Milwaukee City Wire

Natalie Block has qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships, setting a new program record in the 400m hurdles at the NCAA West Regionals in Fayetteville. This marks her as the first Milwaukee women's track & field athlete to reach the national meet since 2011.

Block competed in the third and final heat of the 400m hurdles during the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds, clocking a time of 57.02 seconds. She finished fourth in her heat, narrowly missing automatic qualification by just 0.02 seconds. Her performance earned her a spot as the tenth seed from the west region.

In addition to her achievement in the 400m hurdles, Block also participated in the quarterfinals of the 100m hurdles, recording her second-best time of 13.22 seconds this season. She finished sixth in her heat and placed 16th overall.

Head coach Andrew Basler described his experience on that day as "a roller coaster of emotions." He explained an incident during Block's 100m hurdle race where another competitor stumbled into Block's lane, affecting her performance slightly. Despite this setback, Basler praised Block for refocusing on her next event and executing their race plan effectively.

Block is set to become Milwaukee track & field's first All-American since Nate Pozolinski in 2017 if she finishes at any position at the national meet. She will be only the second female All-American from Milwaukee's Division 1 era following Samia Taylor's achievement in 2011.

"I'm extremely happy for Natalie and proud of the daily process she has that set this accomplishment up," said Basler about Block's success.

The upcoming National Championships will take place in Eugene, Oregon, with semifinals scheduled for June 6 and finals on June 8.