Milwaukee Cross Country Opens Season Friday At ValpoMILWAUKEE, Wis. (Sept. 7, 2006) - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's and women's cross country teams open their seasons Friday, Sept. 8, at the Valparaiso Crusader Invitational, in Valparaiso, Ind. The women's race begins at 5 p.m., with the men to follow at approximately 5:45 p.m. Milwaukee competes next Sept. 15 at the Illini Challenge in Champaign, Ill. 2006 Season Preview Following the graduation of all-league performers Josh Nygren and Nate Weiland, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's cross country team will rely on youth in 2006 to maintain the team's hopes of improving on its fourth-place Horizon League showing from a year ago. The Panthers return just four upperclassmen, including three juniors. The lone senior on the squad will be Justin Gorman. Gorman will be looked to lead the team, not only as the team's top returner, but also as its senior-most member. Last season, he scored at every meet he ran, culminating at the Great Lakes Regional, where he was UWM's third finisher. "Justin has improved every year he has been here," UWM head coach Pete Corfeld said. "That experience will help with our young team." Junior Nick Hawley emerged as the team's No. 3 runner at the end of the season behing Nygren and Weiland. He was Milwaukee's third scorer at two of the four meets he competed, including the Horizon League Championships where he finished 22nd overall. "Nick is our top returning scorer from the league meet last season. He has also steadily improved in his time here and if he can stay healthy, he can only get better," Corfeld said. A trio of freshmen could emerge as solid contributors in their first season with the Panthers in Malachi Cate, Mike Sorenson and Matt Dreifke. Cate was a two-time state track champion as a junior at Iola-Scandinavia High School in Iola, Wis. As a senior, Sorenson ran at the state cross country meet and qualified in track for the 1600m. Dreifke was a multi-sport athlete at Kenosha Tremper, finishing as high as 12th at the state cross country meet and also leading the basketball team in scoring at 15.7 points per game. "Malachi is a talented athlete, who just loves to run. For him, the sky is the limit," Corfeld said. "In Mike, there is untapped potential. He just scratched the surface of what he can do last year and should show a lot more in college. "Matt is just an all-around athlete. With his willingness to work and drive, he should thrive at the Division I level." Junior Jeremy Majors heads a group of talented runners that could compete for spots in the team's top seven, or higher. Majors has won two league championships in the 800m, while competing sparingly in cross country before the season. "Jeremy holds numerous track records and is willing to do what it takes with the distance workouts," Corfeld said. "Combined with the leg speed he possesses, he could be a big factor for us." Junior R.J. Pire and sophomore Nick Porter also return from last season, while Eric Pitt, Ryan Mleziva, Andy Fox, Leonard Buckner and Seth Anglin join the team as freshmen. As a freshman in 2004, he was the second freshman to finish at the league meet, finishing 27th overall. Porter gained some experience as a freshman last season, posting a 13th-place showing at the UIC Home Opener. Pitt is a redshirt freshman, who joined the track team last season. He was a two-time all-conference performer at Kaukauna High School. Mleziva was a three-time state qualifier in cross country for Luxemburg-Casco High School, posting a 12th-place finish at the state meet as a senior. Fox, who hails from Waukesha South High School, competed at the state meet as a junior and senior. After taking 24th in 2004, he posted a 20th-place finish as a senior. "We have a great talent pool to work with," Corfeld said. "Each one of these guys should push each other and produce a strong top seven, or even deeper." Buckner is a local product out of Wauwatosa East High School, where he qualified for the state meet in the 800m and with the 4x400m and 4x800m relays. Anglin was also a state relay qualifier, finishing as high as fifth with the 4x800m relay for Kenosha Tremper High School. "Leonard and Seth are middle distance runners that can contribute for us in cross country," Corfeld said. "With some work, they could make an impact for us."
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