Panthers Head Off To Drake Relays, Marquette
• Top Times and Individual Finishes in PDF Format
MILWAUKEE, Wis. (April 23, 2008) - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's track and field team will get a taste of national competition this weekend, heading to the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa. The Panthers will send some competitors across town to the Marquette Invitational, while some athletes will also compete at the Janvrin Open, hosted by Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa. Milwaukee is coming off a strong showing last weekend at the Dave Rankin Invitational in West Lafayette, Ind. Senior Darren Cole became the team's first NCAA regional qualifier when he won the triple jump with a leap of 49-10 1/2. The jump was a personal-best, while he remains second in school history. Last season, between their men's and women's teams, the Panthers sent eight athletes and two relays to the regional meet. Cole also ran with the first-place 4x100m relay at the meet, as the quartet ran the second-fastest time in school history (40.81). Aside from the two wins, UWM also had three runners-up finishes by junior Adam Schleis and sophomore Isaiah Adams. Schleis was second in both the 110m hurdles, finishing in 14.46, just 0.01 seconds off his own school record, and the long jump (23-0 1/2). Adams, meanwhile, went 48.39 in the 400m for second place. Junior Josh Zill also posted top-five finishes in the 110m hurdles, long jump and triple jump. Last season, UWM posted its first winner at the Drake Relays in Nick Gretz, who won the shot put. He threw 60-7 3/4 in the event to take top honors. He won the event by 14 3/4 inches and broke his own school record of 57-9 1/2 by almost three feet. The Panthers continue to look strong in the league rankings, topping the performance lists in eight events. Schleis' 110m hurdle and long jump performance from last weekend are the best in the league, as well as Cole's triple jump and the 4x100m relay from the Rankin Invite. Meanwhile, senior Justin Bohler's school-record decathlon score of 6,836 is also tops and sophomore Quinn Mongoven leads the league in the high jump (6-8 3/4). Sophomore Tyler Bucholz leads the league in the 200m (21.39) and is second in both the 100m (10.97) and 400m (47.93). The Horizon League championship portion of the schedule is already here, as Milwaukee will next be competing at the league's multi-event championships next weekend (May 2-3) in Indianapolis. The rest of the squad will be off to the Redbird Classic May 2. The league championship meet kicks off May 8 in Youngstown, Ohio.
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