The Milwaukee Panthers women’s track and field team competed at two separate meets on March 27, with athletes participating in the Raleigh Relays in North Carolina and the Joyce Morton-Kief Invitational in Illinois.
These early outdoor competitions mark an important phase for the Panthers as they transition from indoor to outdoor events. The team is part of NCAA Division I athletics and competes within the Horizon League, according to the official website.
Head coach Andrew Basler said, “We had a great start to our outdoor campaign the past two days. Today, we saw great openers on the track in the women’s 100-meter hurdles and the 400-meter run. Competing for the first time since last year’s outdoor NCAA Championship, Natalie Block opened her season with a second-place finish in a time that historically qualifies for NCAA West Prelims. Horizon League’s Indoor Athlete of the Year, Anna Szepieniec, closed strong in her hurdle race for a great outdoor opener. Tori Spagnola ran her first collegiate 100-meter hurdle race and established a great starting mark.” Block finished second in her event with a time of 13.45 seconds while Szepieniec placed fourteenth at 14.11 seconds.
Basler also said, “The 400-meter runners had an outstanding opener for the season. Katie and Taylor had their best 400-meter openers of their career.” Katie Burns completed both sprint events—finishing with times of 12.29 seconds (100 meters) and placing forty-first at 56.22 seconds (400 meters). Taylor Thimmesch finished her race at 57.87 seconds.
In field events, Olivia VanZeeland and Kallie Volk each cleared heights of 1.62 meters during high jump competition at Raleigh Relays while Mercedes Herrera represented Milwaukee at Illinois State by throwing for a distance of 42.71 meters in hammer throw competition on Friday.
The Panthers are scheduled to continue their participation into day three of both meets this weekend as they build upon their early-season performances.
The Milwaukee Panthers women’s track and field team engages in both indoor and outdoor competitions throughout each season according to the official website. The program bolsters athletic legacy at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee per its official site, operates out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin according to its website, assists student-athletes with balancing academic responsibilities alongside athletic duties as noted by university sources, is part of NCAA Division I as indicated online, and maintains membership within Horizon League athletics according to its official information.
