Milwaukee City Wire

The Milwaukee track and field teams took part in the UW-Whitewater's Drake Alternative on Thursday, marking the first of their two meets scheduled for the week.

In the women's 400m hurdles, the Panthers showed strength with Natalie Block securing victory with a timing of 58.46 seconds, followed closely by Anna Szepieniec, who placed second with a time of 1:03.41.

Kallie Volk and Jane Kautz advanced to the finals in the 100m hurdles. Volk achieved a personal best of 14.68 seconds to claim first place, while Kautz completed her best race of the season in 15.83 seconds, finishing fifth.

Volk also participated in the high jump, achieving a height of 1.62 meters to secure third place. Teammates Szepieniec, Alexandria Simmons, and Macy Woodward each cleared 1.57 meters.

In the 400m dash, Taylor Thimmesch clocked in at 58.45 seconds, securing a top finish for Milwaukee. She later placed fourth in the 200m dash with a time of 25.67 seconds.

In men's events, Noah Gilbertsen delivered his best performance of the outdoor season in the pole vault by clearing 4.32 meters, earning him third place.

The men's long jump saw Tim Maidment lead with a leap of 6.52 meters, placing third, followed by Alexander Maggit, who jumped 6.35 meters to finish seventh.

On the track, Wade Duffek ran the 800m with a season-best time of 1:59.45. Dylan Longworth completed the 400m dash in 51.80 seconds, also achieving a season best.

In the 200m dash, Jackson Statz finished in 22.25 seconds, while Anthony Kessler recorded his best season time of 22.45 seconds.

The day's competitions concluded with the 5000m run, where Nathan Powley led the Milwaukee participants with a fourth-place finish in 15:37.84. Following him were Sam Blascyk, completing in 16:35.05, and Will Perez in 17:00.56.

Looking ahead, the Panthers will compete in two meets next weekend. The Jim Green Invitational is scheduled for May 2-3 at Shivley Track & Field Stadium in Lexington, Kentucky. Simultaneously, Wisconsin's Badger Challenge will take place on May 2 at McClimon Track Complex in Madison.

These events will be the final competitions before the Horizon League Championships, set for May 9-11 at Farmers National Bank Field in Youngstown, Ohio.