Printer-friendly format Email this article The Panthers open the 2004 season, Sept. 4, at the UIC Invitational.

2004 Milwaukee Panthers Cross Country Preview

Sept. 1, 2004

2004 Milwaukee Panther Cross Country Prospectus
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The benefit of youth is, a year later, you have veterans. That is certainly the case with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's and women's cross country teams. Stocked with talented underclassmen, the Panthers will look to improve on a third-place finish by the women and fourth-place finish from the men. Head coach Pete Corfeld has high hopes for his teams, especially considering the benchmarks of the 2003 season. For the UWM women, the third-place finish represented its highest since joining the league, matching the 2000 season. Milwaukee's men have become a model of consistency, taking fourth in each of the last five seasons. "We had successful cross country seasons last year," Corfeld said. "We were pretty young last year. This season, with increased experience, we totally expect to build on our success. After such a year in 2003, we expect our results to be huge this year." Women
Senior Anna Christian returns to lead the Panther women in 2004 after garnering a first-team All-Horizon League honor last season. She came on late in the season and established herself as one of UWM's top runners. Christian finished sixth and helped Milwaukee to a third-place finish, its highest since taking third in 2000. "The thing with Anna is that she keeps getting better," Corfeld said. "She took sixth in the league last year and led the team to a third-place finish." Engaging Christian in a friendly battle for top Black and Gold runner throughout last season was junior Katie Anderson. Anderson spent her sophomore season repeatedly among the top two runners. "She continues to improve each season," Corfeld said about Anderson. "Her mile (5:03) and 800m (2:17) should help this year, as she should push for all-league honors this year." Junior Christine Wampach bounced back from an injury-plagued 2002 for a solid campaign last year. She narrowly missed all-league consideration at the Horizon League Championships, turning in a 16th-place finish. "Christine was solid last season after being hurt the previous year," Corfeld said. "Her 5:01 mile speed, combined with her distance base, should yield big dividends." Junior Griffin McNulty enters the season, coming off a good showing at last year's regional meet. Corfeld is confident that her 2003 finish, could lead to big things in '04. "Griffin finished well at regionals last year, and that should give her great confidence for a breakout season," Corfeld said. "Her 800m speed (2:15) and strong base definitely help." A pair of sophomores have also caught Corfeld's eye for a tremendous season in Kourtney Nault and Tenia Fisher. "Kourtney loves running long and it shows," Corfeld said. With the matter of Fisher, he believes 2003 was a sign of good things to come. "She really proved to herself that she could run cross country, and do it well," Corfeld said. "She is the 800m indoor school-record record holder (2:12.04) and we are looking for her to have a breakout year. "Tenia may be considered a sleeper, but when she does `it', it will be big! If she shows her full talent she could be our top runner." With such talented underclassmen, it is no surprise that Corfeld is high on a pair of freshman. Without the pressure to contribute right away, Angie Huebner and Holly Nearmann will have a chance to use 2004 to become accustomed with collegiate running. Both were members of the Wisconsin All-State Second Team as seniors. "Angie and Holly are both very talented freshman," said Corfeld. "They each run long very well and could help the team in their first seasons." Men
Junior Josh Nygren returns to pace the men's squad after earning second-team all-league honors last season with his 14th-place finish. Nygren was the top Panther finisher at each race he competed in 2003 and Corfeld is high on Nygren's potential. "Josh is on course to be the best distance runner we've had here since (UWM Hall of Famer) Chad Zehms," Corfeld said, referring to UWM's 1995 league champion. "He was second-team all-conference last year and has emerged as a great leader." Nygren will serve as team captain for a corps that has finished fourth at the league meet in five consecutive years. With the departure of senior Andy Kivioja, sophomore Ben Uphoff may emerge as the team's number two runner. In his rookie campaign, Uphoff was consistently among the top four for Milwaukee, before falling back towards the end of the season. "(Ben) had a rough first cross country season," Corfeld said. "He bounced back to have a great track season, so we are expecting big things from here on out." Junior Nate Weiland returns to provide consistency and depth to the Panther lineup. A key contributor last season, Weiland was strongest on the 10k national meet courses. He completed his season with an 88th-place finish at the regional meet as the second UWM runner to cross the line. "He had a solid year in 2003, and that led to a good indoor track season," Corfeld said. "With Nate, the longer the better. That makes him an asset for the regional." A pair of seniors will use 2004 season to complete their careers on a high note in Bryan Hassemer and Micah Hanthorn. The elder statesmen of the group, both runners have been very competitive for Milwaukee and have improved each year they have competed. "Bryan and Micah are looking for giant final years," Corfeld said. "With Bryan we have an athlete that has gotten better each year and is a good `team' guy." A sophomore with tremendous upside is Justin Gorman. Last season was his first competing in cross country and Corfeld was happy with what he saw. Gorman has drawn comparison from Corfeld to Cory Peterson, who holds Panther marks in three different events. "Last year was his first-ever cross country season and he showed great promise," Corfeld said. "Justin could be a sleeper when it comes to crunch time. He is a great competitor; he knows how to win and he likes it. Corfeld has never been one to rely on freshmen to count in their first year, rather having them gain experience as rookies. A pair of first-year athletes that have a chance to contribute this season are Nick Hawley and Joe Wawrzyniak. As high school seniors Hawley was second-team all-state, while Wawrzyniak was a conference champion and took third at the sectional meet despite a case of strep throat. "I don't like to depend on freshman, but Nick and Joe will have a chance to count," Corfeld said. "Nick is a strong runner and handles a big work load well, while Joe is very talented and is getting comfortable with collegiate running." Furthering themselves at the Horizon League Championships may not need to totally rely on domination, as the Panthers have an ally in the cross country course at UW-Parkside, where the 2004 league meet is set to be held. This marks the second time UWM has hosted the event, after doing so in 1995. "Hosting conference is a big deal, as we are running it on Parkside's national course," Corfeld said. "It is considered very selective, in that it's hilly and wooded. The meet has been held on flat courses in recent years, while Parkside is considered a true cross country course." Milwaukee's coach believes the terrain; combined with his runner's knowledge of the course, play to their advantage. "We are able to get on the course often, and our runners love hills," Corfeld said. "This will definitely give us an advantage. It still won't be easy, but I know we will dig really deep and give it our all. We are expecting a great team result win or not. "This will take the best team effort we have ever produced, but I wouldn't put it past this group. They support each other the best I have ever seen. After 25 years of coaching, that's very satisfying." The Panthers have an opportunity to preview the course in competitive action Sept. 18, at the Parkside Invitational.