Printer-friendly format Email this article Abbie Zaspel

Panthers Head To Final Tune-Up Before League Championships

Horizon League Championships are just two weeks away

MILWAUKEE, Wis. (Oct. 15, 2008) - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's and women's cross country teams will head to Peoria, Ill., Friday for the Bradley Classic, their final meet before the 2008 Horizon League Championships Nov. 1 in Green Bay, Wis.

The Bradley Classic will feature 15 women's teams and 13 men's teams, including UIC and Green Bay on both the men's and women's sides. Butler's women will also be competing in Peoria. The field also features Illinois, DePaul, Missouri (women only) and Iowa State.

The Panthers have not competed since Sept. 27 at the Lakefront Invitational. At that meet, the Milwaukee women placed 12th in the 32-team field, finishing three runners among the top 60. Junior Abbie Zaspel was the team's top finisher for the third-straight meet this season. Senior Erin Magargee has been the second Panther finisher at each meet. Zaspel and Magargee were each all-league runners last season.

On the men's side, UWM took 13th in the field that featured 34 teams and 371 runners. Junior Ryan Mleziva and freshman Dan Uphoff finished just seconds apart atop the team's finishers. Mleziva has been the team's top runner at each meet this season, while Uphoff has finished within six seconds of Mleziva each race. So consistent are the pair that they have been separated by four, six and five seconds at the three meets this season, respectively.

Both teams are getting ready for the league championships that will be held Nov. 1 in Green Bay. The women are coming off their best finish last season since joining the Horizon League. The squad took second, with four runners earning all-league status and had its fifth runner finish just one place outside of all-league contention (15th). Head coach Pete Corfeld returned two of those four all-league performers in Zaspel and Magargee.