Printer-friendly format Email this article Elliot Enright

Track and Field To Compete In Drake Relays

UWM heads to 95th Annual Drake Relays after strong outing in Kansas

April 21, 2004

MILWAUKEE -

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

On Tap: 95th Annual Drake Relays
Where: Des Moines, Iowa (Drake Stadium)
Session One: Thursday, Apr. 22 at 11 a.m.
Session Two: Friday, Apr. 23 at 8 a.m.
Session Three: Saturday, Apr. 24 at 8 a.m.

95th Annual Drake Relay Schedule

*Drake Relays Official Website*

Men's Outdoor Individual Results

Women's Outdoor Individual Results

On Tap
After having found a niche of success at the 77th Annual Kansas Relay, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee track and field program will head to Des Moines, Iowa for the 95th Annual Drake Relays.

This year's Drake Relays will feature over 8,000 athletes. Milwaukee will contribute to that number by competing Josh Nygren, Ben Uphoff, Nick Davis, Nick Wichert, Anna Christian and Katie Anderson. The Panthers will also have a wealth of relays competing in the event. The men will have their 1600 and 3200-meter relays teams competing while the women will add their 400-meter shuttle hurdle relay, the 400, 800, 1600, 3200 and 6400-meter relay teams.

About The Panthers
The 2004 version of the Panthers' track and field team features a great deal of youth as the women's roster is compiled of 31 athletes with 22 of them being underclassmen. The men's team is comprised of 28 athletes with 20 athletes being freshmen and sophomores. Not only do both teams face the challenge of competing at a high level with younger athletes, but the women's team has the task of making up for the graduation of athletes like Lynda Thiel, Stephanie Kenesie and Kristi Naef. Plus, the Panther women also carry the reign of 2003 Horizon League Indoor and Outdoor Champions. The Panther men will be looking to return to championship form under the leadership of Adam Hobler, Eric Gresham and Nick Davis. All three were members of the last outdoor championship that the men's team captured in 2002.

Last Year At Drake
Last year's Drake Relays did some damage to the UWM men's track and field record book. The combination of Adam Hobler, Nick Viall, Elliot Enright and Eric Gresham broke one of the school's most significant records. The quartet broke the school's 1600-meter relay record time of 3:12.66 by running a time of 3:12.65. The previous record was held by Ken Lobins, Paul Rivas, George Bezold and Rudy Robertson in 1983.

More From The Record Books
The women's track and field record books weren't safe during last year's Drake Relays either. In last year's relays, Milwaukee broke school records in the 1600-meter sprint medley and the 100-meter shuttle hurdle relay. The group of Nicole Frey, Sara Vanderloop, Tenia Fisher and Katie Anderson set the current mark of 4:04.16 in the sprint medley relay while Stephanie Kenesie, Jill Naus, Kristy Naef and Michelle Fritsch recorded UWM's first-ever finishing time in the shuttle hurdle relay with a time of 59.68.

Speaking of Records
Nick Wichert threw out of his mind on Saturday afternoon at the Lee Calhoun Invitational (4/10). Entering with UWM's top hammer thrower with a season-best distance of 151' 6", the sophomore didn't sit on past results. Wichert used Saturday as a chance to show what he could do and made the most of it by notching a throw of 171' 9". Not only was the throw a season high, but it also broke UWM's 36-year-old record distance of 170' 5" held by Dave Gename set back in 1968.

Bring On The Championships
It took one time for the Panther women to break through and that was all they needed to get use to winning at the Kansas Relays. Milwaukee brought home two championships at this year's relay meet. The straw that broke the camel's back came courtesy of the four-mile relay team. The group of Christine Wampach, Katie Anderson, Anna Christian and Kourtney Nault claimed the first win by completing the event in a time of 21.33.16. The next group to break through was the 3200-meter relay team which paced the way with a time of 9:19.26.

Back To Jumping Heights
Senior Nick Davis had his best high jump height of 6' 7.25" during the indoor season at the University of Chicago Invitational (1/24), but had struggle to put together solid heights since that point. Davis appears to be finding his rhythm after he cleared an outdoor-best height of 6' 6.75" at the Big Blue Invitational (4/3) and at the Kansas Relays. Although, it's wasn't his best overall height of the year, the Racine native currently sits atop the Horizon League with the height.

Perez Continues To Get Better
Iris Perez has developed into one of the league's top 200-meter dash competitors after claiming the title in the event during the Horizon League's Indoor Championships (2/28) with a time of 25.47. The sophomore has been using the outdoor season as a chance to continue the improvements on her times. After running the 200 to a time of 25.75 during the Big Blue Invitational, Perez topped her time by completing the event with a time of 25.72 during the Lee Calhoun Invitational.

Running Fast...Very Fast
The most exciting race in track and field is definitely the 1600-meter relay. It closes out every meet and stretches the sprinters to their limits. For UWM, they found their groove last week at the Kansas Relays as the foursome of Adam Hobler, Elliot Enright, Eric Gresham and Jeremy Majors qualified for the finals in the event and also achieved a season-best time of 3:13.30. Adding to the accomplishment of a strong time, the four Panthers also placed themselves third all-time in school history and way ahead of the pack within the Horizon League

Taking The Hurdles As They Come
Every hurlder knows that you don't approach the hurdles as as one giant obstacle. Instead, most know that you need to take each one as it comes. Katie Slamka has been taking the right approach to the hurdles as she tries to become the top runner in both the 100 and 400-meter hurdles. Slamka's best time in the 100-hurdles is currently 14.77 which should place her second in the league. However, the sophomore's time of 1:02.56 is the mark to beat within the Horizon League.

