Anna Szepieniec and Natalie Block represented Milwaukee at the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds hosted by Arkansas at John McDonnell Field on May 28. Block competed in the 400-meter hurdles, finishing third in her heat and 13th overall with a time of 57.12 seconds, which secured her a spot in Saturday’s quarterfinals.
“Natalie ran her first 400-meter hurdle race since the beginning of April,” said head coach Andrew Basler. “The goal for her this weekend was getting big Q’s and advancing. She took care of business today, while knocking off some cobwebs. She is in a great spot heading into Saturday’s quarterfinals.”
This marks Block’s fourth career appearance at the NCAA West Prelims. To advance to Nationals in Eugene, Oregon, she will need to finish among the top-12 athletes in Saturday’s quarterfinal round.
Szepieniec made her debut at the NCAA-level meet by competing in the long jump and placed 20th with a mark of 6.24 meters on her second attempt—the second-best jump of her season. “Anna definitely handled her first NCAA-level meet as composed and confidently as anybody I’ve ever coached at that level,” Basler said. “Her first two jumps were a little back from the board so we got caught reaching and losing horizontal speed. Even with that, she jumped her 2nd best jump of her outdoor career. It just stings for her because the mark that qualified her for this meet would have punched her ticket to Eugene.”
The Milwaukee Panthers women’s track and field team competes in both indoor and outdoor competitions throughout their season, bolsters athletic legacy at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, is part of the Horizon League, assists student-athletes academically and athletically, operates out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and participates in NCAA Division I athletics, according to the official website.
Block will return to action on Saturday, May 30 for the quarterfinal round scheduled for 7:25 p.m., which will be streamed on ESPN+.
