Sept. 4, 2001

MILWAUKEE - UWM's cross country teams will begin the 2001 season on Fri., Sept. 7, at the Valparaiso Invitational in Valparaiso, Ind.

The women's team will be looking to rebound from an injury-ravaged 2000 campaign that saw two of the team's top runners miss the entire season with injuires.

Junior Abby Hurst returns to lead the Panthers. Hurst will be looking to improve on her third place finish at last year's MCC Championships at this year's Horizon League Championships. Hurst finished third with a time of 18:20.67, a personal best, and just five seconds behind the winner, Jessica Kuhr of Wright State.

Returning from injuries for the Panthers will be juniors Brianne Peterson and Leah Van Roy. Peterson was tabbed as the team's top runner a year ago before numerous nagging injuries kept her from competing. Van Roy was named a co-captain for the 2000 season before getting injured. Their returns will add more talent to an already deep Panther team.

The men's team will be led by senior transfer Cornelius Hill. Hill, a two-time NCAA Championships qualifier while at South Florida, sat out the 2000 season due to transfer rules. Hill repeatedly won all-Conference USA honors in both track and cross country for South Florida.

A pair of fellow seniors, Pat Harrington and Eric Jelinski, should help pace the Panthers. Each finished in the top 20 at the MCC Meet a year ago and showed great improvement from their sophomore years. They will need to have strong seasons if the Panthers are to compete for the Horizon League title.

Handicapping the Field: Butler claimed first place honors in the MCC last year, followed by Loyola. Wright State finished third, a point ahead of Milwaukee. Youngstown State, a new addition to the Horizon League for 2001, also traditionally fields a strong team.

On the Schedule...: The Panthers will open the season at the Valparaiso Invitational on Sept. 7, 2001. There the Panthers will get their first look at in-state rival UW-Green Bay. Among others scheduled to run are Notre Dame, Evansville and host Valparaiso. The women's race begins the action, starting at 5 p.m., while the men's race is set to start at 5:45 p.m.

The League in Action: Milwaukee and Green Bay aren't the only two schools that will be competing this weekend. UIC will be running at the Bradley Invitational in Peoria, Ill., on Friday, while Cleveland State runs at the Akron Invitational in Akron, Ohio, on Saturday. Also on Saturday, Youngstown State and Wright State will compete at the Miami Invitational in Oxford, Ohio, while Detroit will host the Running Fit UDM Invitational. UW-Green Bay will also compete on Saturday, taking part in the St. Norbert Tom Barry Invitational in Green Bay, Wis.

Next Up: The Panthers will be back in action on Sept. 22, 2001, taking part in Al's Memorial Run, a run through downtown Milwaukee to benefit Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. The race, presented by Briggs and Stratton, is open to the public and does have a collegiate division. Last year's men's team took first overall, while the women placed second only to the Panther men.

Welcome Aboard: Head coach Pete Corfeld signed a strong recruiting class during the off season. The newcomers each come to UWM after impressive high school careers. Three incoming freshmen, Rose Feroah, Natalie Toffe and Christine Wampach, join the women's cross country roster. The men will have increased depth with the additions of seven new freshmen. Nick Bruskewitz, Rick Epps, Bryan Hassemer, Steve Saul, Micah Hanthorn and Jason Straka have all joined the roster in 2001.

New Name, New University: The Midwestern Collegiate Conference officially announced the changing of its name to the Horizon Leage on June 4, 2001. The League then expanded to nine members with the addition of Youngstown State on July 1.