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Milwaukee Looks For Fourth-Straight Indoor Title This Weekend

Panthers have swept league indoor, outdoor meets last three seasons

MILWAUKEE, Wis. (Feb. 21, 2007) - The three-time defending league indoor champion University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's track and field team will look to make it four-straight indoor titles when it travels to Ann Arbor, Mich., this weekend for the Horizon league Indoor Championships.

The meet gets underway Saturday at 9 a.m. with the multi-events at the University of Michigan Indoor Track Building. Action continues Sunday, also at 9 a.m.

The Panthers are coming off a perfect 2-0 record last Friday at their own UWM Double Dual. They won eight events in defeating league foes Loyola and UIC and posting a perfect record at the meet for the fourth-straight season. Senior Jeremy Majors won the 200m and 400m and sophomore Adam Schleis won the 60m hurdles to lead the way. In winning the 400m, Majors broke the school and 23-year old field house record, while Schleis eclipsed his own school and field house marks in the hurdles.

Following the meet, Majors was recognized as the Horizon League Athlete of the Week for the second time this season and third in his career. The Georgia native posted the fifth-best 200m time in school history in a rare appearance in the event, complimenting his school-record 400m time of 48.33. He also earned the award Jan. 31 after nearly meeting the NCAA Provisional time in the 800m (1:49.85) with his run of 1:50.15.

Freshman Quinn Mongoven also earned the honor this season, doing so following his first collegiate meet at the Division I Invitational.

Milwaukee has won the league's indoor meet eight times since first competing in the league in 1995. Aside from its current three-year title reign, the Panthers also won five-straight crowns from 1997-2001 and have finished lower than second just twice.

At last year's league championships, UWM won seven events and posted four scorers in two in winning a third-straight title. Returning champions are junior Darren Cole, who won both the high and triple jumps, junior Justin Bohler, the inaugural heptathlon champ, and shot put champion senior Nick Gretz all return after victorious showings in 2006. Bohler and Gretz each set league marks in their events last season.

Historically, the Panthers have shone bright around league championship time. In addition to eight indoor championships, Milwaukee has also won the league's outdoor meet eight times in the nine years it has been held.

If the regular season is any indication of what is to come, the Panthers will head into this weekend with some confidence. Milwaukee athletes lead the league in 12 of 18 events, including all but one field event. Senior Trentin Edwards currently paces the league in the 60m and 200m, while Majors is tops in the 400m and 800m. Schleis leads the 60m hurdles and long jump, Bohler heads the heptathlon list and Gretz (shot put), Cole (triple jump), sophomore Sean Jaehnig (pole vault) and freshman Quinn Mongoven (high jump) are all league leaders, as is the 4x400m relay.

Despite their competing at the league meet this weekend, the season is not over for the Panthers. Select athletes will compete at the Alex Wilson Invitational, March 2-3, in hopes of qualifying for the NCAA Championships, March 9-10, in Fayetteville, Ark. The outdoor season starts March 24 at the Southern Illinois Invitational.