April 26, 2005

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The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's track and field team heads to Iowa this weekend to compete at the prestigious Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa. The non-scoring meet begins Thursday (April 28) with multi-events and runs through Saturday.

Last Time Out
Juniors Katie Slamka and Stephanie Ray each won events to lead the Panthers to a third-place finish at the Central Collegiate Championships on a windy Saturday afternoon, last weekend, in Champaign, Ill. UWM scored 84 points at the 12-team meet, while Illinois State (192 points) and Northern Illinois (140) took the top two places. Slamka led the way, winning the 400m hurdles (1:04.85) and adding a second-place 100m hurdle (15.11) event. In the pole vault, Ray cleared 11-9 3/4 for the win.

Leading The League
A handful of Panthers are posting league-leading marks so far this season. Sophomore Timeka Walker leads the 100m event, while the Milwaukee native is also just 0.04 seconds off the lead time in the 200m. Katie Slamka paces the league in the 400m hurdles, as junior Jodi Hrdina sits second in the event. In the pole vault, Stephanie Ray and freshman Joy VanLaanen are one and two in the league and lead third place by a foot. Lastly, UWM has posted the fastest times in the 4x100m, 4x400m and 4x800m relays.

Solid 800
Junior Griffin McNulty ran a second-straight strong 800m last weekend at the Central Collegiate Championships, placing second. She ran a time of 2:18.79 in the windy conditions to finish less than two seconds off the pace time. At the Pacesetter Invitational, the Johnsburg, Wis. native won the 800m, running a personal-record time of 2:13.48. That time placed her third in school history, behind classmate Tenia Fisher in second. The two juniors provide Milwaukee with solid one-two punch in the event. At the indoor league meet, McNulty topped the prelims in the event and Fisher won the finals.

It's Been Awhile
Timeka Walker posted some times April 16 at the Pacesetter Invite that have not been seen at UWM in quite some time. She posted top-three finishes in both the 100m and 200m, including a second-place finish in the 100m with a time of 11.90. She also ran a time of 24.60 in the 200m to take third. Her 100m time was the fastest by a Panther since 1984, while no one has run the 200m faster since 1985. Gloria Gregory and Kim Robertson are first and second all-time in each event, while Walker sits third.

Up Next
The Panthers compete at their only outdoor meet in the state of Wisconsin when they travel to the Wisconsin Twilight, May 7, in Madison.