• Meet Information (Heat Sheets, Event Schedule, Live Results, etc.)
• 2011 Indoor Top Times and Individual Results: Women | Men
• Panther Record Book (All-Time League Champs, School Records, etc.)
MILWAUKEE, Wis. (Feb. 25, 2011) - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee track and field teams head to Cleveland, Ohio, this weekend for the 2011 Horizon League Indoor Championships, hosted by Youngstown State.
The meet gets underway Saturday and continues through Sunday.
Championship History
Milwaukee has established itself as a championship force on both the men's and women's side. In 2010, the Panthers swept the men's and women's indoor and outdoor championships for the third time. Indoors, they have swept the men's and women's titles six times, including in each of the last two seasons. The men's team has won seven-straight indoor championships and 12 of the last 14. Overall, it has won 14-straight titles. On the women's side, UWM has won two consecutive meets and four of the last five. The Panther women have finished in the top two at 12 of the last 13 indoor meets, netting seven crowns.
Last Time Out: UWM Panther Tune-Up
The Panthers posted perfect 5-0 records on both the men's and women's sides in dual meet scoring at the UWM Panther Tune-Up last weekend at the Klotsche Center. Milwaukee scored wins over league foes UIC and Loyola, as well as Chicago State, Bradley and a partial squad from Marquette. Chia Okonkwo highlighted the women's performances by breaking her own fieldhouse record in winning the 60m hurdles (8.73). Also, Moriah Myles and Nancy Harmon each set personal-bests and moved up UWM's all-time top-10's in both the shot put and weight throw events. Simbi Laaro also ran the second-fastest 60m time in school history to win her event (7.66).
On the men's side, UWM athletes won all six field events.
Nick Hughes cleared a personal-best height in the in the high jump (6-8 3/4) and
Scott Erickson PR'd in winning the shot put (51-4 1/2). Hughes moved up to fifth in school history in his event and Erickson to seventh in his.
School Records A Go-Go
Milwaukee has seen seven school records fall so far this season. Chia Okonkwo has broken the women's 60m hurdle mark three times this season (8.70), while Durell Busby has eclipsed the men's in the event twice (8.03). In addition to clearing a school-record height in the pole vault at two different meets (16-8 3/4), Ben Crogan also scored a school-record 5,246 points in the heptathlon this season. Samia Taylor has also reset her own triple jump standard (40-10 1/4) this season and Elise Sigg has set a new mile record (4:53.49). The latest record to fall was the distance medley relay at the Iowa State Cyclone Classic (12:11.40).
Among the Nation's Elite
Milwaukee has athletes among the top 50 in the nation over three events, while four Panthers total are among the top 100 over five events. Ben Crogan heads the list, with his school records putting him 48th in the pole vault and 45th in the heptathlon. Samia Taylor's school-record triple jump has her 41st nationally.
Also among the top-100 are Durell Busby in the 60m hurdles (77th) and Elise Sigg in the 5000m (89th).
Leading the League
Heading into the 2011 Horizon League Indoor Championships, the Panthers are currently leading the league in nine events over the men's and women's teams. Ben Crogan paces the circuit in two, with his pole vault height and heptathlon score each tops. Also on the men's side, Durell Busby has the lowest 60m hurdles time, while Nick Hughes overtook Crogan in the high jump last weekend.
For the women, UWM has the top 4x400m (3:57.41) and distance medley relays. Also, Simbi Laaro has the lowest 60m time (7.66). In field events, Reigna Pierce is first in the long jump (19-2) and second behind Samia Taylor in the triple jump.
Consistently Low
Elise Sigg is having a strong sophomore season, running a personal record in each race she has run this season, but one. She opened her season in the 3000m with a time that was within a second of her PR. The next week, she ran the fourth-best time in school history and broke the school record in the event a week later (4:53.49). Jan. 29, she ran in the 800m for the first time and posted a team-best time of 2:18.01. She ran her second 3000m of the season at the Meyo Invite and broke a school record and resetting her PR by almost 25 seconds. Her last race was the 5000m last weekend at ISU. Her first race of that distance this season, she PR'd by 38.27 and moved up to third in school history.
Awards For Everyone!
Two more Panthers were honored by the Horizon League this week, bringing the teams' total of weekly honors to 11 over six regular season meets. Scott Erickson collected his second men's field award and Chia Okonkwo won her first women's track award of the season this week. Elise Sigg (women's track - twice), Samia Taylor(women's field - twice) and Durell Busby (men's track - twice) have earned multiple awards, while Reigna Pierce (women's field), Jake Whitewater (men's field) and Ben Crogan(men's field) have also each been honored once.
Additionally, Busby and Sigg were named the UWM/U.S. Army ROTC Athletes of the Month for January.
