MILWAUKEE, Wis. (April 12, 2011) - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee track and field programs have signed seven high school seniors to National Letters of Intent, head coach Pete Corfeld announced today.

Dana Clausen of Racine, Wis.; Annete Lemanski of Florence, Wis.; Emily Schaal of Burlington, Wis.; Claira Himmel of Carpentersville, Ill.; Brandon Bennett from Milwaukee, Wis.; Louis Glotfelty of La Crosse, Wis.; and Alexander Chollet of Aurora, Ill., will attend UWM and join the track and field squads in 2011-12.

Clausen will come to Milwaukee from Racine Horlick High School, where she has burst onto the scene in the 800m. In her first year of competition in 2010, she ran a personal-best time of 2:18 and competed at the Division 1 state meet.

"Dana will join a long, successful line of middle distance runners at UWM," Corfeld said. "I expect her to have a great deal of improvement during her collegiate career."

Lemanski will compete in the mile and cross country after competing at the state meet in the mile and 800m as a junior at Florence High School. She took third in the mile her junior year with a personal-best time of 5:13.68. She took sixth in the event as a sophomore and ran with the third-place 4x400m relay. She is a three-sport athlete at FHS, also playing volleyball and basketball.

"Annette is excited to take on cross country and make both running sports help each other," Corfeld said. "She is a diamond in the rough with great potential. We can see her only getting better."

Schaal is the cousin of current Panther Shelby Schaal and is another strong addition to the distance group. She hails from Burlington High School, where she was a state-qualifier in cross country and the 4x800m relay.

"Emily will help bolster our long-distance squad," Corfeld said. "I believe she can run anything from the 800m to the 10,000m. She is an extremely motivated person. I look forward to having her great attitude on practice on a daily basis."

Himmel is competing at Dundee Crown High School, where she was a state qualifier in the 4x800m relay as a junior.

"Claira is a solid competitor in both cross country and track," Corfeld said. "She is another runner that will be able to range between the 800m and 10,000m for us. She fits the mold of a true distance runner. The sport of running defines who she is and she will help the team immediately."

Bennett competed at the state meet in each of his last two seasons at Milwaukee Lutheran High School. As a junior last season, he took fourth in the 400m with a time of 50.68. He also ran with the state-champion 4x400m relay and took sixth with the 4x800m relay.

"Brandon has consistently qualified and placed high in state meet competition," Corfeld said. " He has competed in 4x800m relays and is looking forward to training for the 800m primarily and improving his staple in high school, the 400m. His willingness to train for the 800m will ultimately improve his 400m race. It'll be a process, but I know that Brandon will come through with flying colors and earn numerous accolades at UWM."

Glotfelty is a three-time state cross country qualifier out of Logan High School. The younger brother of current Panther, Bobby Glotfelty, Louis took 17th at the state cross country meet in the fall. As a junior in track, he qualified for the state meet in the 4x800m relay.

"Louie will blend in and help the distance squad right away," Corfeld said. "He had a great race at the state cross country meet and helped his team to its best finish ever. He can run the gamut of distance events and has the right frame to go a long way in the sport. He is an extremely positive person and this can only help to solidify the men's team."

Chollet is a thrower out of Aurora West High School. He has excelled in the discus throw, where he has thrown 170 feet, and shot put, where he has tossed 52 feet.

"Alex has shown talent in both the discus and shot put," Corfeld said. "I like his size and believe that he can build up what he possesses and parlay it into another great thrower for UWM. He understands the throws and this will allow him to pick up the collegiate implements sooner. He is an extremely motivated individual and I look forward to working with him."