Cross Country Heads To Detroit

Panthers resume season in the Motor City on Friday

Sept. 23, 2002

MILWAUKEE - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's and women's cross country teams return to action this Friday afternoon when they travel to Detroit, Mich., to compete in the Central Collegiate Championships. Both teams are coming off a week of rest following a pair of fourth-place finishes at the Bradley Invitational on Sept. 13.

Leading the Way
Senior Abby Hurst and sophomore Steve Saul were expected to pace the Panthers in 2002, and neither disappointed at the Bradley Invitational on Sept. 13. Hurst finished 18th overall, first on the team, while Saul took 11th place to lead the men's team. Hurst's time was just seven seconds off her personal best at 5K, while Saul set a personal record at 8K by nearly a minute over his old mark.

Twice as Nice
Both Hurst and Saul were honored by the Horizon League for their performances at the Bradley Invitiatonal. Each received Horizon League Athlete of the Week honors after leading their respective teams to a fourth-place finish. For Hurst, it is the second time in her career that she has received the league award, having won it to open the season a year ago, while Saul was the first men's runner to win the award since Aaron Nodolf received the honor on Oct. 3, 2000.

Big Debut
A pair of freshmen were the second and third finishers on the men's side at Bradley, while the women's team saw a freshman finish in the second and fourth counter positions. Nate Weiland and Josh Nygren opened their collegiate careers with solid performances, Weiland taking 15th overall with a time of 25:41 and Nygren finishing 20th in 25:50. For the women, Katie Anderson made her first impression a strong one by finishing 28th in 18:48, while Michelle Blomquist was 50th with a time of 19:16. All four of the freshmen placed in the top 75 at last year's Wisconsin state cross country championships.

Abby Does It Again
For the seventh straight race dating back to last season, Abby Hurst was the top finisher on the women's side. Hurst was the top runner in each of the six races a year ago, claiming three top-10 finishes. Hurst's strong running continued at Bradley, finishing 18th overall. Hurst also claimed an 18th-place finish at last year's Horizon League Championships.

Up Next
The Panthers will travel to South Bend, Ind., to compete in the Notre Dame Invitiatonal on Oct. 4. The meet traditionally includes many of the top runners in the nation, and is split into two divisions. The Panthers competed in the Gold race last year and came home with a seventh-place team finish for the women and a 10th-place finish for the men.