Feb. 18, 2004

MILWAUKEE -

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UWM Panther Tune Up
When: Saturday, February 21
Location: Milwaukee, Wis.
Where: Klotsche Center Indoor Track
Start Time: 11:00 a.m.

On Tap
After setting numerous team-best times last weekend at the Pepsi Challenge and the Iowa State Cylcone Classic, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee track and field team will return home to Milwaukee.

The Panthers will play host to the UWM Panther Tune Up meet on Saturday, February 21 at the Klotsche Center Track. Competition will fire up at 11 a.m.

Panthers Take To Iowa State Cyclone Classic (men's recap)
Competing in the Iowa State Cyclone Classic over the weekend (2/13-14), the Panther men found performances to be proud of.

In limited action during Friday's session, the Panther men fielded competitors in the 5,000-meter run. Sophomore Josh Nygren paced the way for the men by finishing 20th (14:44.08) in the field of 68 athletes. Nygren's time pushes him into the men's top time lead in the 5,000-meter run. Nate Weiland followed up Nygren, finishing 32nd (14:55.52) while Bryan Hassemer (15:05.95) and Ben Uphoff (15:14.11) finished 39th and 46th.

The Panther men closed out Saturday with a few more encouraging performances. Nick Davis led the way for the Panther men with the team's highest finish on the day. Davis finished 17th in the high jump (6'5.50) for UWM. Freshman Justin Gorman also added an impressive showing in the 800-meter run (1:52.39). Jeremy Majors (49.75) and Gabe Wagoner (50.12) competed in the 400-meter run and achieved season-best times, finishing 59th and 67th in the field of 97.

Panther Compete in Pepsi Challenge (men's recap)
While some of the Panther men were in Aimes, Iowa for th ISU Classic, some athletes remained behind to represent the squad Saturday afternoon at the Pepsi Challenge at the familiar campus of Carthage College just down the road in Kenosha.

Nick Gretz, William McCarthy, Jon Wells and Nick Wichert led the Panther men throughout the competition. Gretz achieved the highest finish for UWM with a second-place finish in the shot put (51'1.50). Gretz also placed sixth in the weight throw (47'11). The UWM men got their next highest finish courtesy of McCarthy and a fifth-place showing in the 55-meter dash (6.83). Wells and Wichert completed the day for the Panther men with Wells finishing seventh in the high jump (5'8.75) and Wichert finishing eighth in the weight throw (46'9.50).

"We had some good performances today despite the low finishes," Panther head coach Pete Corfeld said. "Nick Gretz became our team leader in the shot put and in the weight throw and is showing he is really starting to grow."

Women Find Strong Times at ISU Classic (women's recap)
The Panther women also competed in split competition and sent athletes to the ISU Classic and ran to some strong times.

Anna Christian became the new top time leader for the Panther women in the 5,000-meter run. Christian (17:47.07) raced to an overall finish of 20th out of a field of 47 athletes. Iris Perez and Timeka Walker placed highest for the Panther women in the 200-meter dash. In a field of 80 competitors, Perez placed 23rd (25.31) and Walker finished 36th (25.66). Perez's time of 25.31 lowered her team-leading time in the 200-meter dash from 25.51 to stay atop the Panthers' top times list.

As the final day of competition winded down, The Panther women had added a couple of more good runs to close out the competition. Christine Wampach and her 17th-place finish in the 3,000-meter run (10:13.99) led the way for the Panther women. Tenia Fisher added a season-best time in the 400-meter run (57.48) and Katie Anderson paced the way in the mile, finishing 30th (5:10.01).

More Success Added At Carthage (women's recap)
Competing Saturday afternoon at the Carthage College Invitational, the split-squad Panthers combined for 15 top-10 finishes during the meet. 11 of the top-10 finishes came from the Panther women while the Panther men added four.

Leading the way for the Panther women was Amber Perri, Stephanie Ray, Jill Naus and Kalin Konop. Perri, competing in the 400-meter run, placed third (1:01.20) in the event and also notched one of the highest finishes for the Panthers. Ray was the other Panther woman to capture a team-best finish of third-place, achieving her finish in the triple jump (35'04.50). Ray also finished ninth in the pole vault (9'6.25). Naus achieved the next best finish for UWM by finishing fifth in the women's 55-meter high hurdles (8.62). Konop added two sixth-place finishes with her performances in the long jump (16'6.50) and triple jump (34'10.25).

Other top-10 finishers for the women came from Marcia Roundtree, Alison Schnelle and Kris Gasser. Roundtree finished seventh in the 200-meter dash (26.98) while Schnelle placed eighth in the high jump (4'9.75) and ninth in the triple jump (34'0.75). Gasser completed the day with a ninth-place finish in the 800-meter run (2:27.99).

Panther Top Performers
This week's top track and field top performers are Josh Nygren and Tenia Fisher.

