Highland grad looks for big season, shot at NCAA track and field title with Wisconsin

A year after transferring from Illinois State to the University of Wisconsin, former Highland track standout Taylor Kesner is flourishing and having continued success in the weight events for the Badgers women’s track program.

Kesner, a 2021 Highland High School graduate recently completed her redshirt junior season at Wisconsin.

“I’m really was happy with it,” Kesner said. “I ended up redshirting, so I gave myself an extra year of eligibility to tack and was was happy with it. I didn’t compete in all of the meets my teammates did but in the meets that I did compete at, I was progressing with PR’s and a lot of progress, and so I can’t be upset about it. I’m glad where it ended up.”

Taking a redshirt year will allow Kesner to prepare for Big 10 and Power Five school.

“The majority of the Power Five big D-1 schools, the throwers of those universities will take a red shirt year because the competition is so much better and so everyone ends up in their fifth year and they’re a lot better as senior at a small school in their fourth year,” Kesner said. “So, Coach Dave (Astrauskas) and I kind of used it as an adjustment year even though I think I could have been fine without it. But I think because the training and lifting is so different and the campus atmosphere is so different, we decided it would be good to have this year, work really hard ad get a lot better.”

Kesner said the biggest change she had to make coming from Illinois State to Wisconsin was the level of competition in the weight events.

“Everybody at these big meets are good and a lot of them are better than you,” Kesner said. “So, it’s just the level of commitment in the sport and all the different amenities that these big schools offer makes the competition so much better.”

The winter season started well for Kesner on Jan. 13, when she placed third in the weight throw with a distance of 21.01 meters in the Wisconsin Midwest Invitational.

Six days later, Kesner bested that showing with a first place finish and a throw of 21.65 meters at the Red Hawk Opener in Ripon, Wisconsin.

In February, Kesner had a couple more strong outings. She placed second in the weight throw with a toss of 73-1 and ¼ in on the opening day of the Badgers Windy City Invitational at Gateley Stadium in Chicago on Feb. 3. Then the junior thrower followed that performance with a victory in the Solomon W. Butler Classic at Dubuque University in Dubuque, Iowa on Feb. 16, with a throw of 22.16 meters.

“The weight season was fun and probably my favorite met of the indoor season was that Windy City Meet because we had because our weight squad had six or seven girls that all throw 20 meters,” Kesner said. “So, it’s one of the best weight squads in the nation.”

Those strong winter shows helped Kesner get rolling and prepare for the outdoor season.

Kesner excelled in the outdoor season with big performances at the Badger Challenge in Madison on May 3 and the Oklahoma Throws Series at Ramona Series on June 2. She won the Badger Challenge discus event with a throw of 57.67 meters and won the javelin with a throw of 50.60 meters.

Kesner also recorded a personal record of 57.15 in the Oklahoma Throws Series which placed her third on Wisconsin’s all-time performance list.

“That was pretty cool and when I was looking around at schools was looking at where I want to be in the top 10 marks and I ended up second in that list for the discus and the girl that I beat is a stud athlete who is Jody Schaefer, a multi-time all-American,” Kesner said. “So that was cool.”

Kesner has been working out this summer in preparation for her junior season with the Badgers.

After making Nationals last year, she is hoping for a big year in the throwing events.

“I really think I could be in contention for the NCAA title in the weight. That’s a big goal of mine,” she said. “I think I can get on the podium outdoors in both (discus and javelin) and have some USA and Worlds, and hopefully make it as far as I can into June with those two events.

“Hopefully, I’m going to impress myself again.”