Oct. 15, 2001

MILWAUKEE - The Horizon League Championships are still almost two weeks away, but the UWM cross country teams are ready.

The men's team will be heading into championship season with a full head of steam, having placed second at the Parkside Invitational this past weekend. The Panthers were led by seniors Cornelius Hill (Milwaukee, Wis./Bay View) and Pat Harrington (West Allis, Wis./Central), who finished first and second overall.

The women's team also has some momentum carrying into the league championships. Led by junior Abby Hurst (Little Chute, Wis./Little Chute), the women's team has built a great deal of depth and will be looking to surprise a few teams at the league championships.

Leading the Way: Both teams have gotten solid leadership from experienced veterans in 2001. The men's team has been paced by Cornelius Hill, a two-time NCAA Championships qualifier, and Pat Harrington, who finished 12th at last year's MCC Championships.

The women's team has been led by Abby Hurst, who finished third at last year's MCC Championships. Hurst will be looking to improve on that mark this year.

Fresh Legs: Both the men and the women have been boosted by the strong showings of some new faces in 2001. Several of the freshmen coach Pete Corfeld has brought in have stepped in and run some quality races.

Freshmen Steve Saul (Lisle, Ill./Benet Academy) has been the Panthers' most consistent third finisher. Saul has the team's ninth fastest time on the season, having run 8K in 26:28 at the Notre Dame Invitational to finish third on the team.

Another freshman, Bryan Hassemer (Mishicot, Wis./Mishicot), has also easily made the transition to college this year. Hassemer currently has the 10th fastest time for UWM in 2001, having run 26:50 at Al's Memorial Run.

On the women's side, Christine Wampach (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles) has also been a strong performer. Wampach currently holds the fourth and sixth fastest times for 5K on the season, as well as the fifth fastest 6K time.

Fresh Legs, Part II: Coach Pete Corfeld has done a lot of lineup shuffling during the course of the season. Corfeld has tried to give each of his runners a week off to ensure they will be at peak condition for the Horizon League Championships.

The only key Panther runner to run every single race in 2001 is junior Abby Hurst. Hurst has also shown great improvement during the course of the season, with her times getting faster as the year has progressed. The only exception in her times is the Parkside meet, which was run in very muddy conditions. Hurst still managed to pull off the third best time on the team this year at Parkside.

On Deck: The Panthers are off until the Horizon League Championships on Oct. 27. This year's championships will be held at Montrose Harbor in Chicago, the same course the women's team ran for the Lakefront Invitational.