Milwaukee City Wire

Natalie Block, a prominent figure in collegiate track and field, has made significant strides throughout her athletic career. As an eight-time Horizon League Champion and holder of multiple records at Milwaukee, she has been recognized as the Alfreeda Goff Indoor Track & Field Women's Athlete of the Year for three consecutive seasons.

Block's journey began with Girls on the Run, a local non-profit where she trained for 5K races while learning about goal setting. By seventh grade, she shifted her focus from long-distance running to sprints, saying, "I started off with the 100 meter dash and the long jump but switched out of the long jump to focus more on sprints."

At Oak Creek High School, Block excelled in track and field despite losing her senior season to COVID-19. Her freshman year at Milwaukee marked a turning point as she achieved notable performances at the 2021 Horizon League Outdoor Championships and qualified for the NCAA West Preliminary meet.

Under head coach Andrew Basler's guidance, Block improved her skills in events like the 60m hurdles and pentathlon. "The knowledge he has and how he was able to coach me in those was so crucial," Block stated.

Throughout subsequent seasons, Block continued breaking records. In 2022, she set program records in both indoor and outdoor events. She noted that these achievements were bonuses from pursuing her personal goals: "With my goals being so high... I believe that the records just came with it."

Despite injuries limiting her participation early in 2022's outdoor season, Block still managed to break additional Milwaukee records. Her performance remained strong into 2023 and beyond as she earned several accolades including MKE Record Breaking Performance Award and MKE Female Student Athlete of the Year Award.

During 2024's indoor season alone, Block broke her own program records multiple times across different events. She expressed motivation by aiming to "be the best you," adding: "When you're chasing the best version of yourself there's no limit."

Looking ahead to future competitions alongside motivated teammates under Coach Basler’s leadership—whom she credits greatly—Block remains focused on further accomplishments within track & field circles.