Triple Threat
Stephanie Ray has turned herself into a triple threat for the UWM track and field team this season. Using her skills and athletic talent, Ray is quickly becoming strong in the pole vault, triple jump and javelin. Over the weekend, Ray vaulted herself to clear a height of 10' 11.75" which places her well ahead of any other league competitor. The Racine native also had her best performance of the outdoor season over the weekend in the triple jump with a leap of 35' 4". Ray currently ranks second on the women's team in the javelin with her throw of 81' 4.75".

Running Strong Again
Freshman mid-distance runner Justin Gorman had an indoor season that most first-year collegiate athletes wish they could have. Gorman was named Horizon League Athlete of the Week (2/3) and qualified for the Junior Nationals Track and Field Championship after running the 800-meter run in a time of 1:52.39 at the ISU Classic (2/13). Gorman, from Spring Valley, has continued to run strong as he competes in the outdoor season. Competing in the 1,500-meter runs, Gorman improved his best time to 3:58.34. His previous best time was 3:59.50.

His Best Day
Freshman thrower Nick Gretz had his best day as a UWM Panther in Charleston, Ill. at the Big Blue Invitational. Gretz claimed his season-best throws in the shot put and discus during the competition. With throws of 49' 5.5" in the shot and 157' 6" in the discus, Gretz claimed two third-place finishes during the competition.

Adding Awards
Sophomore Tenia Fisher should break out the boxes as she'll have to do some reshuffling of items on her trophy case. Fisher, who was named the Horizon League's Outdoor Track and Field Newcomer of the Year in 2003 added two more awards to her shelf. Fisher was named the Horizon League's Indoor Track Athlete of the Meet for the league's indoor championships and has also been named the Horizon League's Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year. Fisher had an outstanding indoor season by running the 800-meter run in a time of 2:12.04 and claiming two first-place finishes at the indoor championships (3/26-27).

Taking It The Distance
Ben Uphoff apparently doesn't mind going the distance for things. The freshman distance runner did go the distance by claiming his first collegiate win for track and field. Competing in the 5,000-meter run at the Purdue Invitational (3/26-27), Uphoff won the race with a time of 15:28.27. The New London native finished just under 24 seconds in front of the second-place time (15:53.01).

Take Six
Port Washington native and freshman distance runner Kourtney Nault is making a habit of finishing sixth in her events during the 2004 outdoor season. Nault opened the outdoor season up by running in the 10,000-meter run and has competed in the 5,000-meter run in the last two outdoor meets. In all three, she's claimed sixth-place finishes.

Another One For The Coach
Panther head coach Pete Corfeld is one of the more quiet coaches in the sport of track and field. A knowledgable coach, Corfeld resigns to the fact that the athletes do the work. However, his work hasn't gone unnoticed either. Corfeld recently led the Panther men to the 2004 Horizon League Indoor Track and Field Championship and was also named Coach of the Year. For the Panther head coach, the award was the 20th time he's won it and the championship was his 21st.

Christian Loves To Run
Anna Christian is showing how much she loves to run and just how good she is at it. When the junior opened up the 2004 outdoor season at Purdue (3/27), she registered the team lead in the 10,000-meter run with her time of 37:27.57. Christian hasn't stopped there. She took on the next task of competing in the 5,000-meter run during the Lee Calhoun Invitational and grabbed the team lead in the event after posting a time of 17:38.33.

Record? Maybe?
While Christian has strong times in both the 5,000 and 10,000-meter run, it may be tough for her to break the school records. The record time in the 10,000-meter run is 34:56.71 set by Angie Molter in 1996. While Christian is roughly two and a half minutes off the record time, it may be easier for her to aim for the school record in the 5,000-meter run. The record time of 16:49.20 held by Cheryl Konkol from 1982 may be easier to claim sincer Christian's current time is 17:38.33. However, it's still a tough task for a runner to improve a time by 50 seconds with just four meets remaining.

Rebuilding The Engine Like New
After finishing fourth at last year's Horizon League Indoor Championships and dropping to fifth in the outdoor championships, the Panther men are readying themselves to rebuild the engine to run as if it's brand new. The Panthers had 13 freshman on last year's squad. 10 of them will be returning for 2003-04. Returning 10 freshmen into their second year has been a recipe many coaches use to build depth and to add the necessary experience in hopes that it will translate into early succes. The Panthers still have some key cogs that were a part of the last teams to win the league championship in Adam Hobbler, Eric Gresham and Nick Davis. All three were members of the last indoor and outdoor championships that the Panthers claimed in 2001. Brightness is on the horizon as the Panthers will return some solid sophomores. Gabe Wagoner, named indoor track athlete of the year, and Josh Nygren, who was a solid performer for the cross country program and paced himself all the way to the NCAA Regional Championship.

Defending The Title
The Panther women enter 2003-04 as the reigning indoor and outdoor champions for the Horizon League. The Panthers have entered each season that way since the 2000-01 season. The Panthers won the indoor championship last year on the Klotsche Center Track with 165 team points, third highest in league history. The squad also notched a victory in the outdoor championships. The next closest team to the Panthers had 81 points (Butler). Kristin Naef, Lynda Theil and Stephanie Kenesie were all major contributors to the championships, but have since moved on due to graduation. The Panthers will look to returners like Kalin Konop, Sara Vanderloop, Tenia Fisher and Katie Slamka to continue the dominance. Konop finished 2nd and 3rd in the long jump and triple jump in last year's outdoor championships. VanderLoop placed 4th in the 100 and 3rd in the 200. Fisher claimed the victory in the 400-meter dash and Slamka placed 3rd in the 100-meter hurdles and 2nd in the 400-meter hurdles.

Up Next
The Panthers will get set for a tune up meet at Western Illinois University on Saturday, May 1. After that, Milwaukee will look to the Horizon League Outdoor Championships which will start on Thursday, May 6.