The Milwaukee Panthers track and field teams are set to compete at the Gibson Invitational in Terre Haute, Indiana from April 16-18, and at the Phil Esten Challenge in La Crosse, Wisconsin from April 17-18.
These meets are important as they give student-athletes opportunities to improve their marks before upcoming competitions. The Panthers participate in both indoor and outdoor meets during the season, according to the official website.
In their previous outings at the Duke and Marquette Invitationals, several athletes delivered strong performances. Olivia VanZeeland won her second consecutive high jump event by clearing a season-best height of 1.74 meters at Duke, which is currently first in the Horizon League for that event. Natalie Block finished second in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 57.12 seconds and third in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 13.23 seconds; she earned her second outdoor weekly Horizon League honor this season after those results. Anna Szepieniec received a Horizon League weekly award as well after jumping 6.12 meters—the second-best long jump mark in program history—and finishing sixth in triple jump with an effort of 11.89 meters.
For the men’s team, Ty Bauschelt ran personal bests in both the 400-meter run (47.45 seconds) and the 200-meter dash (21.49 seconds), placing himself fifth all-time for Milwaukee in one event while finishing twelfth overall at Duke in another. Zac Schmidt recorded a time of 48.13 seconds—second-best this year within their conference—in addition to Anthony Buford’s personal best of 48.56 seconds for fourth place on that list.
Sam Schreiber achieved third place all-time among Panthers for his steeplechase performance (9:04.14), which also ranks him second this year within their league category following his sixth-place finish at Duke.
At Marquette’s meet held locally, Josh Cygan claimed his second discus win this season with a throw of 50.88 meters while Aiden Janke took first place with a shot put mark of 15.07 meters.
Overall this outdoor season, Milwaukee athletes have secured twelve spots on Panther Top-10 lists across multiple events including sprints, jumps, throws, hurdles, pole vaulting and distance races.
The Milwaukee Panthers Men’s Track and Field Team contributes to athletic tradition at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee according to its official website; it is affiliated with UWM as part of NCAA Division I competition within Horizon League play according to its official website; it supports student-athletes balancing academics alongside athletics according to its official website; operations are based out of Milwaukee according to its official website.
Looking ahead after these two meets concludes competition later this month: Louisville will host Jim Freeman/Clark Wood Open April 24–25 while Whitewater’s Drake Alternative is scheduled April 24.
