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 After three-straight third-place finishes at the Horizon League Championships, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's track and field team is poised to take the next step up in the league race. This year is as good as any as the Panthers return their top three scorers from last season and another runner among the top seven. Leading the way is junior Angie Huebner, an all-league first team member in 2005. As a sophomore, she was the team's top finisher. At the league meet, she placed seventh and followed that up with a 64th-place showing at the Great Lakes Regional. Huebner's region finish is tied for the 11th-best regional showing in UWM's Division I history. "Angie was number one for us all of last season," UWM head coach Pete Corfeld said. "She improves with every year and she has gained a lot of experience in her first two years. She is poised to lead this team and establish herself as one of the best runners in the league." Keeping pace with Huebner is redshirt sophomore Holly Nearman. She was the team's No. 2 runner at the four races she competed and just missed out all-league honors with a 15th place finish. Alongside her in most races last season was Kourtney Nault, one of just two seniors on the squad. She was a mainstay in the No. 3 slot for Milwaukee, finishing 16th at the league meet and posting a top-100 finish at the regional. "The longer the race, the better it is for Holly. She is a pure cross country and distance runner that was a solid scorer for us last year. I think she can challenge Angie for some No. 1's this season," Corfeld said. "Kourtney is our senior leader on this team. She is solid when it comes to distance and excels in the longer races." Erin Magargee was a solid contributor for the Panthers in her redshirt freshman season last year. She scored at two of the meets she ran in, finishing among the top seven each time. Her best place came at the Loyola Lakefront Invitational, where she was the third UWM finisher. Sophomore Liz Brothen showed some promise during last season's cross country season and carried that into the track season. "Erin really broke out for us last season. She keeps improving and could see some top team finishes this season and be a consistent scorer for us," Corfeld said. "Liz finished the track season on a high note. With that experience behind her, she is poised to step up and count in the top five all year." Aside from the experience returning, Corfeld also has a solid corps of young, talented runners that will compete for points. Senior Kris Gasser and sophomore Danielle Magargee each posted their best times of the season at the league meet. Meanwhile, Erin Willis, Laura Ring and Hannah Christ join the team as freshmen. Willis ran cross country and track at Sheboygan North, while Ring was a state qualifier in the 800m as a junior at Wilmot Union. A Milwaukee product, Christ comes to UWM from St. Joan Antida, which doesn't sponsor track or cross country. "Kris and Danielle will give us a little more of the experience we need being such a young team," Corfeld said. "This group has a lot of talent and could make a push to the top five and give us a strong seven. Erin ran well in high school and Hannah is more of a sleeper. She is strong and we will see more of her as she gains experience."
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