021, and six weeks into the season, LOVB Madison stared down an eight-game losing streak. 

    The team’s last win had come weeks earlier against LOVB Salt Lake, a five-set match that LOVB Madison won 3-2. It was their first win of the season, and for the first half of LOVB’s inaugural matches, it remained their only win. 

    “We just have to be better volleyball players,” Coach Matt Fuerbringer said in a post-game press conference on February 16th.  

    The losing streak was characterized by losses to each of the five other LOVB teams, in sets of three, four, and five. The last loss came in the inaugural Love Classic, an in-season tournament for all six clubs. Madison lost 1-3 to LOVB Salt Lake City, leaving the team at the bottom of the tournament with a record of 0-2. 

    “We get to go home next week, and we’re gonna get some W’s,” Fuerbringer said on February 21st, after another loss to LOVB Houston. 

    LOVB Madison snapped their streak in the very next game.

    LOVB Madison Logo / Photo Courtesy of LOVB Madison

    League One Volleyball, founded in 2020, has always had its eyes on creating a professional volleyball league. Its founders started with the idea of building up to a professional league through partnerships with youth teams to develop players into professional athletes. At the time of its creation, it would’ve been the first attempt at a women’s pro volleyball circuit in the United States since 1985. However, before LOVB could host its inaugural season, the Pro Volleyball Federation had theirs in the winter of 2024. 

    The two are easily confusable—and even host teams in the same cities—but have stark differences. For LOVB, the focus is on the communities in which the teams are headquartered, to the point of avoiding specific team names altogether. Each team is simply referred to as LOVB, and the name of the city in which the team primarily plays.

    “The biggest thing for LOVB is wanting to attach the community and the fans to the team directly, like, this is your team,” Lauren Carlini, Olympic medalist and setter for LOVB Madison, said. 

    Carlini, a Wisconsin alumnus, is one of LOVB’s founding athletes. These athletes, all Olympic medalists in the sport, were the first team members announced for their respective franchises and serve on a council that advises owners about player needs. 

    “We’re trying to make history, and we’re trying to be a part of something bigger than ourselves,” Calrini said of the league’s first season. 

    For Carlini and others, this is the first chance they have had to play volleyball professionally without having to go overseas, which gives them more time to spend with their families close to home. 

    Carlini is not the only former Badger involved with the LOVB Madison team. Former Wisconsin players Temi Thomas-Ailara and Sarah Franklin are currently on the team’s roster, and Director of Volleyball Operations Annemarie Hickey is a former player and assistant coach at Wisconsin.

    LOVB Madison Setter Lauren Carlini / Photo Courtesy of LOVB Madison

    Led by Annie Drew-Shumacher’s 23 kills, LOVB Madison snapped their eight-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over LOVB Omaha. Weeks earlier, after a loss to Salt Lake City, Drew-Shcumacher said, “You learn a lot more from losing than you do from winning.” 

    That seemed to hold as LOVB Madison lost the first set to Omaha but came back with force to take the remainder of the sets. Starring alongside Drew-Shumacher was Milica Medved, who logged 33 attacks on receptions. 

    “I think what people didn’t see was the strength that our girls had behind that,” Annemarie Hickey, Director of Volleyball Operations, said. “We [had] a lot of things that were happening behind the scenes, like we had really hard travel, and just every little thing that could go wrong was going wrong.” 

    Hickey credits the team’s second-half comeback to the work ethic of not only the players, but also the coaches and team staff. She said that the team added an extra morning practice so that players could get more chances to touch the ball and build confidence in their style of play. 

    “I always tell them that confidence is earned,” Hickey said. “So when they were in the gym and they were really earning that confidence, you could see that their play became better.” 

    LOVB Madison’s season ended in April 2025, with a loss to LOVB Omaha in the championship quarterfinals. The first-ever team to win the LOVB Volleyball finals was LOVB Houston, but Carlini, Hickey, and the LOVB Madison team have big plans for next season. 

    “I think we’re going to see just some different looks in the arenas and the jerseys and just the in-arena experience,” Carlini said. “We’re just going to take it to the next level.” 

    “I think we’ve done a great job, but I think there’s so much more ceiling that we can hit,” Hickey said. She acknowledged that the Alliant Energy Center isn’t going to be around forever and hopes that LOVB Madison can eventually have their own arena to play in. “It’s really exciting. I think that we have a great community for it.” 

