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Panthers Head To Regionals

UWM hoping to show well at Ohio State, qualify for national championships

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May 28, 2003

MILWAUKEE - Several athletes from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's and women's track and field teams will compete in the NCAA Mideast Regional this weekend, with the goal of qualifying for the NCAA Championships. Seven athletes will compete in individual events along with both women's relays, qualifying as Horizon League champions.

About the Panthers
The women's team won its third straight and fourth overall outdoor title at the league championships in Indianapolis earlier this month, setting records for margin of victory (171 pts.) and total points scored (252 pts.). Milwaukee won 11 of the 20 events on the day, including a sweep of the sprints. The women also won the league's indoor title in March, marking the third time they have accomplished that feat. The men's team, meanwhile, failed to win its sixth outdoor championship, finishing in fifth place. The UWM men had won the league's outdoor title in each of the first five seasons the league held a championship in the sport.

How They Got Here
Senior Lynda Thiel is the only UWM athlete to meet a qualifying standard, meeting the mark in the javelin on April 19. The rest of the athletes competing this weekend earned their berths by winning the Horizon League championship in their event. Nick Davis (high jump, javelin) and Jerry Snyder (pole vault) represent the men's team, while Kristy Naef (100m, 100m hurdles), Nicole Frey (200m), Tenia Fisher (400m), Stephanie Kenesie (long jump), Michelle Fritsch (triple jump) and Lynda Thiel (high jump, pole vault, javelin) will compete individually in Columbus. Also, both the women's 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams will run after claiming a title at the league's outdoor championships.

That's A First
Senior Lynda Thiel became the first UWM athlete in school history to qualify for the NCAA Regional Qualifying meet. Thiel surpassed the qualifying standard in the javelin April 19 at the Pacesetter Invitational at Indiana State with a throw of 42.03m (137-11), beating the qualifying standard of 41.48m.

Break Out The Brooms
On top of winning the Horizon League Outdoor Championship by a record margin, the Panthers nearly claimed a sweep of the individual awards at the league meet. Head coach Pete Corfeld was named Coach of the Year, the 19th time he has won a league coach of the year award. Lynda Thiel was named Outstanding Performer for Field Events, while Kristy Naef was the meet's Outstanding Performer for Running Events. Freshman Tenia Fisher was named the meet's Newcomer of the Year for Running Events.

Sounds Like A Broken Record
Going back to last year's outdoor championships, Lynda Thiel has broken the school pole vault record five times, including March 29 at Western Michigan. Thiel cleared 3.37m (11-0.75) in Kalamazoo, breaking the old mark of 3.35m (10-11.75) she set at last year's outdoor championships. Thiel broke the indoor mark three times this year, topping out at 3.54m (11-7.25). Thiel also holds the indoor high jump record and originally set the school javelin mark at Eastern Illinois with a throw of 40.63m (133-3), breaking the old mark by two centimeters, before resetting the javelin mark at Indiana State.

One Stellar Season
The women's team is quickly making the 2003 season one of the best in school history. On top of winning the school's fourth outdoor title, the Panthers also won their third league indoor title by scoring the third-highest point total in league history. The team has tied or broken 14 different records, with the indoor pole vault and hammer marks falling three times, while the outdoor pole vault and javelin records have fallen twice.

Hit The Relay Switch
The women's 4x400m relay team had the best race in recent history April 12 at Western Illinois, as the foursome of Katie Seep, Teresa Braunreiter, Katie Slamka and Tenia Fisher finished second in 3:52.60, moving them into third place in the school record book. That also marks the fastest time set by a UWM relay team under head coach Pete Corfeld.

Frey's Going Fast
Senior Nicole Frey made sure she finished her final indoor season with style, setting a school record in the 200m and finishing with the fourth-fastest 60m time in school history. Frey set the 200m mark at 25.18 on Feb. 21 at the Klotsche Center, and had the fourth-fastest 60m time at 7.80, set on March 8 in South Bend, Ind. Frey also claimed first place in the 200m at the outdoor championships, repeating as champion in that event.

Eight Seconds
That's the mark a runner must break in the 60m to turn in one of the top ten times in women's school history. A late season surge by several of the Panthers has set the standard under the eight second mark. Six members of the current Panther team are among the top 10 in the event, led by senior Kristy Naef's school-record-tying 7.76, set at the league championships on March 1. Sara Vanderloop, Laura Diers and Iris Perez also all set a new top finish under eight seconds at the league meet, while Nicole Frey set hers a week later at Notre Dame. Katie Seep joined the exclusive club a year ago, posting a time of 7.97 at the 2002 Horizon League Championships in Greencastle, Ind.

Panthers In NCAA Events
UWM has had just one NCAA Outdoor Championship qualifier since moving to the ranks of Division I in 1990. Angie Molter qualified in the 10,000m in 1996, finishing 15th at the NCAA Championships. UWM has had more success indoors, as Tim Kenney and Cory Peterson both qualifed for the Indoor Championships in the 800m. Kenney earned a provisional mark in 1995, while Peterson went three times, from 1996-1998. Peterson finished as high as sixth in the NCAA Championships in 1997, finishing 10th in 1996 and 12th in 1998.

Reviewing the Indoor Season
The women's team reclaimed the league's indoor title on Mar. 1 at the Klotsche Center, scoring the third-highest point total in league history. Lynda Thiel was the meet's Outstanding Performer for Field Events, while head coach Pete Corfeld won his 18th Coach of the Year award. In addition, the women's team broke or tied eight different records during the indoor season. The men's team finished fourth at the league meet, with Adam Hobler and Kyle Huebner each taking a victory, with Hobler winning the 400m and Huebner winning the pole vault. Hobler would also go on to set the school record in the 400m at the Last Chance Meet at Notre Dame on March 8, 2003.

Senior Leadership
Of the four women who won individual championships at the league indoor championships, all four of them are seniors. Kristy Naef (60m), Nicole Frey (200m), Stephanie Kenesie (long jump) and Lynda Thiel (pole vault, high jump) are each entering their final outdoor season at UWM. Combined, the four have won eight league indoor titles and 12 overall league crowns in just the past two seasons.

Breaking The Fieldhouse
Three fieldhouse and five meet records fell at the hands of Panther track and field athletes Jan. 18 at Carthage. The women's team claimed the three fieldhouse marks and three meet marks on their way to a second-place finish, while the men's team took down two meet records and finished third. Stephanie Kenesie and Lynda Thiel each broke a meet and fieldhouse mark, with Kenesie's coming in the long jump and Thiel's in the pole vault. The women's 4x200m relay team of Sara Vanderloop, Laura Diers, Iris Perez and Nicole Frey also grabbed a meet and fieldhouse mark, finishing in 1:44.35. For the men, Kyle Huebner broke his own meet record in the pole vault, while the men's 4x400m relay team also set a meet record, finishing in 3:22.11.

Next On Tap
The NCAA Championships, hosted by California State-Sacramento, will be held on June 11-14, in Sacramento, Calif.