Panthers Fall Short Of League Title By Eight Points

Erin Magargee

Four all-league runners lead Milwaukee to second-straight runner-up finish

GREEN BAY, Wis. (Nov. 1, 2008) - Three Panthers landed on the all-league first team and another made the second team in leading the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's cross country team to a second-place finish at the 2008 Horizon League Championship Saturday.

Milwaukee finished with 43 points, just eight back of league-champion Loyola. This marked the second-straight runner-up finish for the Panthers, who finished behind Butler last season, but just ahead of the Ramblers.

"We had a lot of heart out there today," UWM head coach Pete Corfeld said. "That is something that you can't always train a person to have. Our men's and women's teams both have a lot of heart. Three first team all conference on the women's side is really cool."

Junior Abbie Zaspel led three-straight UWM finishers with a fifth-place finish and a time of 18:39. Senior twins Erin and Danielle Magargee were sixth and seventh, with Erin finishing in 18:46 and Danielle in 18:51. Both Zaspel and Erin Magargee were second-team performers last season, while the award was Danielle's first and continued a breakout senior campaign.

Sophomore Tanaiya Fisher rounded out the all-league Panthers, finishing ninth in 19:00, just three seconds back of eighth. In addition to its finish, this was Milwaukee's second-straight league meet with four all-league performers, but the first in the team's history in the Horizon League that more than one runner landed on the first team.

Junior Laura Ring placed 16th as the fifth UWM scorer, crossing the line in 19:10. Meanwhile, the top seven was completed by senior Elizabeth Brothen in 42nd with a time of 20:17 and freshman Shannon Brown with a time of 21:02 for 59th place.

Behind Milwaukee and Loyola in the team standings was the defending champion Bulldogs in third with 107 points and Valparaiso and UIC tied for fourth with 132 points. Host Green Bay took sixth (150 points), ahead of Youngstown State (168), Wright State (183), Detroit (221) and Cleveland State (224).

The Panthers have two weeks to enjoy their league finish before returning to action at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, Nov. 15, in Lafayette, Ind.