Milwaukee City Wire

The Milwaukee Panthers women's cross country team began their season at the Tom Barry Invitational in Green Bay, Wisconsin on Saturday. Competing in a field of 11 teams for the 5k event, the Panthers secured a third-place finish with a total of 71 points.

Five runners from Milwaukee placed within the top 20. Anelise Egge led the team, finishing ninth with a time of 19:23.4. Anna Gallagher followed in thirteenth place, clocking in at 19:39.4. Janiyah Taylor and Rachel Helm finished close together with times of 19:40.1 and 19:48.0, respectively. Ally Schmitz rounded out the team's top-20 performances by recording a time of 20:05.2, improving her mark from last year’s race by nearly 20 seconds.

Head coach Andrew Basler commented on the team's performance, stating, "It was exciting to get our 2025-26 campaign started today." He added, "Coach Schultz had a very specific race plan for both the men and women, and I thought they executed that plan."

Basler also reflected on how this year's results compared to last season's showing at the same meet. "Comparison can be the thief of joy but looking at where the group was last season at this meet, we are collectively in a better spot," he said.

The Panthers are scheduled to compete again on Saturday, September 6 when they return to Green Bay for the Phoenix Open.