Feb. 27, 2004

MILWAUKEE -

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On Tap:Horizon League Indoor Championships
When: Sat. February 28 - Sun. February 29
Where: DePauw University (Greencastle, Ind.) hosted by Butler University
First Session Start: 5:00 p.m.
Final Session Start: 10:30 a.m.

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee track and field program will head to Greencastle, Indiana to compete in the Horizon League Indoor Track & Field Championships. The two-day event is being hosted by Butler University, but will be held on the campus of DePauw University.

Returning Champion
Panther junior pole vaulter Kyle Huebner returns to the 2004 track and field indoor champion as the Horizon League's defending pole vault champion.

Huebner set a championship mark of 13'6" has already surpassed it with his 2004 best mark of 14'11.75". Huebner currently holds the top spot on the 2004 Horizon League top performances list.

Panthers Claim Home Wins
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee track and field program returned home to the Klotsche Center for the first time during the 2004 indoor season and they were welcomed with open arms. The Panther women went 3-0 in the double-dual format by defeating Illinois-Chicago (82-55), Loyola University (74.5-63.5) and Marquette University (62-58). The Panther men followed suit by going 3-0 knocking off Illinois-Chicago (94.5-48.5), Loyola University (79-68) and Marquette University (91-58).

In the early portions of the meet, the Panther women received strong finishes by a number of performers. In running events Timeka Walker led the way by racing herself to a season and team-best first-place finish in the 55-meter dash (7.12). Jill Naus (8.75) and Taryn Cozine (8.88) added a second and third-place finish for UWM in the 55-meter high hurdles.

As the day continued on, Iris Perez, Tenia Fisher and Griffin McNulty ensured a strong, consistent team performance. Perez ran to her fastest time (25.22) in the 200-meter dash to place first and within .04 breaking the team record (25.18) held by former Panther Nicole Frey. Fisher raced her way to a first-place finish in the 800-meter run (2:16.63) while Griffin McNulty ran to her fastest time (59.53) and a second-place finish in the 400-meter run. Katie Anderson added a third-place finish in the 800-meter run (2:19.87). For the field performers, Kalin Konop displayed her versatility by claiming first in the triple jump (36'5") and third in the long jump (16'11.5"). Stephanie Ray also added a second-place finish in the triple jump (35'6.5") while Heather Kohlmeier finished second in the pole vault (8'6").

For the Panther men, the field events came out to be the strength on the day. Chris Cox exited the day with a first-place tally in the triple jump (47'5.75") and a second-place finish in the long jump (21'4"). Nick Davis added a second-place finish in the triple jump (45'7.25") and Sean Cludy placed third in the long jump (20'9.75"). Nick Gretz rounded out the Panther field events by placing second in the weight throw (49'3.75") and third in the shot put (48'6"). Jon Wells also added a third-place finish in the high jump (6'0").

In the running events, Eric Wheeler (7.83) paced the way as he and Wells (8.58) finished first and third in the 55-meter high hurdles. Not to be outdone, Eric Gresham (50.08) and Elliot Enright (50.41) finished first and second in the 400-meter run. The Panthers added another tag-team type of performance in the 800-meter run. Jeremy Majors (1:54.13), Gabe Wagoner (1:55.56) and Nick Bruskewitz (1:55.72) claimed first, second and third-place in the event. Billy McCarthy added a third-place finish in the 200-meter dash (23.40) and Ryne Luezinger finished third in the 3,000-meter run (9:15.99).

"Today was a really good meet for us," Panther head coach Pete Corfeld said. "After having been on the road for the last couple of weekends, it's nice to be back on your home track and get some solid results."

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

Majors raced his way to a lifetime personal record in the 800-meter run Saturday afternoon at the UWM Tune Up meet. Majors time of 1:54.13 was good for a first-place finish and was his best time ever in the event, including outdoor times. The freshman from Jonesborrow, Ga. hasn't ran the event since his outdoor season during his junior year of high school. Majors has also never ran the race indoors. With a time of 1:54.13, Majors is .99 off the qualifying mark for the USATF Junior Track and Field Meet.

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.

Going Over The Competition
For Eric Wheeler, the only competition he's had to really take on has been the hurdles in front of him. The Panther freshman has placed himself at the top of the Horizon League's list for best times after running a 7.83 in the 55-meter high hurdles at the UWM Tune Up Meet (2/21).

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.

Jumping To The New Lengths
When freshman Chris Cox joined the Panthers he could be a strong triple jumper. After jumping to a distance of 47'7.75" at the Carthage Invitational (1/31), Cox jumped himself to the front of the Horizon League competitors.

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 1st in the 55-meter dash (7.12). 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.