Panthers Look To Play Part Of Favorites In Horizon League In 2008
MILWAUKEE, Wis. (Jan. 9, 2008) - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's track and field team kicks off its 2008 indoor season this weekend when it travels to Kenosha, Wis., for the Division I Invitational Saturday. The Panthers are opening the indoor campaign at Carthage College's meet for the eighth-straight year. Last season, Milwaukee took third place and won five events. Beth Zimmerman led the way with wins in both the long and triple jump events.
2008 Season PreviewAfter winning Horizon League championships both indoors and outdoors, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's track and field team appears destined prove it was no fluke. The Panthers have annually established themselves as a championship contender in the league with 20 top-two finishes over the last 21 meets. But, this season, they have returned to championship favorites after their first league sweep since 2003 a year ago. This is a very familiar position for Milwaukee, which has won 10 league titles, including three of the last four. Head coach Pete Corfeld could not ask for more in what he has returning. Just two league champs were lost to graduation in Timeka Walker and Taryn Cozine. All told, UWM only lost four other scoring performers from last year's league meets. Back are senior thrower Amber Curtis, junior multi-event specialist Jenni Saarinen and sophomores Erin Havener and Kelsey Conrad. The quartet combined for seven championships, while 13 second-place finishes are also returning.
Sprints With the loss of Walker, the sprinting group takes a hit. Walker capped her career in 2007 with league titles in the 60m, 100m and both the indoor and outdoor 200m events. But, Milwaukee does return five runners that scored in the sprints and just one will be a senior this season. Sophomore Stef Ross is the most consistent performer in the 60m, recording a top-10 time in school history and taking fourth at the league meet. She has yet to compete outdoor for UWM. Freshmen Marquisha Bradley joined the team after not competing last season and will lend support in the 100m and 200m. She was a three-year state qualifier in the event and won a state title with Nicolet's 4x100m relay. Conrad competed in both the 200m and 400m and is the top returner in both events. She was a league champion in the 400m outdoors and took second indoors. She also has the fourth-best time in school history in both events outdoors and is among the top 10 indoors as well. Freshman Angie Kaufman will compete primarily in the 200m and 400m after a standout prep career where she won a Division 2 state title in the 400m as a senior. Sophomore Laura Ring and senior Shannon Buttchen both have 400m experience but found greater success in the 800m last season. Ring was second at both league meets, while both she and Buttchen posted top-10 times outdoors. In fact, Ring has the fourth-best time outdoors and Buttchen is 10th. Distance UWM's group of distance runners is coming off a strong cross country season and, with an ideal blend of veterans and youth, will look to carry that success over into the track seasons. Junior Holly Nearman heads the list of returners as one of four all-league cross country runners. She placed fourth at the league meet for first team honors, then followed that up with a 12th-place finish at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional. Her finish netted her all-region honors and was 13 places better than any other Division I regional finish in school history. She is also coming off a sophomore track season where she was runner-up in three events and scored in a fourth. Seniors Erin Magargee and Angie Huebner were also all-league honorees, earning second-team accolades. Magargee has grown by leaps and bounds throughout her career and will look to build on her eighth-place finish from the cross country season. Huebner, meanwhile, has demonstrated she can compete for a high place in the league with a league title in the 5000m and three all-league awards under her belt. Junior Elizabeth Brothen is another runner that has seen her career on a steady incline, as she emerged as a consistent scorer for Milwaukee over her last two cross country seasons. She scored for the first time at a league track meet last season, taking fourth in the 10,000m. More experience for the group comes in the form of senior Danielle Magargee, twin sister of Erin. Danielle continues to improve after not competing in track during high school. She shares her sister's work ethic and could see that pay off with points this season. Sophomore Abbie Zaspel headlines the newcomers in this area. She was the team's fourth all-league award-winner during a standout cross country campaign. Freshmen Tanaiya Fisher, Hannah Willis, Krissi Wasserburger and Kelli Grundman also cut their teeth at the college level during cross country and will look to use that experience to get their track careers off on the right foot. Hurdles/Multi-Events The hurdles were one area hit rather hard by graduation, in that three scorers from last season were seniors. Taryn Cozine was a league champ in the 400m hurdles last season and Amy Sunby was second. Meanwhile, Cozine and Andrea Ziebell each scored in shorter hurdle events. Budde, Saarinen and junior Kory Olson are the lone hurdle returners, while freshmen Rasheedah Helm and Stacey Trzcinski join the team this season. Budde was the team's top 100m hurdle finisher last season at the league meet, while Saarinen can usually be counted on to score in the sprint hurdles, among other events. Plus, Helm and Trzcinski combined to win the last three state 100m hurdle championships. Budde, Saarinen and Olson will also compete in the multi-events. Saarinen is the school record in both the indoor pentathlon and outdoor heptathlon, while she boasts three league multi-event titles. The Finland native scored in four events outside of the heptathlon at the 2007 outdoor meet, picking up league titles in the javelin and long jump Budde competed in her first heptathlon at the league meet last season and placed third. Olson, meanwhile, competed in the multi-events, but spent last season learning the events. Jumps It is safe to say the Panthers are covered in the areas of the long and triple jumps. In fact, the program has likely never had the type of results the group of triple jumpers assembled last year. Junior Beth Zimmerman broke the school record in the triple jump multiple times both indoors and outdoors, while junior Kicha Cary is second all-time in the indoor event, while sophomore Reigna Pierce is second outdoors. All told, the trio and Saarinen combine for four of the top five indoor triple jumps and three of the 10 outdoors. In the long jump, Saarinen is the current outdoor record-holder, while both she and Zimmerman are on both top-10 lists. The success carried over into the team's league performance, as UWM scored 13 athletes in the 24 spots over the two events indoors and outdoors. In fact, at the indoor meet, Milwaukee scored five jumpers in the long jump and three more in the triple jump. Outdoors, Saarinen has won the long jump in each of her first two seasons. With her multi-event background, it is no surprise Saarinen could be a factor for the Panthers in the high jump. She is in the top three in school history in the event, both indoors and outdoors, and has scored in the top 3 three times. Olson adds depth to the event, while freshman Chelsea Von Ruden will likely compete primarily in the high jump. Von Ruden was second at the state meet in her junior season at Sparta High School in Wisconsin and took third as a senior. Pole Vault Sophomore Erin Havener and junior Jes Weyandt fill out a pole vault unit that will likely remain atop the league. As just a freshman, Havener broke league records in claiming league titles indoors and outdoors. Meanwhile, Weyandt was second indoors and third outdoors. Havener could challenge the school record indoors, where she sits second. Outdoors, both Havener and Weyandt are tied for third in school history. Throws Senior Amber Curtis and sophomore Jamie Woods last season bolstered a previously non-existent throwing corps for the Panthers. Both throwers immediately broke school records indoors and lent credibility to UWM in this area. Curtis excelled after transferring from Nebraska, winning a discus league title and taking second in the indoor and outdoor shot put events. She also qualified and competed at the NCAA Mideast Regional in the discus, taking sixth and making herself eligible for the NCAA Championships. Woods had a solid first season, scoring in the shot put event at both league meets, taking fourth. |
