Milwaukee City Wire

Tabitha Wechlo has secured a spot in the NCAA West Preliminary rounds after two athletes withdrew due to medical reasons. She will compete alongside her teammates Natalie Block, Anthony Campbell, and Golden Cotton in Fayetteville, Arkansas from May 22-25.

To reach the preliminary rounds, athletes must rank within the top 48 in their event regionally. Wechlo initially ranked 50th in shot put but advanced due to the withdrawals. Her qualifying mark of 15.33 meters (50'3.5"), which is also a program record, was achieved at the Horizon League Championship where she won first place.

Wechlo's season began with a throw of 13.32 meters at the Raleigh Relays and progressed with victories and improved marks at subsequent events including the Golden Grizzlies Invitational and Gary Wieneke Memorial. Her record-setting performance at the Horizon League Championship earned her the conference title.

This achievement marks a milestone for Milwaukee women's track & field as Wechlo becomes the first female Panther to qualify for regionals in shot put. On the men's side, only two athletes have qualified previously, with Peter Andrew being the most recent in 2018 and 2019.

Wechlo is scheduled to compete on May 23 at 7:00 PM in the first round of shot put. To advance to the NCAA Championships from June 5-8, she needs to finish among the top 12 competitors.