    For now, Carlini is looking forward to her first official offseason as a professional volleyball player: “​​I don’t really plan on touching a volleyball for a while.”

  •      Alyssa Thompson – Reintroducing Herself

    By Erica Bunting

    Alyssa Thompson first introduced herself to the world of women’s soccer in October 2022, when she became the youngest player ever drafted into the National Women’s Soccer League and the first to be drafted straight out of high school. She was selected by Angel City FC.  

    Alyssa is the first teenager to wear the USWNT Crest in nearly 30 years. She grew up watching many of the team’s veterans compete, including Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan, and Alyssa Naeher. Now she gets the privilege of sharing the field with them. There is a lot of pressure on Thompson to live up to the expectations of herself and returning players, proving that she does belong on the field.

    Her World Cup Debut in 2023 generated excitement among fans everywhere. Securing a spot on this competitive roster was a huge stepping stone in Thompson’s early career. Her mother was particularly excited for Alyssa, saying in an interview with Winning Her Way, “As I think about you growing up, I can’t help but smile and remember you and your sister training in the backyard with Daddy.”

    Following the 2023 World Cup and the USWNT’s abysmal performance, coach Vlatko Andonovski was let go, paving the way for Emma Hayes to take the reins. Hayes had a significant undertaking to prepare this team for the 2024 Paris Olympics. She needed to prove herself to the fans of the USWNT that she was the right choice. 

    Alyssa Thompson was not among the 18 players selected for the USWNT’s Olympic roster or for an alternate position. Her performance in her debut season was not enough to put Thompson in consideration for a position on the roster. Emma Hayes had her reasoning behind leaving Thompson off the Olympic roster, saying in an interview with Goal, “She is someone whose… international career started at a very early stage… I believe it does take time. Maybe she wasn’t ready before.”

    Although disappointed by this news, Thompson did agree with Hayes’ decision, admitting that at times, everything being thrown at her was a lot to handle. At the end of the day Thompson is still just an 18-year-old professional athlete. As the USWNT pursued the Olympic gold, Thompson stayed behind to work on fine-tuning her skills and developing as a player and pledging to work even harder. 

    After five goals and two assists in her seven NWSL games, Thompson got the call from Coach Hayes in October, calling her up to the USWNT roster, and Thompson was not going to waste this opportunity. 

    In her first international game, she scored her first goal at 39 minutes in a friendly against Iceland. The smile that graced her face was the sign of resilience and resurgence on the field. In a post-game interview with The Athletic, she said, “ I feel like last year, and the last couple of years, I put a lot of pressure on myself. I think coming in this year, I just wanted to be confident in my abilities and know what I bring as a player, and not compare myself to other people.” Thompson wants everyone to know that Alyssa is here to stay. 

    Thompson continues to find new ways to sharpen her abilities to grow as a player. Hayes has acknowledged Thompson’s journey and skills progression. In a pre-game interview she told The Athletic, “I hope that we can look at someone like Alyssa Thompson’s situation, i.e., a 17-year-old coming into the program probably underprepared for that because the level is so much higher, to then have a journey which is pretty normal for a player. But I think she’s in the best place she has been in terms of her start to the season.” 

    Thompson is still a relatively new player in the league, with a lot of professional career development ahead. Still, all the tough love has led to Thompson’s shining moment, scoring goals and increasing her minutes with the USWNT. 

    Angel City FC captain and defender Ali Riley has viewed Thompson’s journey from many vantage points.  She has competed on the same NWSL team as Alyssa, and is also a fellow Los Angeles native who attended Harvard-Westlake, the same high school as Thompson. Riley said in an interview with The Athletic, “Even when we look at how much she’s grown, her performances on the field, what’s so special about heroes that this is the beginning. I think she has the personality and the eloquence to be someone who can speak about being a woman in sport, being a woman of color in sport.” 

    Alyssa Thompson has returned to the United States National Team stronger, sharper, and more determined than ever. She is ready to reintroduce herself – not as a newcomer, but as a force. 

    She has reminded the world of who she is and what she is here to do. Welcome back, Alyssa. 

