Oct. 24, 2012

MILWAUKEE - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's and women's cross country teams are peaking at the right time as they prepare to host the Horizon League Championships this Saturday, Oct. 27 at UW-Parkside in Kenosha. The action gets underway with the women's 5K at 11 a.m., followed by the men's 8K at noon.

Coach Corfeld previews this year's championships

SCOUTING THE MEET
Milwaukee is hosting the Horizon League Championships for the first time since 2004. That year, the Panthers finished third on both sides.

While UWM does not technically have a home course, Milwaukee is hosting the league meet at UW-Parkside, just down the road in Kenosha.

For directions, course maps, ticket information and more, click here for all championships information.

LAST TIME OUT
Two weeks ago, the Panthers posted an outstanding 16 personal records at the Bradley Classic in Peoria, Ill.

Jake Reilly continued his assault on the competition, taking 17th out of 173 runners with a new PR time. As a team, Milwaukee finished 11th overall.

On the women's side, sophomore Annette Lemanski led the way with a personal-best time of 23:05. In fact, every UWM female runner posted a new personal record.

LEAGUE NOTICE
For the third time this season, senior Jake Reilly was named Horizon League Men's Runner of the Week after his last race.

Reilly won the award after taking 17th and placing as the Horizon League's top runner at the Bradley Classic. He posted a new personal-record time of 24:57 at the large meet.

Reilly also won the award on Oct. 1 after taking an outstanding fourth overall and third among collegiate student-athletes out of more than 350 competitors at the Louisville Classic, and again on Sept. 10 after winning the Midwest Collegiate Open going away with a time of 25:51.8, a full 30 seconds in front of the next runner.

PEAKING AT THE RIGHT TIME
The Panthers started the 2012 season strong but have been finishing even strong. At their last meet, UWM had an incredible 16 personal-record times at the Bradley Classic.

Every women's runner posted a new PR at the large meet, while seven men's runners also posted a new personal best.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME
While Milwaukee does not technically have a home cross country course, the Panthers are just up the road from UW-Parkside, where they host the Horizon League Championships this season. UWM has run at the Parkside course many times, and this season was no different.

Senior Jake Reilly won the Midwest Collegiate Open hosted by Parkside Sept. 8 to lead Milwaukee to a fourth-place finish on the men's side.

The women also ran well, taking sixth overall. Sammy Woller was UWM's top finisher, placing 16th.

CROWNING A NEW CHAMPION
The Horizon League will have a new men's and women's cross country league champion this year. Since 1996, Butler had a stranglehold on the league title, winning 27 out of the past 32 titles combined between the two teams.

With Butler no longer a part of the Horizon League, every other league member is chomping at the bit at take the throne and Milwaukee has more than a fighting chance.

The Panthers have finished worse than third just once in the past ten years on the women's side. Meanwhile, the men have three top-three showings in the past nine years and placed lower than fourth just once since 1998.

UP NEXT
After competing in the Horizon League Championships, the Panthers will have two weeks off before making a bid to qualify for the NCAA Championships. The NCAA Regionals are Nov. 10 in Madison, Wis.