Results

KENT, Ohio (Feb. 25, 2006) - Sophomore Joy VanLaanen won both the pole vault and long jump to lead the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's track and field team to first place on the first day of the Horizon League Indoor Championships, Saturday in Kent, Ohio.

The Panthers picked up 75 points on day one, to lead host Youngstown State in second with 54 points. UIC is third with 20 points, just ahead of Loyola with 19. Butler (9 points), Wright State (4) and Detroit (2) round out the field.

VanLaanen, already an NCAA Provisional qualifier in the pole vault, won the event with a league-record height of 11-1 3/4. She broke the mark previously held by former Panther Lynda Thiel. Senior Stephanie Ray placed second with a final height of 10-8. In the long jump, UWM placed five athletes in the finals, led by VanLaanen and her leap of 17-9 1/2.

Milwaukee also had individual champions in freshman Jenni Saarinen and sophomore Angie Huebner. Saarinen won the pentathlon with a school-record score of 3,459 points. That scored topped the previous standard of 3,086 set in 1983. Huebner crossed the line in the 5000m with a time of 17:42.38 for top honors, while senior Anna Christian finished third in 18:00.51.

The distance medley was the last event UWM scored in, taking third. Seniors Katie Anderson, Iris Perez and sophomores Kris Gasser and Erin Magargee combined on a time of 12:31.29.

UWM set itself up well with a strong showing in preliminaries, taking first in three events. Junior Timeka Walker topped both the 60m and 200m events, setting a league and school record in the 200m. She crossed the line in the 200m with a time of 24.83, eclipsing her own school mark of 25.05. She also posted a time of 7.64 in the 60m.

The Horizon League Indoor Championships continue Sunday.