  • The Rusty Toolbox Game: A Spotlight on Wisconsin’s Unsung Heroes

    by Evan Engel

    Every practice, as Wisconsin’s football players and coaches march onto the practice field, everything is perfectly in place. The cones are lined up, the pads are set, the footballs are neatly arranged. Drills run smoothly, the helmets are crisp and clean, and the jerseys are spotless. When practice ends, they head for the locker room, leaving behind a field littered with equipment, sweat soaked towels and jerseys, and the remains of another grueling training session. Yet, by the time they return the next day, it’s as if none of it ever happened. Everything is in its place, prepped, and ready to go. 

    This is the work of the Wisconsin student managers, the silent engine that keeps the Wisconsin Football Program running. They are the first to arrive and the last to leave, ensuring that every detail is handled so that the players and coaches can focus on the game. Their efforts go unnoticed and their names are rarely mentioned, but for one night every year, that changes.

    The Rusty Toolbox Game, an annual flag football showdown between Wisconsin and Iowa’s student managers, is more than just a friendly competition: It’s a moment of recognition. It’s a chance for those who work tirelessly behind the scenes to showcase their football skills and earn respect from the players and coaches they serve. 

    The Role of a Student Manager

    Being a student manager is not only about setting up and taking down drills and washing jerseys; it is a demanding and grueling job that requires long hours and a deep understanding of the game. Managers also have to balance higher education simultaneously. They arrive hours before the first whistle of practice, ensuring that every single aspect of practice is prepared and ready to go. Adjustments are made on the fly, as coaches often change their minds on drills and equipment as practice goes on. No matter what, the managers find a way to get it done.

    For Nick Barry, a junior studying economics, being a student manager is something he has been dedicated to since before classes even started his freshman year. He earned the role of head student manager just after his second season. “We do a little bit of everything,” says Barry. “We’re part of the team in a different way. We might not be on the field during games, but we are there every step of the way.”

    Similarly, Cole Trautmann, who’s pursuing a degree in industrial engineering, found his place with the team as a freshman. By his second season, he stepped into the role of special teams manager. “In order to be a student manager, you have to understand the game on a deeper level. You have to be able to put yourself in the mind of a player and a coach and think of problems before they happen.” 

    Wisconsin’s managers are also responsible for assisting position coaches, helping execute travel logistics, and aiding in game-day operations. During the season, it is normal for the student managers to work 40+ hours a week, with only one day off.  Their work is critical, and though they receive little public recognition, the players and staff know how much they contribute.

    The Meaning Behind the Game

    The Rusty Toolbox tradition started back in 1991 as a way for the managers from Wisconsin and Iowa to compete for bragging rights and a trophy, the rusty toolbox. Over time, it has turned into a fiercely competitive battle, filled with pride and intensity that the managers look forward to each season. 

    “For us, it’s more than a game,” Trautmann explains. “It’s our chance to step onto the field and show our players and coaches that we have some skill too.”

    Throughout the season, the managers dedicate their own time to preparing for the game—watching film from previous years, running drills, and even designing plays. The night before the official Wisconsin vs. Iowa football game, it’s finally their turn to be in the spotlight. While it’s technically flag football, the intensity is real: there’s plenty of contact—just without the pads. It’s not unusual for managers to walk away with sprains, fractures, and more than a few bruises.

    The sidelines are always filled with friends, family, and former managers. Even the players and coaches will stop by to watch the game. Sometimes, they give their two cents on what they are seeing. 

    One such moment came when former Wisconsin Linebacker Chris Orr, watching from the sidelines, saw an opportunity to help. Recognizing a weakness in the managers’ defensive scheme, he stepped in and called for an adjustment mid-game. 

    “That was huge for us,” Barry recalls. “Not only did his adjustment help us, it boosted our confidence. It felt good knowing that we had some of our guys cheering us on and were pulling for us to win. I mean, we do that for them every Saturday.”

    A Night to be Recognized

    For most of the season, the managers work in the background, their efforts unseen by fans and the media. During the Rusty Toolbox Game, they take center stage. Under the bright lights of the indoor practice facilities, they make genuinely impressive plays, have unique celebrations, and hear their names cheered. It’s a brief moment –and a fraction of the glory their players and coaches feel, but one that carries deep significance. 

    “It feels refreshing to feel recognized and respected for the hard work that we put in each and every day,” Trautmann explains. “We might not be playing for a championship or headlines, but it sure is nice to be the one playing ball for once.”

    When the final whistle blows, the managers return to their usual roles, ensuring that the team is ready for the real game the following day. But for that one night, they are not the ones just setting up the field; they are the ones playing on it. 

    And for them, that means everything.