Milwaukee City Wire

Natalie Block achieved a significant milestone by breaking the Milwaukee 400m hurdles record for the fourth time this season at the Clark Wood Invitational in Louisville, Kentucky. Her performance, clocking in at 57.68 seconds, not only secured her victory in the event but also met the minimum qualifying mark for the US Olympic Trials. This time is currently the fastest in her conference and ranks as the 30th fastest nationwide.

Head coach Andrew Basler expressed satisfaction with his team's performance, stating, "After the team success at Whitewater yesterday, we did not take our foot off the gas on the first day of this meet." He highlighted Block's achievement and Leah Handshoe's fifth-place finish with a time of 1:01.51, marking it as the seventh fastest in program history.

Basler also noted Anelise Egge's personal record of 2:10.83 in the 800m event, placing third and securing the fourth fastest time in program history. "The entire 800m group ran amazing," he said, acknowledging their ability to perform well despite challenging wind conditions.

Morgan Pilate excelled in the long jump with a personal record of 5.84m (19'2"), finishing third and narrowly missing Milwaukee's top-ten list. Golden Cotton and Dane Nelson both claimed third place finishes in their respective events; Cotton in the 200m with a time of 21.15 seconds and Nelson in the 400m hurdles at 53.96 seconds.

Basler praised Cotton's progress, stating that he is "rounding into form at just the right time" as they head into conference competitions. He expressed optimism about his team's momentum going into tomorrow's events, which conclude Milwaukee's regular season before next weekend’s conference championships.