Men's Track & Field January 19, 2019

MKE Track & Field Takes Down Marquette

Seven Panthers post wins in home opener

MILWAUKEE – Seven different Panthers posted wins as the Milwaukee men's track & field team turned in 76-69 win over Marquette in a dual meet as part of the annual John Tierney Classic Saturday from inside the Klotsche Center.

"Overall, this was a very strong showing for us today," Milwaukee head coach Andrew Basler said. "It was exciting to have the full team going this weekend and I felt like we took a step forward – both in results and also in things that aren't always as measurable. It's great to see the team supporting each other more and more. There's an energy that is building here at Milwaukee and it's exciting to be a part of that.

"I think the team really enjoyed going head-to-head in a dual meet with Marquette. We came up a little short on the women's side but we got them on the men's side. We had a lot of alums here today and a number of recruits, as well. It was just a great atmosphere for the sport and it was exciting to see people make the most of that."

Milwaukee opened the meet with a pair of convincing wins. Peter Andrew – the reigning Horizon League Field Athlete of the Week – made it 2-for-2 to start the season in shot put, topping the field with a toss of 17.15m (56-3 ¼) on his second attempt. Sophomore Jake Wendt was not far behind at 16.53m (54-2 ¾) – a new PR and now rocketing him all the way into fourth in program history. Andrew already ranked high nationally in the event and Wendt just missed a spot in the top-100 with his impressive performance on the day. Marcus Matsche (14.07m) and Caleb Rogalski (13.28m) finished fourth and fifth as MKE dominated the opening event of the day.

Bryce McMurtry continued that theme with an outstanding season-opening showing in long jump. The junior – who finished last year's indoor season with a massive PR – proved that performance was no fluke with a new career-best leap of 7.10m (23-3 ½) for a convincing win Saturday. That mark now ranks the Menomonee Falls native fifth in Panther history and in the top-100 nationally.

Up next was Tri Pham. The junior waited for his last attempt to pop off a new personal record in triple jump, leaping 14.94m (49-0 ¼) and becoming just the third individual in Milwaukee history to clear 49 feet. Pham now also ranks 58^th in the nation after the early big mark. Sophomore Cole Gillitzer also had a PR on the day at 13.76m (45-1 ¾).

Defending Horizon League Champ Brady Irwin brought home the next Panther win. Going up against one of the top-ranked high jumpers in the country, Irwin brought home the win with a season-best height of 2.02m (6-7 ½).

Jack Johnson just missed another win for MKE in pole vault. The sophomore tied for the top spot after clearing the bar at 4.50m (14-9) – a big PR – before settling for second based on attempts.

In weight throw, Andrew turned in a new PR with a toss of 16.79m (55-1) to now rank him ninth in program history.

Leading off the running events, Alex Cotter (4:14.66) and Terry McMillan (4:15.24) opened their mile season up with strong opening times that already rank them second and third in the league standings.

Senior Alex Hatlevig added his name to the Panther record book, taking first in the 60m with a blazing time of 7.03 seconds – now creating a five-way tie for seventh place.

Milwaukee went 1-2 in the 60m hurdles. Freshman Sam Conger won the event for the second time in his collegiate career with a winning time of 8.24 seconds – just ahead of teammate Konner Fierek at 8.30. Conger also finished runner-up in the 200m in 23.01 with Hatlevig taking third in 23.18.

Michael Sippy turned in yet another win for the Black & Gold, leading a strong Panther charge in the 800m. Sippy crossed the line in 1:58.33 for first. Drew Dueck was next with a season-best time of 1:59.22 for third place, while newcomer Jack Fitzgerald came in fourth at 2:00.62.

Freshman Luke Rapisarda just missed a top-two finish in the 400m. Making his collegiate debut, Rapisarda clocked in at 50.84 – a mere two hundredths of a second shy of second place.

In the 3k, Corey Thornton continued his strong sophomore campaign with an opening time of 8:42.57 for second, just ahead of freshman teammate Trevor Wenzel at 8:42.67 for third.

Wrapping up the day, Milwaukee just missed yet another win in the 4x400m relay. Rapisarda, Sippy, Dueck and Cotter combined for a time of 3:26.77 – just shy of the win.

"Like I said, I'm pretty happy with how things went today," Basler said. "This was a great dual meet, but I'm looking forward to next week and seeing some more competition at Illinois to see if we can continue to improve upon where we're at as a team."

Milwaukee will make the drive down to Champaign next Saturday for the Illinois Invitational, starting with field events at 9 am.

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Players Mentioned

Peter Andrew: Senior; Throws

Alex Cotter: Junior; Distance

Drew Dueck: Senior; Distance

Konner Fierek: Junior; Hurdles

Cole Gillitzer: Sophomore; Jumps

Alex Hatlevig: Redshirt Senior; Sprints

Brady Irwin: Junior; Jumps

Jack Johnson: Sophomore; Pole Vault

Marcus Matsche: Senior; Throws

Terry McMillan: Senior; Distance

Players Mentioned

Peter Andrew
: Senior; Throws

Alex Cotter
: Junior; Distance

Drew Dueck
: Senior; Distance

Konner Fierek
: Junior; Hurdles

Cole Gillitzer
: Sophomore; Jumps

Alex Hatlevig
: Redshirt Senior; Sprints

Brady Irwin
: Junior; Jumps

Jack Johnson
: Sophomore; Pole Vault

Marcus Matsche
: Senior; Throws

Terry McMillan
: Senior; Distance