Milwaukee City Wire

UWM track and field athlete Natalie Block advanced to the semifinals of the 100-meter hurdles in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials but did not make the squad for the Summer Games in Paris.

Block competed in the first round of the trials on Friday in Eugene, Oregon, alongside 29 other competitors. She performed well enough to advance to Saturday's semifinals; however, her time was insufficient to reach the finals.

Block had qualified for both the 100-meter and 400-meter hurdles but injured her ankle before the NCAA Championships in June. The lingering effects of that injury prevented her from competing in the longer event at the Olympic trials and affected her performance over the weekend.

Despite this setback, Block's participation caps an impressive year. She holds several UWM records and is only the second Panther in the program’s Division I history to qualify for and compete in the track and field Olympic trials.

“I was really impressed with how Natalie handled the atmosphere of competing at the Olympic Trials,” UWM track and field head coach Andrew Basler said. “From her warm-up to the competition, she stayed focused on what she needed to accomplish. There was definitely some uncertainty heading into her race, seeing how she had not competed in five weeks.”