The Milwaukee Panthers track and field teams are preparing for two upcoming competitions: Grand Valley State’s Big Meet Friday and DePaul’s Blue Demon Alumni Classic, scheduled for February 13. The Big Meet Friday will be held at the Kelly Family Sports Center in Allendale, Michigan, starting at 7:30 a.m., while the Blue Demon Alumni Classic is set to take place at the Gately Indoor Track in Chicago, Illinois, beginning at noon.
In their previous outings, 14 athletes competed at the Iowa State Classic while others participated in the Mark Guthrie Legacy Invitational in La Crosse. At Iowa State, Anna Szepieniec continued her strong junior season by finishing second in both the 200-meter dash (24.69) and the 60-meter hurdles with a personal best of 8.45 seconds. This performance places her second in program history for the 60-meter hurdles.
Katie Burns also had a notable meet in Ames, securing second place in the 400-meter dash with a time of 55.62 seconds—ranking her third all-time for Milwaukee—and qualifying for the finals of the 200-meter dash where she finished eighth (7.82). Victoria Spagnola moved up to seventh on Milwaukee’s all-time list for the 60-meter hurdles (8.68), and Leah Handshoe took eighth in school history for the 400-meter dash (56.55).
On the men’s side, Ty Bauschelt was recognized as Horizon League Runner of the Week after placing fourth in both the 200-meter dash (22.08) and high jump (1.98 meters). In La Crosse, Kyril Griffin placed third in triple jump with a mark of 14.06 meters—earning Horizon League Field Athlete of the Week honors—while Bishop Bufford finished fourth with a jump of 13.81 meters.
This indoor season has seen Panthers athletes secure thirteen new entries into their Top 10 record books across multiple events.
Anna Szepieniec broke Milwaukee’s long jump record at this year’s Tierney Classic with a leap of 6.30 meters, surpassing Samia Taylor’s previous mark from 2013. “Szepieniec has earned Horizon League Women’s Field Athlete of the Week twice for her high jump efforts, and she currently ranks first in the event across the Horizon League.”
Katie Burns continues to stand out during her senior campaign: “Burns currently ranks in the Horizon League top ten for the 400-meter dash, 200-meter dash, and the 4×400 relay.”
Additionally, Victoria Evtimov, Taylor Thimmesch, Katie Burns, and Leah Handshoe set a new program record for Milwaukee’s women’s indoor 4×400 relay with a time of 3:48.06 at Notre Dame’s Meyo Invitational.
Looking ahead, Milwaukee will compete at Grand Valley State’s Big Meet Friday and DePaul’s Blue Demon Alumni Classic on February 13.
The Milwaukee Panthers Men’s Track and Field Team competes as part of NCAA Division I within the Horizon League under University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee athletics and participates regularly in indoor and outdoor meets throughout their season according to their official website. The team operates out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and contributes to both academic support for student-athletes as well as maintaining athletic tradition at UW-Milwaukee (source).