Nygren led a complete 5,000-meter race for UWM Saturday at the Iowa State Cyclone Classic. The Sophomore chopped 23 seconds off of his personal-best time (15:07) to run to a team-best time of 14:44.08 in the distance event. Nygren also played "Leader of the Pack" in the race with having three Panther teammates finish behind him also setting personal-best times in the event for what could be one of the best distance races for UWM.

Fisher ran to her fastest time in the 400-meter run on Saturday at the Iowa State Classic (57.48). The Milwaukee native's time puts her atop the UWM top times list and also catapults Fisher to the top of the Horizon League top times list. However, besides running the 400-meter run, Fisher joined in with three other Panther teammates to also run to, what should be, a league best time in the mile relay (3:56.58).

The Totals So Far
As the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has opened up the 2004 indoor track and field season, the Horizon League has been making sure the individual efforts haven't gone unnoticed.

Since the Panther have opened their season, the program has already had four athletes of the week (two men and two women). The Panthers have had Eric Gresham, Katie Slamka, and most recently, Justin Gorman and Griffin McNulty receive the league's weekly award.

Making An Impact
Freshman mid-distance runner Justin Gorman is making a fast name for himself as a competitor with endless boundaries.

Gorman, a Spring Green-native, raced to his first-ever collegiate win in the 800-meter run (1:54.72) during the Carthage College Invitational (1/31). Claiming a not only a victory, but Gorman's time of 1:54.72 was the fastest time ever recorded in the meet.

When you didn't think it could get any better, it suddenly did. The freshman ran to a UWM freshman record in the 800-meter run (1:52.39) at the ISU Classic (2/13-14). Gorman's time was not only a record, but also fast enough to qualify for the United State Track and Field Junior National Championship (qualifying mark was 1:53.14). The meet will take place June 24 and continue through July 4 in Buffalo, New York.

Distance Runners Move To A New Level
The Panther distance runners used the ISU Classic (2/13-14) to bring out their fastest times of the year and of their career.

The 5,000-meter run played host to several new personal-best times for Panther runners. Bryan Hassemer led the field with the highest improvement by chopping off 36 seconds enroute to his best time (15:05.95). Josh Nygren ran to the next highest improvement by knocking off 23 seconds to achieve his best time (14:44.08).

In The Thick of Things
The women's sprinters are putting themselves right in the thick of things for the league's top times list.

Currently, Katie Slamka has the time to beat in the 55-meter hurdles (8.57) and is sitting in 2nd in the 400-meter run (59.40). Sophomore Timeka Walker ranks 2nd and 3rd in the 55-meter dash (7.22) and 60-meter dash (7.82). Jodi Hrdina ranks second in both the 55-meter hurdles (8.78) and the 60-meter hurdles (9.39).

Rebuilding The Engine Like New
After finishing fourth at last year's Horizon League Indoor Championships and dropping to fifth in the outdoor championships, the Panther men are readying themselves to rebuild the engine to run as if it's brand new. The Panthers had 13 freshman on last year's squad. 10 of them will be returning for 2003-04. Returning 10 freshmen into their second year has been a recipe many coaches use to build depth and to add the necessary experience in hopes that it will translate into early succes. The Panthers still have some key cogs that were a part of the last teams to win the league championship in Adam Hobbler, Eric Gresham and Nick Davis. All three were members of the last indoor and outdoor championships that the Panthers claimed in 2001. Brightness is on the horizon as the Panthers will return some solid sophomores. Gabe Wagoner, named indoor track athlete of the year, and Josh Nygren, who was a solid performer for the cross country program and paced himself all the way to the NCAA Regional Championship.

Defending The Title
The Panther women enter 2003-04 as the reigning indoor and outdoor champions for the Horizon League. The Panthers have entered each season that way since the 2000-01 season. The Panthers won the indoor championship last year on the Klotsche Center Track with 165 team points, third highest in league history. The squad also notched a victory in the outdoor championships. The next closest team to the Panthers had 81 points (Butler). Kristin Naef, Lynda Theil and Stephanie Kenesie were all major contributors to the championships, but have since moved on due to graduation. The Panthers will look to returners like Kalin Konop, Sara Vanderloop, Tenia Fisher and Katie Slamka to continue the dominance. Konop finished 2nd and 3rd in the long jump and triple jump in last year's outdoor championships. VanderLoop placed 4th in the 100 and 3rd in the 200. Fisher claimed the victory in the 400-meter dash and Slamka placed 3rd in the 100-meter hurdles and 2nd in the 400-meter hurdles.

Three-peat
The Panther women had goals to return to championship form that last season, and that's exactly what they did. The women's track and field team won the Horizon League Championship for both the indoor and outdoor seasons in 2003. The Panther's three-peated for the outdoor championship with a dominating team performance that was capped off by 252 points. Last season marked the return of the indoor championship and a successful defense of the outdoor.

Adding More Hardware
Panther head coach Pete Corfeld added more hardware to his coaching collection in 2003. Already named Coach of the Year an astounding 17 times, Corfeld increased that total to 19 by leading the Panther women to a title during the indoor and outdoor seasons. After leading the women to two more championships, Corfeld increased his championship total to 20 as a head coach.